Wines for under a tenner (From York Press)

Wines for under a tenner

10:09am Saturday 17th December 2011 in Tipping's Tipples By Mike Tipping

In this week’s Tipping’s Tipples, MIKE TIPPING makes his selection of wines to see you through the festive season in style – and all for under a tenner.

Bah, humbug! Frankly, I’m fed up of being bombarded with the ‘austerity Christmas’ message. The media (apart from this esteemed journal of course) seems singularly intent on persuading us that we should all spend less over the festive period.

I know many of us are feeling the pinch. However, I like the old adage that life is too short to drink bad wine. When money is tight, I would rather have one good bottle, than three lacklustre ones!

But I’m keeping the current economic climate in mind, with this year’s seasonal, bumper selection of wines. I’ve restricted my choices to wines costing no more than £10 a bottle. And instead of including my traditional twelve wines of Christmas, I’ve made ‘efficiencies’ and reduced the number of recommendations by approximately 17 per cent.

Get the party started with a modern tasting white and red from Spain.

Altozano Verdejo Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (£7.50 Ocado, Rhythm & Booze) from the Castilla region, has long flavours of pineapple, citrus, green pea and a hint of perfume. It will be good with those party canapés.

Raimat Abadia Cabernet Tempranillo 2007 (£7.99 from yourfavouritewines.com) is a modern, fruit driven, red blend, in an easy-drinking style that’s perfect for parties too. It is brimming with cherries, berries, liquorice and spice.

Forget Champers within my bottle price limit. If you are intent on popping some fizz over the festive period try Casillero Del Diablo Brut Sparkling Chardonnay 2010 (£8.99 at Waitrose) instead.

Made with grapes from the limestone rich Limari Valley in Chile, it is fresh and approachable, with citrus, green apple and some mineral notes too.

Alternatively, choose a still white to sip while Christmas dinner is cooking. Cliff Edge Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (£7.95 at The Halifax Wine Company) is one of the best Marlborough sauvignons I’ve tried at the price.

Crisp and clean tasting, it reveals notes of tropical fruit, green pepper, and lime, without being over the top.

Go Greek this year with turkey and the trimmings. Semeli Mountain Sun Red 2008 (£9.95 from The Wine Society) from the Peloponnese region of Greece, is made from the local agiorgitiko grape.

Medium bodied and floral, it charms with flavours of cherry, plum, vanilla, smooth tannins and a lick of acidity that will help it work well with food.

Or head to M&S and grab a bottle of its own label Beaujolais Lantignié 2010, Beaujolais Villages (£7.99). Unoaked and approachable, this is a capable example, oozing cherry, strawberry and raspberry, with floral notes.

Something sturdier is required to match with the Boxing Day beef.

The Co-operative has a basic but brilliant red from Argentina, Vinalba Malbec 2010 (£6.49). It’s a chunky wine, touting plum and bramble flavours, violets, spice and hints of scorched earth and a firm tannic structure.

If you prefer Old World, then Majestic stock an earthy, spicy, Rhône red, Domaine Notre Dame des Pallières, Rasteau 2009 (£9.99 each when you buy two).

A blend of grenache, mourvèdre and cinsault, it carries its 15 percent alcohol effortlessly, with flavours of brambles, plums, chocolate and pepper.

My yuletide selection always includes a rosé, my choice of wine to brighten up cold turkey dishes.

Mirabeau Rosé 2010, Côtes de Provence, (£8.99 at Waitrose) is a user-friendly, Provençal pink, made by a Brit, Stephen Cronk. Dry and crisp, it shows elegance but is full-flavoured at the same time, with ripe cherries and strawberries, seasoned with fennel and lavender.

I love dessert wines. Finish off Christmas dinner with Rustenberg Straw Wine 2010 (£9.99 at Majestic), so called because the harvested grapes are dried on straw mats to concentrate the sugars.

This South African sticky, a blend of viognier, chenin blanc and crouchen blanc, delivers a mouthful of lightly perfumed nectar. Concentrated and very sweet, it has flavours of orange marmalade, lemon sherbet and golden syrup, with fresh acidity as a counterbalance.

• Have a very Merry Christmas. Tipping’s Tipples will be back in the New Year.