Wines of the Week: Terry Kirby selects the best bottles for Christmas Day
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Your support makes all the difference.It is the day before Christmas Eve and too late to order your festive wines online. So here are three versatile, value-for-money bottles you can find in a quick tour of your local high-street stores.
For fish or chicken
Chablis 2009
Of course you can pay silly prices for classic Chablis, but why bother when M&S has sourced this seriously good wine from the Union des Viticulteurs de Chablis – the right balance between a really pure, mineral crispness and buttery, nutty, Chardonnay banana and melon flavours, with just a touch of citrus. Particularly good with chicken. £7.99 (until 1 January; normally £10.99) Marks & Spencer
For turkey, game or beef
Les Clefs Croises, Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2010
Head to the Co-op to pick up this stunning southern Rhone blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsault, made for them by the highly regarded Ogier concern. Great big fruit aromas, lots of rich cherry and blackcurrant flavours, masses of peppery spices, topped with a real vibrancy on the palate. Amazingly moreish. £11.99 (until 1 January; normally £15.99), Co-op stores
For Christmas pudding and blue cheeses
Taylor's Late-Bottled Vintage 2005
Waitrose or Majestic are your last high-street stops for a pudding wine in a style pioneered by Taylor's – late bottling wines from barrels previously used for vintage port and a great option if you want to buy only one bottle of port a year. Deep, rich, ripely concentrated flavours of red and black fruits, big tannins and a long, but clean, finish. £9.99, Majestic (as part of a purchase of at least six mixed bottles; normally £13.99); £11.20 (until 2 January; normally £14.20), Waitrose stores
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