Only two or three shopping days to Christmas so you really do have to get out there and grab something to wash down the turkey and mince pies. Never fear, help is at hand. Martin will be talking to Sean Moncrieff about wines for Christmas on News talk 106 FM today (21/12/04) at about 3.20pm.

It’s always a good idea to have plenty of fizz on hand and if you have Ferrari tastes but Hyundai style income don’t worry. I love Bollinger and Charles Heidseick if someone else is paying but you could do much worse than the Tesco Premier Cru Champagne at €24.99. This is an outrageously good Champagne for the money. In my notes at the Tesco press tasting I wrote ‘Baby Bollinger’. There’s also a Tesco vintage at €29.99 that’s a cracker too. Both are better than many a well-known brand at €10-20 more per bottle.

Of course branding counts with Champagne and turning up at someone’s house over the holidays with a bottle of supermarket fizz rather than say Moët or Mumm will sadly probably just make you look cheap rather than savvy. Maybe best just to save this one for yourself and closest friends.

If you want to spend even less, far more interesting than the Olympic pool of Prosecco that the nation seems to have drunk this year is Jacob’s Creek Sparkling Pinot Noir – Chardonnay NV, widely available at about €13-14 and or indeed the rosé version. Yes that’s right, Jacob’s Creek, now don’t be snobby! 

Smoked salmon is always popular as a Christmas starter and I find the best wine for it is oaked white Rioja. Marks & Spencer do a good and very affordable version or look out for the more classic and expensive Marques de Murrieta. Trouble is I rarely want to drink them at any other time. Alternately smart oak aged whote Burgundy would do the trick if you are splashing out. Tesco fine wine now has a Drouhin Premier Cru Puligny Montrachet 05 at about €35 that would do the trick and O’Briens have Beaune Clos de Mouches Blanc at €55.

My own dessert island, all-purpose white is Chablis and preferably a 1er cru. There are many to choose from and fortunately a few well worth trying are in the supermarkets. M & S Chablis €13.99, is as reliable as an atomic clock while the supermarket price wars means both Tesco and Dunnes have Chablis for €9.99. Unusually at this price both are perfectly drinkable unlike any of the Aldi or Lidl versions I’ve ever tried.

Aromatic whites are also a good choice for fishy starters or aperitifs and one of the best I’ve had this year is Tramoya Rueda Verdejo 06 from Dunnes at just €7.99, which we’ll be tasting on the show and it’s rated at 88/100. It tasted more like a good, very fruity sauvignon than the average sauvignon does and justifiably is current white wine of the year in ‘The Best of Wine in Ireland’. Another perennial white wine of the year form Dunnes is the Inycon Fiano 2006 at €7.99.

Turkey and trimmings works best with soft, fruity rich reds. Shiraz is a good choice here and something from the Mitchelton range at Dunnes would do the job nicely as would anything from d’Arenberg at Oddbins and independents. Tesco have the terrific Tim Adams range from the  Clare Valley. They are several at various prices but the top one Tom Adams Aberfeldy 2005 at €35 is perhaps the best red wine I’ve had this year. Over at Supervalu the Nugent range is very reliable, while Superquinn have recently started to sell the excellent Tatachilla range from Mclaren Vale. We’ll be tasting their Keystone Shiraz-Viognier 06, a scented silky rich red at only €10.49, down from €13.99 and rated at 87/100.

Alternately the gamay based wines of Beaujolais work well, so serve up your favourite Fleurie, Morgan or Brouilly. Another classic xmas red is New World pinot noir. They tend to have a richness of cherry or strawberry fruit a supple soft texture at much lower prices than the Burgundies upon which they are modelled. Chile is finally starting to get to grips with this grape and Superquinn’s Verande at €10.99, down from €12.99 is good and M & S has a couple of great value versions while Cono Sur have a range at various prices that all deliver value and are pretty widely available

I’m not a of Bordeaux with turkey but you will see shops or critics recommend it. Generally it is too austere and has too much bite and is best with lam or beef but if you do want one seek out something from the ripe (ie softer) maturing now, 2000 vintage. Or 2003 if not available.

If you insist on white with your turkey avoid the aromatic whites and go for a dry wine with some richness. Chardonnay od some sort is the obvious answer so continue with the Chablis or an oak aged weightier style from France or the New World.

Don’t forget the dessert wine this year. Try a Sauternes of some description. Or try something a little different – a tokay from Hungry such as Ch. Dereszla  Tokaji Furmint Late Harvest, €15.99 per 50cl from Mitchells.  Chocolate lovers or should search for an Australian Liqueur Muscat or Banyuls.

I’ve tasted a lot of so called ‘entry level’ wines this year and few are any good. In general if you need something cheap for volume party pouring please ignore Lidl, they really aren’t many worth buying there. Aldi have a couple – their Bordeaux Blanc at €5.99 stands out as do the Bushlans Australian range. Beware their very cheap Baron St Jean red though, which is the worst red I’ve tasted this year. Tesco have a great little Côtes du Rhône for a fiver, which you should buy and pair with their finest S. African Chenin Blanc, also for a fiver.