The 20 best wines recommended to drink at Christmas 2024

Seasonal suggestions so often concentrate, understandably, on the classics, but staying with them alone excludes the adventurous pleasure of other celebratory wines.

Let's work backwards from the end of any special meal, particularly because sweet styles often get less attention than they deserve.

One caveat: almost all these wines are sold by on-line merchants, yet it's well worth the small ordering effort to have access to original bottles.

Besides, no heavy boxes to lug home.

You're considering port or sauternes? Instead of the former, travel to northern Italy, the far south of France or Alicante in Spain.

Sandro Boscaini, president of Masi Agricola, with grapes drying for recioto and amarone. (Image: Masi)

Veneto's vignerons have, since pre-Roman times, been making renowned sweet wine. The modern offering, recioto, sees fermentation of concentrated juice from partially-dried grapes stopped, usually by chilling or filtering, before all the sugar turns into alcohol.

The result is deeply flavoured yet at normal table wine strength (taking the fermentation further, to dryness, results in amarone).

This appassimento technique has been refined over 250 years by the Masi family, whose Angelorum Recioto della Valpolicella (£28 half-bottle, hic-winemerchants.com; £35.50 half-litre, highburyvintners.co.uk) is nectar with nut-based desserts or cheese.

So full of flavour, a thimbleful is all you need. Continuing the alternative theme, for an approachable introduction to the dry style, Masi Campofiorin (£15, Waitrose, Majestic - watch for seasonal offers) is a splendid dinner-table red, leaning towards amarone but lighter.Grenache bush vines in Roussillon, source of sweet rivesaltes. (Image: Liz Sagues)

In that sunny corner of France between the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean, Roussillon's rivesaltes vins doux naturels are made by halting fermentation with grape alcohol, the result again below port strength.

Juice from the grenache family, red, gris and blanc, is central to the memorable ambrés - exemplified to nutty, spicy, luscious perfection in examples from Domaine Fontanel (£24, stonevine.co.uk) or Gérard Bertrand 1974 (£110, thewinesociety.com).

Add dry wines to your order: Stone, Vine & Sun has stylish, serious, silky reds, both organic, from appellations edging Roussillon: Faugères, Château de La Liquière (£17) and La Clape, Villa Orea (£17.50).Loire whites are recommended for your Christmas wine list. (Image: Courtesy of the producer)

At the Wine Society, South by South West Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot (£15) is a fresh, enjoyable Aussie alternative to young claret, or return to Italy with Feudi di San Gregorio Taurasi (£21), rich and complex from old vines.

Dessert or cheese partners again: Alicante is home to ancient, extraordinary, wonderful fondillón, unfortified wine from over-ripened monastrell grapes matured in old barrels for decades, a solera system familiar from sherry.

The result is amber gold, scented with nuts, dried fruits and more - hints of tawny port, but less sweet.

The Wine Society has Bodegas Monóvar Fondillón 1996 (£52 half-litre).
I'll happily replace sauternes with a number of other whites whose extra acidity balances unctuous sweetness.Instead of port or Sauternes think of Italian sweet wine over Christmas. (Image: Courtesy of the producer)

Loire Valley chenin blanc tops my list - there's plenty around if you search it out, and it ages impeccably. Château la Tomaze Cuvée des Lys Coteaux du Layon (£21.75, yapp.co.uk) is fragrant with never-ending flavour, while there are further delicious Layons from Domaine des Forges, from the lighter Saint Aubin to crus Les Onnis and Quarts de Chaume (£16.30, £25.50, £43 at tanners-wines.co.uk).

Dry chenins also come in abundance from the Loire. The Wine Society's great choice includes Domaine de la Noblaie La Part des Anges (£21.50), where subtle oak rounds the long crisp-fruit-and-honey flavours, plus more delights in Savennières VB (£17.50) and Cady Cheninsolite (£16.50).Sweet Rivesaltes wine is like nectar. (Image: Courtesy of the producer)

The manseng grape, petit and gros, is another source of sweet wines with a palate-pleasing freshness. Most come from south-western France's jurançon region - tempting examples include Domaine Barrere, (£17.50, stonevine.co.uk) and Domaine Bellegarde Historique (£21, £11 half-bottle, yapp.co.uk), but there's one from Argentina at The Wine Society, Mendel Paraje Altamira Late Harvest (£15 half-litre).

Go to the same supplier for dry jurançon choice - Clos Lapeyre and Domaine Cauhapé are excellent producers.

Festivities need fizz, and let's support home industry. So much brilliant sparkling wine is produced in England that it's invidious to name names. But at a recent tasting I ran Ridgeview’s Fitzrovia rosé (£40, ridgeview.co.uk, also at Majestic and Waitrose - watch for offers - and independents) and Harrow & Hope Brut Reserve No 8 (£198 case of 6, harrowandhope.com; £29.70 in mix-12, laithwaites.co.uk) wowed everyone.

Other producers I’m happy to recommend include Albury, Albourne, Camel Valley, Greyfriars and Oxney. Buying direct helps these deserving companies flourish.