Top 10 wines in the UK press

2006 Erdener Treppchen, Riesling Auslese, Dr. Hermann, Mosel, Germany

With the build up to Christmas almost at an end and the big day finally upon us Matthew Jukes, writing in the Daily Mail, recommended a number of wines that were all about “calm and poise”, including this sweet Auslese Riesling.

He said: “I cannot believe the price on this half bottle of liquid gold because sweet Auslese wines are normally and awful lot dearer on account of their scarcity. With perfectly judged grapiness and an ethereal, haunting flavour this is one of the finest value German sweet wines of the year!”

Price: £9.99, half bottle, Majestic

2012 Ravenswood, Lodi Zinfandel, California

Jukes also recommended this Californian Zinfandel which he described as a “perfect statement wine for showing off this Christmas.”

He said: “Zinfandel is always welcome at my table during the festivities and this it because this Californian red grape (a very close cousin of Italy’s Primitivo) makes flashy, juicy, over the top wine with huge appeal and masses of exotic black fruit flavours.”

Price: £10.00, Sainsbury’s

Tesco Cava Brut, Spain NV

David Williams, writing for The Guardian, picked out a number of sparklers for Christmas week prompted by the fact that buck’s fizz is apparently the nation’s favourite Christmas cocktail, according to a survey by Waitrose.

He said: “It can be pretty foul: both cheap orange juice and cheap Champagne are aggressively acidic, and putting the two together brings out the wincing worst of them in a single sour shot. If I had to choose, I’d put most of my budget into the orange juice – maybe even squeezing some clementines or mandarins myself – since the subtleties of a good Champagne are drowned out by the power of the citrus, which will always be the dominant flavour. I’d also tend to choose a decent, and not too obviously acidic, sparkling wine from a cheaper region: Tesco’s toasty, appley Cava, for example, is a far more robust and flavoursome base, at a fraction of the price, than most cheap Champagnes.”

Price: £4.99

Ridgeview Blanc de Blancs, East Sussex, England 2000

For those with deeper wallets, Williams recommended this “beautiful, mature,” English sparkler from East Sussex producer Ridgeview.

He said: “One of the most significant recent developments in wine has been the improvement made by sparkling winemakers outside Champagne. Among the best of this bunch is the Sussex producer Ridgeview, whose much-loved founder Mike Roberts died last month. As a tribute and treat for Christmas or New Year toasts, Marks & Sparks is currently offering this beautiful, mature 100% Chardonnay fizz, with its rich patisserie flavours balanced by zesty, lemony acidity in magnums with a very smart wooden case. But if it has to be Champagne, few offer better value than under-the-radar house Delamotte, its supremely elegant Brut NV currently on offer at Corney and Barrow at £23.38.”

Price: £75, 1.5 litres, Marks & Spencer

Tesco Dessert Semillon De Bortoli, Riverina, Australia

For Susy Atkins, writing in The Telegraph, it was all about sweet wines from the New World, particulalry Australia.

She said: “Those lighter European pudding wines, from cooler climates, subtle and mouth-watering, are wonderfully suited to summer desserts. Like dainty ballerinas, quivering with acidity, they pirouette around fresh fruit, parfaits, meringues, sorbets. But for the hot, steamy, rich puddings of December, I want something riper, more robustly flavoured, to stride in and take the floor.”

Of this Australian sticky she said: “Superb value, a “sticky” (Aussie for sweet wine) that’s deep golden and rich with ripe peaches, with a rounded, smooth and lingering finish of butterscotch and greengages.”

Price: £6.79 for 37.5cl

Campbell’s Rutherglen Liqueur Muscat, Victoria, Australia

Atkins’ second “sticky” suggestion for sweet wine imbibing was Campbell’s Rutherglen Liquer Muscat.

She said: “An amber-hued “sticky”, unctuous and packed with raisins, mocha, figs and dark toffee. Better than anything for Christmas pudding.”

Price: £12.49 down to £9.99 until 30 December, Waitrose

Domaines Félines Jourdan Picpoul 2013

Perfect for chicken and fish, this Picpoul de Pinet from the Languedoc was recommended by Terry Kirby writing in The Independent.

He said: “Grown only in a small coastal area of the Languedoc, Picpoul is better value than Chablis or Sancerre for oysters or smoked salmon – deceptively exotic and complex, with green vegetal and anis mingling harmoniously with notes of honey and spice.”

Price: £8.99, Waitrose

Château de l’Aulée Cuvée Jeanne d’Arc Crémant De Loire NV

For those with a taste for fizz, Kirby recommended this “made by a former Bollinger winemaker” Crémant sparkler from the Loire.

He said: “Classy French sparkling, made by a former Bollinger winemaker in traditional champagne style, but at half the price. Chenin Blanc grapes deliver apples and pears, but there are also toastier, nutty notes. Great with canapés.”

Price: £12, Oddbins (also £11.99, averys.com)

Wolf Blass, Silver Label Chardonnay 2013, Australia

“A great exemplar of ‘the new Chardonnay’ from Australia, not over-oaked, not over-ripe, but majoring on fruit and freshness”, wrote Tom Cannavan of the Huffington Post on this Aussie white.

He said: “There’s a gentle, crushed almond and oatmeal note to the nose, before a palate that is relatively lean compared to the old Australian model, focused on apple, citrus and minerals, but with enough texture and delicate toastiness to give breadth and wide food-matching appeal. A nice wine for smoked Scottish salmon this Christmas, but with the weight to take on roast turkey for those who prefer a glass of white.”

Price: £12.99, Tesco

Wakefield, Clare Valley Shiraz 2013, Australia

Finally, Cannavan recommended this Australian Shiraz, a wine that he said was “in some ways is very traditionally Ozzy Shiraz, but with a lovely earthiness and savoury character to match up to its abundant black fruit: blueberry, damson and blackcurrant.”

He added: “There’s also a touch of mint or eucalyptus, but that earthiness comes through. Balanced, fruit forward and rich on the palate, it has the dryness and hint of muscle to take on roast beef or venison very nicely, but is soft enough in terms of tannin structure to make it a very decent red wine-lovers choice for turkey too.”

Price: £12.99, Majestic, but on offer at £8.69 until February 2015