Waitrose Blueprint White Burgundy, Mâconnais, France 2022 (£10.99, Waitrose) Even if you are the sort of endlessly curious food-lover whose day-to-day eating habits are a non-stop whirl of new cuisines and ingredients, Christmas dinner is the one meal that, give or take a few insignificant tweaks and additions, barely changes from one year to the next. For many people, that goes for the wine on the table as well as the food: classics (by which people generally mean a select handful of big French and other Old World names) are the order of the day. White burgundy certainly counts in that company, with Waitrose’s own-label chardonnay from the south of the region being stylish good value, and Louis Jadot Domaine Ferret Pouilly-Fuissé 2020 (£34.99, Whole Foods; thesurreywinecellar.co.uk) a rounded, tingling, complex treat. For reds, Bordeaux’s claret is the trad choice, whether the ripe and ready Château Le Peyrat Côtes de Castillon 2018 (£9.96, justerinis.com) or the wonderfully refined, fine-grained Château Beauregard Ducasse, Graves 2019 (£15.65, or £13.95 as part of a case, hhanc.co.uk).
Asda Extra Special North Canterbury Pinot Noir, New Zealand 2020 (£10.25, Asda) Other big European guns for the traditional Christmas table could include a spicy-herby, robust châteauneuf-du-pape (Tesco Finest Châteauneuf-du-Pape NV, £21, is one of the best-value examples of this never-cheap appellation); a mellow oaky rioja (such as The Society’s Crianza 2019, £8.50, thewinesociety.com); a tough-yet-tender barolo (such as the fragrant GD Vajra Albe Barolo 2018, £37.40, fromvineyardsdirect.com); or a racy, filigree off-dry white Mosel riesling (such as the delightful Merkelbach Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett 2021 (£24, stannarywine.com). For some non-European riffs on similar themes that are every bit as good as their inspiration, but with their own local stamp, there are countless high-quality chardonnays being made in a burgundian way across the globe, including the creamy yet incisive Creation Chardonnay 2022 (£15.99, or £12.99 as part of a mix six, majestic.co.uk). The same is true for Burgundy’s red grape pinot noir, and Asda’s succulent take on the grape from North Canterbury in New Zealand is a perfect turkey-and-trimmings partner.
