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
Champagne Delacourt Vintage Brut 2004 - 91 pts
Champagne, France, Sparkling Brut White, 12.5% ABV, cork
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Meunier.
Pairs nicely with: Aperitif, oysters.
From the excellent 2004 vintage in Champagne, this blend of the three main Champagne varieties boasts an intensely biscuity nose followed by a sumptuous mousse that explodes on the tongue in a delicious spray of vinous bubbles and then finishes refreshingly dry to leave the palate duly sated. Good value for a vintage champagne of this complexity.
£30 available from Marks & Spencer
Gusbourne Rosé 2015 - 93 pts
Kent, England, Sparkling Brut Rosé, 12% ABV, cork
54% Pinot Noir, 32% Pinot Meunier, 14% Chardonnay.
Pairs nicely with: Mezze, baked camembert, roasted salmon.
A beautiful food-friendly fizz, with a very well integrated (and very English) acidity and a broad mid-palate supported by a surprising flavour complexity. There’s a pleasing crunchiness and a lingering spiciness to this wine that makes a pleasure to drink now but also promises a good future.
£48.95 (or £43.95 in a case of 6) available from Lea & Sandeman
Wiston Blanc de Blancs 2011 - 90 pts
West Sussex, England, Sparkling Brut White, 12% ABV, cork
100% Chardonnay.
Pairs nicely with: Medium-cured cheeses, crème brûlée, coquilles St-Jacques
Ready to drink now, this 2011 Blanc de Blancs crafted by winemaker Dermot Sugrue, is showing a beautiful if fast development with ripe orchard fruit and pastry aromas. The palate is rich, broad and creamy: this is certainly not the fizz you want as an aperitif, rather requiring some rich nourishment to support its weight. Lingering spicy finish with hints of candied ginger.
£42.50 available from Wiston Estate
Nyetimber Tillington Single Vineyard 2011 - 94 pts
West Sussex, England, Sparkling Brut White, 12% ABV, cork
78% Pinot Noir, 22% Chardonnay.
Pairs nicely with: Aperitif, seafood platter, mild cheeses.
This first single-vineyard sparkling wine to be produced in England, Nyetimber’s Tillington lives up to its iconic reputation. If you’re looking for a special bottle for Christmas you can’t go wrong with this vibrant, complex and poised Pinot Noir-based cuvée crafted by Cherie Spriggs. You can have it with food but it certiuanly deserves to be enjoyed on its own.
£75 available from Harrods, Farr Vintners and Lay & Wheeler
Dry White
The Second Fleet Tasmanian Riesling 2017 - 89 pts
Tasmania, Australia, Dry White, 13% ABV, cork
100% Riesling.
Pairs nicely with: Oysters, Mussels, Smoked salmon.
The secret is out: Tasmanian dry Riesling is the equal today of the better-known Clare and Eden Valley Rieslings, and that’s because the German grape variety thrives in the cool oceanic climate of Australia’s biggest island, producing aromas and flavours of brown lime combining an elegantly citrusy tang with a mouthwateringly dry finish. Part of Lidl’s Winter Wine Tour collection.
£9.99 available from Lidl
Mar de Frades Albariño 2018 - 90 pts
Rias Baixas, Spain, Dry White, 12% ABV, cork.
100% Albariño
Pairs nicely with: Dressed cab, scallop ceviche.
Tasting as though it’s just come out of ocean water imbued with seaweed, this citrusy Galician dry white in its distinctive blue glass flute bottle is deliciously concentrated and refreshing with a grapefruit zesty tang that veers towards to mouthwateringly saline on the finish.
£15.25 available from Exel Wines.
Semeli Nassiakos Mantinia 2018 - 89 pts
Peloponnese, Greece, Dry White, 12% ABV, cork.
100% Moschofilero
Pairs nicely with: Grilled sea-bass, grilled tiger prawns, pulpo a la gallega.
With a saline, briny edge underpinning rich tropical and floral flavours this wine is begging for a flavourful seafood dish to go with it. The honeysuckle and pear drop elegance is lifted by the richness of peach jam, nectarine, green papaya and glazed pineapple.
£13.99 available from Novel Wines
Dry Red
Outlook Bay Central Otago Pinot Noir 2018 - 88 pts
Central Otago, New Zealand, Dry Red, 13% ABV, screwcap
100% Pinot Noir
Pairs nicely with: Thyme and garlic roast chicken, honey roast ham.
From Lidl’s Winter Wine Tour, this is a generous, perfumed Kiwi Pinot Noir redolent of raspberries and full of juicy loganberry-like fruitiness on the palate, a shading of oak bringing an attractive suppleness of texture.
£9.99 available from Lidl
Value choice of the Month
Te Mata Estate Cabernet Merlot 2017 - 90 pts
Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, Dry Red, 12.5% ABV, screwcap
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
Pairs nicely with: Magret de canard, lamb shoulder pierced with garlic and anchovy.
The standout wine in Lidl’s Winter Wine Tour collection, this announces itself as a stylish with a fragrance of cassis mingling with spicy oak vanilla. The theme continues with intense flavours of red cherry supported by stylish oak and refreshing acidity in a balanced red that comes across like a New Zealand answer to a youthful Médoc from Bordeaux.£10.99 available from Lidl
Colomé Altitude Mountain Blend 2017 - 91 pts
Salta Argentina, Dry Red, 14.5% ABV, screwcap
Malbec, Tannat, Cabernet Franc.
Pairs nicely with: Venison, dark game, goose.
Dark in colour, intense on the nose with blackberry, spice and a floral hint of rosehip, you get plenty of bang for your peso with this richly powerful, seductive mountain red framed by stylish oak and finishing with a fresh yet savoury quality that makes the mouth water – at a mouthwatering price too.
£13 available from The Co-op
Wine of the Month!!
Marqués de Murrieta Reserva Rioja 2015 - 91 pts
Rioja, Spain, Dry Red, 12.5% ABV, natural cork
Tempranillo, Graciano, Mazuelo, Garnacha
Pairs nicely with: Turkey, roast pheasant.
This is quite something, a classic Reserva with no shortage of spicy, almondy svelte ripe black cherry fruit flavours, terrific intensity and a preserving streak of freshness that runs throughout the entire wine to bring balance and drinkability. If you’ve still got red wine drink problems this Christmas, the Marqués will solve them for you.
£18.58 available from The Drink Shop
Maison Fortant Saint-Chinian 2018 - 91 pts
Languedoc, France, Dry Red, 13.5% ABV, cork
Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre
Pairs nicely with: Pasta with a meaty sauce, sausages, casseroles.
A classic four-way Southern French blend, this is rather well done, with primary fresh spicy fruit in a rustic framework of dark berry fruit imbued with garriguey scents and a degree of iron in its soul to add a savouyr quality that makes it such a good partner for suitably robust winter foods.
£9 available from Tesco
Wine of the Month!!
Ortega Ezquerro Garnacha 2017 - 94 pts
Rioja, Spain, Dry Red, 14.5% ABV, natural cork
100% Garnacha
Pairs nicely with: Merguez sausages, herb roast chicken, bacon duchy.
If you think Rioja is all about Tempranillo think again: this truly outstanding 100% Garnacha from 100-year old vines brings a new perspective on what the fruit and producers from the iconic Spanish region can achieve. Both structured and elegant, the nose shows an ethereal floral character (violets, crushed rose petals) and crunchy red fruit notes. The palate is poised and fresh (you would never tell alcohol is at 14.5%) with a blood orange zing supported the juicy red fruit and the soft tannins. Great lingering acidity and perfect balance.
£19.95 available from Jeroboams
Value choice of the Month
Chateau Musar Hochar 2016 - 92 pts
Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, Dry Red, 14% ABV, natural cork
Cinsault, Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon.
Pairs nicely with: Lamb roast, spaghetti carbonara, truffle risotto.
This is one of The Wine Society’s best sellers and there’s a reason why: it offers Bordeaux-like elegance, structure and complexity at a very good price. This unpretentious tribute to Musar’s founder, Gaston Hochar, show’s all of the estate’s trademark class and smoothness sprinkled by a zingy, unexpected vibrancy.
£13.50 available from The Wine Society
Sweet & Fortified
Armilar 10 Year Old Tawny Port NV - 88 pts
Douro, Portugal, Fortified, Medium-sweet red, 20% ABV, corkstopper
Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinto Cão, Tinta Amarela
Pairs nicely with: Blue cheese, nuts.
Port is of course the traditional post-Christmas-lunch drink of choice with cheese or just drunk on its own, and if you’re not inclined to take out a second mortgage on a vintage Port, this 10-Year-Old tawny will serve you well for its sweet mocha and caramel aromas and its voluptuously rich and raisined fruit with a cappuccino edge to it, all very nicely balanced to prevent it from cloying. Part of Lidl’s Winter Wine Tour collection.
£10.99 available from Lidl
Susana Balbo Late Harvest Malbec 2017 - 89 pts
Lujan de Cuyo (Mendoza), Argentina, Sweet red, 14.5% ABV, natural cork
100% Malbec
Pairs nicely with: Cured cheese, chocolate fondant.
This was one of our Winter Festival’s most unexpected favourites: a late harvest sweet Malbec crafted by iconic Argentinian winemaker Susana Balbo. The sugar is perfectly balanced by the fruit intensity and tannic structure of Malbec, for surprinsing drinkability and length.
£19 available from Taste Argentina