Cimarosa Pinot Noir, Leyda Valley, Chile 2013 (£5.99, Lidl) Which wine works with Christmas dinner? You want something that flatters the lighter meat but stands up to the gamier thighs and all the sweet and savoury sauces, gravy and vegetables. I reckon the choice boils down to three: a light red, a soft older red or a richer white. For the first of those the classical choice would be a red Burgundy like the graceful Domaine Jean-Jacques Girard Savigny-les-Beaune 2011 (£18.99, Waitrose). On a budget, look for a pinot noir from Chile: both Morrisons Signature Chilean Pinot Noir 2013 (£7.99) from Casablanca and Lidl’s cheapie from Leyda Valley do it well.
Château Lyonnat, Lussac-St-Emilion, Bordeaux, France 2002 (£12.50, Roberson Wine) You don’t need a Downton Abbey-like cellar to age wine; a fridge with the temperature set high will do. But most of us don’t keep wine for long after we’ve bought it, so if you want mature wine at Christmas buy it ready-aged. One of the few regions that sells its wines after significant time in barrel and bottle is Rioja, and La Rioja Alta Viña Ardanza 2005 (£19.99 for two, Majestic) has a mellow, oak-panelled cosiness that fits with the Christmas mood. Look out, too, for older bottles from Bordeaux: Lyonnat’s soft blend has the cedary charm of a claret worth much more.
Simpsons of Sainte Rose Low Yield Roussanne, Languedoc, France 2012 (£13.49, Naked Wines) As with lighter reds, the model for rich whites is Burgundy, where winemakers have perfected the art of matching chardonnay fruit to oak in golden, resonant wines such as Auvigue Pouilly-Fuissé Le Clos 2011 (£19.99, Waitrose). You can find a similar recipe at less drastic prices in Languedoc’s Limoux, and the creamy but taut Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Limoux (£8). Also in the Languedoc, but taking its inspiration from the Rhône Valley, is the turkey-ready roussanne, which balances its honeyed pear and peach with a lemony herbal tang.
