Top 10 wines in the UK press

Barbardillo Manzanilla Extra Dry, Sanlucar de Barrameda, Spain

“Sherry is always associated with the festive season, but not enough of us explore its enormous diversity or realise it represents fantastic value for money”, says Terry Kirby, who this week gave a selection of his favourites writing in The Independent.

“From one of the largest bodegas in the Spanish coastal town of Sanlucar de Barrameda, the only place to make Manzanilla, the driest, lightest and freshest sherry, distinguished by its pronounced yeasty, salty tang,” he said. “A fantastic aperitif, drunk chilled with nuts and wonderful with light shellfish dishes instead of a conventional white wine.”

Price: £8.95 (75cl), hawksheadwines.co.uk; £8.99 cambridgewine.com

Tio Pepe Fino Dos Palmas

“Like Manzanilla, Fino is made from the Palomino grape and aged under a layer of natural yeast called “flor”,giving its distinctive tangy taste,” said Kirby.

“This is a bit different from most Fino: a limited-edition release, taken from specially selected eight-year-old barrels, which although displaying intense flavours, needs to be consumed soon after bottling. Very dry and savoury, this can be drunk with all kinds of tapas, Serrano ham and cheeses.”

Price: £16.50 (50cl) thewinesociety.com; £16.99 laithwaites.co.uk

Famille Perrin Vinsobres Les Cornuds 2014

With Christmas fast approaching, Fiona Beckett, writing for The Guardian, used her column to highlight some festive bargains, from reds and whites, to bubbles.

“Southern France is still my favourite source of Christmas reds, because they tend to be bold, generous and well-priced,” said Beckett. “Few cut-price châteauneuf-du-papes can compete with the handsomely bottled Famille Perrin Vinsobres Les Cornuds 2014, or the joyous exuberance of the Château Cesseras Cuvée Olric Minervois 2013 (£9 Booths; 14% abv) – both would be ideal with turkey. And Aldi’s Exquisite Collection 2014 Plan de Dieu (£5.79; 14% abv), from the Côtes du Rhône, could easily be twice the price.”

Price: £8.99 The Co-op

Hill Smith Estate Chardonnay, Eden Valley, South Australia

On to the whites and this Chardonnay from the Hill Smith Estate in Eden Valley was among Beckett’s top picks.

“Even if you think you don’t like it (tried chablis lately?), Chardonnay comes into its own at Christmas, though even cheap Burgundy tends to cost more than 10 quid,” said Beckett.

“Some of the best alternatives now come from Down Under: try the elegant, creamy Hill Smith Estate Chardonnay, which is as far removed from the stereotypical, tinned peach flavours of Aussie chardonnay as you’ll find at the price; or Tesco’s refreshingly citrussy Finest Limestone Coast Chardonnay (13.5% abv) at just £6.”

Price: £10 Waitrose

Aldi’s Lucci Prosecco

There’s nothing like opening a bottle of fizz at Christmas time. Beckett has you covered with Aldi’s Lucci Prosecco, in magnum.

“There’s not much joy on the sparkling wine front if you want a change from Prosecco and don’t want to pay Champagne prices,” she said. “One option would be Franciacorta, from Lombardy. It’s drier than Prosecco, and is normally quite pricey, but Lidl has an unusually affordable example from Borgo Regio for just £8.99 (12.5% abv).

“Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Crémant de Loire, which is based on Chenin Blanc, is pleasantly creamy and worth picking up on its introductory offer of £9. But if it has to be Prosecco, why not go for a magnum? Aldi’s Lucci Prosecco (11% abv) is good value at £12.99 (that works out at £6.49 a bottle), or go for a magnum of Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Prosecco (10.5% abv), currently on offer at £15.50.”

Price: £12.99 (magnum), Aldi

Gál Tibor Egri Bikavér Titi, Eger, Hungary 2015

From crowd-pleasing Prosecco to Hungarian ‘bikavér’, otherwise known as Bull’s Blood. David Williams, writing for The Observer, used his column to highlight the positives of this wine that gained prominance throughout the 1970s to 1980s.

“It’s not quite so easy to find these days, but when it does turn up – whether labeled in English or with the Hungarian “bikavér” – it’s as a much more refined and flavoursome beast. I loved the peppery strawberry and cherry fruitiness in Lidl’s refreshing, gently grippy new addition, while Bolyki Egri Bikaver 2015 (£15.95, Vinoteca) is deeper and darker, with black cherries and olives.”

Price: £8.99, Lidl

Kopfensteiner Blaufränkisch Eisenberg, Burgenland, Austria 2014

“Although the Bull’s Blood blend can feature as many as 13 different grape varieties, at its heart there is always a large dollop of Kékfrankos – a variety that brings a distinctive charge of cherry-ish acidity that is in full effect in a solo outing such as Takler Kékfrankos, Szekszard, Hungary 2015 (from £9.90, Danube Wines; Mephisto Wines),” said Williams.

“Like the Gál Tibor Egri Bikaver, it’s the kind of thing that works best with a little time in the fridge and served with cured meat – a salty hock of ham at Christmas perhaps. That dish would also be my choice for another example of kékfrankos, this time from across the border in Austria, where the variety goes by the name of blaufränkisch: Kopfensteiner’s salt-and-pepper-seasoned raspberry and blackberry-scented example has many of the attributes of spicy, refreshing syrah from the northern Rhône.”

Price: £12.75, Oddbins

The Society’s Exhibition Pouilly-Fuissé 2014, Burgundy, France

Moving on and Jamie Goode also has his eye on Christmas, reccommending a raft of whites for the festive season writing for The Express.

“White wines are the obvious match for a classic Christmas lunch of roast turkey and all the trimmings,” he said. “To go with the rich flavours of the accompaniments, I’d usually be led straight to Chardonnay and, if the budget allows, white Burgundy. But thinking further afield, there are lots of options that would go down a treat.”

Among Goode’s suggestions was this Pouilly-Fuissé from The Wine Society.

“A full-flavoured white, this has rich flavours of hazelnut and cream, fresh citrus fruits and baked apple sweetness,” said Goode.

“After a while, the richer notes subside and it settles into a stony, minerally wine with real presence and complexity.”

Price: £18, thewinesociety.com

Château Le Coin Sauvignon Gris 2015, Bordeaux, France

“This is beautifully focused with a herb, fennel and grapefruit edge,” said Goode of this Sauvignon Gris from Bordeaux.

“It has depth and texture with a slightly smoky, spicy edge to the pear and melon flavours. It’s richer than you’d expect from a sauvignon, with depth to the bold fruit, but it’s not overblown. There’s also tasty passionfruit richness, hemmed in by the grapefruit.”

Price: £10.99, laithwaites.co.uk

2014 Yantra, Tenuta Sette Cieli, Monteverdi Marettimo, Tuscany, Italy