Party Time! The Top 10 Wines for Christmas Parties

By Angela Mount

Like it or not, it’s finally upon us – Advent has started, festive songs are blaring across the airwaves, and the season of Christmas parties has well and truly begun. Whether you’ve recklessly decided to invite half the neighbourhood and the entire posse of school parents round for drinks, or whether you’re planning a smaller, more intimate festive dinner party, getting the right quantities of wine is just as important as sorting out the menu.

If you’re planning a large drinks party, there are roughly 6 glasses in a bottle of wine, and I’d recommend working on the basis of half a bottle per head. Make sure you have enough soft drinks, or invent some exotic ‘mocktails’ for those who are driving – nothing is worse than a glass of water if you’re the nominated driver, and everyone around you is celebrating.  Parties are not the time to bring out the carefully matured and nurtured top bottles from your cellar, and you don’t need to spend a fortune on the wines; equally, you need to give a bit of thought to the wines you’re choosing.  Avoid big oaky whites, tannic reds, and wines with high levels of alcohol. The wines here are the supporting act, not the star of the show, and need to match the lively, sparkly festive mood, and also the style of food being served.

Kick off the evening with a great party favourite, Prosecco, but make it a good one – the Ruggeri Prosecco Argeo NV, with its delicate peach and lemon peel freshness is ideal, but if you’re planning Prosecco cocktails, then why not use the crisp, citrusy Stelle d'Italia Prosecco NV, at a cracking £8.50.  Try a refreshing cocktail of Prosecco, Martini, elderflower and mint, or a more warming Sloe gin and Prosecco cocktail, maybe with a dash of cranberry,to get the party started.

A quick tip for chilling down fizz and white wines - stock up with bags of ice, and chill the wines in large crates, or buckets, filled with water and ice.

Onto white wines – here you want refreshing, unoaked styles, which will suit most tastes.  Wines with screwcaps are also a huge time-saving advantage. Sauvignon blanc is still the buzz word, and the Frost Pocket Sauvignon blanc 2013, delivers a beautifully balanced , refreshing style, laced with passion fruit. However to ring the changes, I tend to opt for a bright, creamy and smooth Italian dry white – it’s all about finding wines that will complement the canapés and offer a delicious taste. I’d recommend the Planeta La Segreta  bianco 2013, from one of the top producers in Sicily, at a remarkable £8.95 (and just over £8 if you buy 12) – not the merest whiff of oak, just gorgeously fresh, zesty tropical fruit, with a kick of lemon peel on the finish.

If you’re inviting just a few friends over for dinner, then an impressive option would be the Gavi di Gavi Le Minaia 2013, an elegant and creamy white from north western Italy, full of stylish russet apple and poached pear fruit, with a fresh, lemon zest finish – particularly good with salmon or seafood.

Moving onto reds – for parties you want bright, juicy, fruity reds, with a lively freshness. Step up De Gras Merlot Reserva, a joyful fruitbomb of a red from Chile, bursting with exuberant strawberry and red currant fruit, with a very gentle style – smooth, silky, no harsh edges, the perfect lighter style party red – at a brilliant price of £7.75.  For a warmer, richer style, you won’t go far wrong, with the velvety, strawberry and vanilla scented Marques de Riscal Rioja Arienzo 2010. Once again remarkable value for a ‘hug in a glass’ red, which will work at just about every Christmas entertaining occasion.

Alternatively if you want to impress with a really terrific red to go with most foods, the Janasse Côtes du Rhone, currently at just £10.95/bottle will go down a treat, and for an all round crowd pleaser, I’d try the Mullygrubber Shiraz Cabernet, only £7.50, a cracking Oz classic red wine that everyone will enjoy.

And finally…if friends are popping round for a chat and a mince pie, there’s one wine that’s just perfect – light the fire, warm up the mince pies, put  the festive Michael Buble CD on, and serve with a glass of the sweetly luscious, raisin and honey scented D’Arenberg the Noble Wrinkled Riesling. Enjoy.

(all prices quoted are single bottle prices – customers can enjoy a further 10% discount when they purchase 12 or more bottles of any one wine).