December's Recommendations
We rate our wines out of a 100-points scale.
Our reviews and recommendations are completely independent and we do not have any commercial affiliation with the importers and/or retailers listed.
Please note that prices are correct at the time of our tastings/reviews but are subject to change without us being notified.
Sparkling
Value choice of the Month
Môreson Miss Molly Bubbly NV - 89pts
Western Cape, South Africa, Sparkling White, 12% abv, cork closure
100% Chardonnay
Pairs nicely with: Aperitif or seafood.
This is a really pretty, fresh, lightly floral fizz with notes of lemon, lime and blossom with a persistent yeasty, bready, biscuity finish. Named after Môreson’s pet pooch, Miss Molly in real life is a Weimaraner and a little drawing of her can be found on the label! A super sparkler.
£11.99 available from Museum Wines
Môreson Solitaire Blanc de Blancs NV - 91pts
Franschhoek, South Africa, Sparkling White, 12% abv, cork closure
100% Chardonnay
Pairs nicely with: Aperitif or seafood.
This is a serious style of fizz made from 100% Chardonnay, a small portion of which is wooded. This doubtless adds to the complexity as does the 24 months that are spent in bottle on the yeast lees. This is poised and distinctive with notes of apple strudel and crumble. Long, autolytic and memorable.
£19.99 available from Museum Wines and Drop Wine
Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2006 - 96 pts
Champagne, France, Sparkling White, 12.5% abv, cork closure
100% Chardonnay
Pairs nicely with: Aperitif or seafood.
An outstanding champagne! There are really pretty notes of bottle age on the nose with some cracked toffee notes and honeycomb along with pastries and bread and butter pudding. This is elegant and complex with a tight core of apple fruit in the middle and a length that runs and runs. Focused, poised and distinctive. Outstanding.
£129.99 available from Waitrose
Dry White
Domaine du Chalet Pouilly Pouilly-Fuissé 2015 - 92pts
Burgundy, France, Dry White, 13% alc, Cork closure
100% Chardonnay
Pairs nicely with: Fish pie, salmon, scallops, monkfish or chicken.
White Burgundy remains of choice and when you try a bottle like this, it is easy to see why! Elegant and pure with light spicy oak coupled with purity and focus of fruit this is a fantastic wine for under £20 from Pouilly-Fuissé; a bit of a bargain! Slurp exclusively brings this wine into the UK along with 2 other white wines. Highly recommended.
£19.95 available from Slurp
Wine of the Month!!
Spier 21 Gables Chenin Blanc 2017 - 92pts
Coastal Region, South Africa, Dry White, 14.5% alc, screwcap
100% Chenin Blanc
Pairs nicely with: Chicken, fish pie, pork.
Succulent and ripe with distinct notes of tropical fruit such as mango and pineapple along with some white stone fruit notes and a kiss of vanilla. Long, layered and lovely.
£21.00 available from Slurp
Chapoutier Mathilde Duche d’Uzes Blanc 2016 - 89 pts
Rhône, France, Dry white, 13% alc, cork closure
Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier.
Pairs nicely with: Poultry, chicken pie, seafood and light fish.
Another Slurp exclusive, this wine is biodynamic and made from organic grapes; a blend of Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier. The wine is layered and interesting with notes of pear, honeysuckle, herbs and stone fruit, made my Mathilde Chapoutier, daughter of the legendary Michel.
£11.95 available from Slurp
Vinarstvo Druzovič SISI Riesling 2017 - 89 pts
Slovenia, Dry white, 12.5% ABV, screwcap
100% Riesling
Pairs nicely with: Moules marinières, dressed crab.
Refreshingly citrusy in aroma, this crisp, lemon and lime-like Slovenian dry Riesling has a youthful snap about it thats underscored by a lively, saline finish. Terrific buy at under a tenner.
£9.75 available from Obbdins
Crama Rasova ‘Imperfect’ Feteasca Alba 2017 - 90 pts
Murfatlar, Romania, Dry white,13% abv, cork closure
100% Feteasca Alba
Pairs nicely with: Seafood.
An organic Romanian white boasting a youthful crispness of aroma, while the stone fruit flavours with their Chablis-like whiff of sour cream make this richly textured dry white an excellent accompaniment for white fish such as bream and halibut.
£17.50 available from Oddbins
Provins Petite Arvine du Valais Collection Chandra Kurt 2017 - 91 pts
Valais, Switzerland, Dry white,13.5% alc, cork closure
100% Petite Arvine
Pairs nicely with: Monkfish, tuna.
A typically daring selection from the adventurous Oddbins team, this dry white made from one of Switzerland’s signature white grape varieties, the Petite Arvine, is richly concentrated with a peachy fruit quality that’s vivid and intense with well-defined acidity for excellent balance. Yodelaee-ho!
£25.00 available from Oddbins
Ken Forrester Barrel-fermented Roussanne 2015 - 91 pts
Stellenbosch, South Africa, Dry white, 14% abv. Screwcap
100% Roussane
Pairs nicely with: Roast chicken with thyme, sea bass, Caesar salad.
From Cape restaurateur and vigneron / showman Ken Forrester, the exotically pronounced fragrance of this dry white made from the Rhône’s Roussanne grape is not only intense but benefits from the complexing addition of lees-derived flavours and an attractive nutty oak underpinning, balanced by a fine spine of acidity.
£18.50 available from Oddbins
Sandhi Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay 2015 - 93 pts
Santa Rita Hills, Santa Barbara, California, Dry white, 13% abv., Cork closure
100% Chardonnay
Pairs nicely with: White meats, firm white fish.
Oddbins have increasingly gone out on a limb with fine California wines which may not be cheap, but can be excellent, like this intense, nutty, lees-driven Puligny-alike from Sandhi, whose serious complexity is bolstered by a beautifully textured richness of flavour and underpinned by a balancing, minerally dry acidity.
£33 available from Oddbins
Dry Red
Domaine Gaylord Machon Crozes-Hermitage Cuvée Ghany 2015 - 91 pts
Rhône, France, Dry Red, 13% alc, cork closure
100% Syrah
Pairs nicely with: Beef stew, cassoulet, fillet steak.
Even though this wine has now had a good couple of years in bottle it is still a beautifully vibrant, youthful colour with very attractive exuberant fruit; lots of ripe bramble, mulberry and blackberry fruit offset by soft, finely grained tannins. There are no obvious oak notes with 2/3 of the blend having been aged in large barrels. A modern, supple, fruit-forward style that is frankly delicious!
£20.95 from Lea & Sandeman
Masseria Borgo dei Trulli Primitivo 2016 - 89 pts
Puglia, Italy, Dry Red, 15% alc, cork closure
100% Primitivo
Pairs nicely with: Rich red meat dishes, lasagne or wild boar.
This wine is for those who like their reds big, bold and beautiful! There is a lot of colour, fruit and oak here but it is all well-balanced and the 15% alcohol perfectly integrated. With notes of rich dark fruit cake, coffee, chocolate, spice and vanilla this is a wine that caresses and warms the palate.
£14.50 from Oddbins
Vidal Reserve Syrah 2014 - 90 pts
Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, Dry Red, 13.5% alc, screwcap
100% Syrah
Pairs nicely with: Peppered steak and red meat.
A really striking depth of colour, still showing a youthful purple hue with bright red and black cherry fruit, especially Morello cherries. The palate is long and focused with plums, rich dark fruit, pepper and spice. A serious wine but one that is approachable now.
£14.95 available from The Vinorium
Wine of the Month!!
Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2008 - 93 pts
Southern Rhône, France, Dry Red, 14.5% alc, cork closure
Grenache. Mourvèdre, Syrah + 10 other varieties
Pairs nicely with: Roast beef, duck, goose.
Together with the almost equally excellent 2011, this is perfectly timed for Christmas, its own wooden box showcasing a wonderfully perfumed Rhône red whose ‘gran reserva’ like leather and rich dark fruit quality is supported by voluptuously velvety tannins that help it on its effortless way down. Sex in a bottle.
£70 available from Oddbins
Château Tronquoy Lalande 2013 - 90 pts
St Estèphe, Bordeaux, France, Dry Red, 13% alc, cork closure
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
Pairs nicely with: Roast lamb, turkey.
Although 2013 was an average rather than a great Bordeaux vintage, this fine cru bourgeois claret from the St Estèphe appellation in the Médoc has come into its own now as a classic, medium-bodied cherry and blackcurranty red tinged with vanilla and etched with still youthful acidity. Perfect festive fare. Mix six price £26.99.
£29.99 available from Majestic
Value choice of the Month
The Bourgeoisie Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 - 90 pts
Columbia Valley, Washington, USA, Dry Red, 13.5% alc, cork closure
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Pairs nicely with: Rose veal, loin of lamb.
A nice ironic echo (homage?) to Bordeaux cru bourgeois claret, this aromatic, cassis-laden Washington red is very much in the medium-bodied claret mould with a touch of spicy vanillan oak, supple tannins and juicy acidity combining well in a wine of undeniably good value, especially at the mix six price of £14.99.
£19.99 available from Majestic
La Rioja Alta Viña Ardanza - Magnum 2008 - 92 pts
Rioja, Spain, Dry Red, 13.5% alc, cork closure
Tempranillo, Garnacha
Pairs nicely with: Rack of Lamb, Entrecote.
In magnificent magnum, this 10-year-old Rioja icon is perfectly timed for a Christmas family treat, a savoury, meaty Spanish red beloved of traditionalists with its classic smoky, coconutty aromas and beautifully supple, truffle and game-like flavours. The price is of course for the magnum, and £44.99 in a mix six case.
£49.99 available from Majestic
Porta Porta 6 - Magnum 2015 - 89 pts
Lisbon, Portugal, Dry Red, 13.5% alc, cork closure
100% Aragonês
Pairs nicely with: All things chickeny, lamb.
What, £16.99 for a magnum (£14.99 mix six), I hear you say? Well, yes, this prettily decked-out Lisbon red is deliciously spicy with a supple, juicy damson and blackcurrant fruit quality perked up by good grip and acidity on the finish. A festive bargain.
£19.99 available from Majestic
Giovanni Almondo ‘Bric Valdiana’ Roero DOCG 2015 - 91 pts
Piedmont, Italy, Dry Red
100% Nebbiolo
Pairs nicely with: Chicken, pheasant, pork belly.
Roero? Think Barolo, because this succulent red is made from the same grape variety only in a different Piemontese terroir, but it’s reminiscent of good Barolo, with its haunting sweet cherry aromas and delicately spiced berry fruit underpinned by that classic grainy textured tannin and fine spine of acidity.
£19.00 available from Lay & Wheeler
Fortified
Fonseca Terra Prima Organic Reserve Port NV - 89pts
Douro, Portugal, Sparkling White, 20% abv, cork closure
Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Cão
Pairs nicely with: Blue cheese.
A blend of classic port varieties are used to great effect here with both the grapes and neutral spirit used to fortify the port being organic, which is very unusual. This is a dense yet surprisingly graceful port, packed with rich black fruit, cherries, raisins and a silky, warming palate. Just add cheese and tinsel!
£14.99 (until 1st Jan 2019, save £3) available from Waitrose