Pinot Noir can be just the thing for a festive meal, especially one with sweet accompaniments, so there are 10 suggestions below, including four not-overpriced red burgundies. But I couldn’t resist recommending seven wines from that current hotbed of value, Bordeaux, too. I would always suggest buying by the case to reduce bottle prices substantially. (All stockists listed are in the UK.)
Couleurs d’Aquitaine, Église St-Jacques NV Bergerac (13%)
Sad for the Bergerac growers that they have to sell their Bordeaux tastealikes so cheaply.
£7 Tesco
Morandé, Reserva One to One País 2021 Maule (14%)
A very attractive emissary for the long-deplored Mission grape. Serve slightly cool as an aperitif.
£8.99 Majestic
Pisano, Progreso Tannat Reserve 2022 Canelones (13.5%)
Some freshness and marine influence. The Madiran grape seems very much at home in Uruguay.
£9.95 The Wine Society
Volver, Tarima Monastrell 2022 Alicante (14.5%)
Old Mourvèdre bushvines yield this great-value Spanish answer to Bandol. Sweet palate entry and some grip on the end.
£9.99 Majestic
J Navascués, Cutio Garnacha/Carineña 2020 Carineña (14.5%)
Mainly Grenache with Carignan from a star winemaker. Chock-full of delight with good freshness on the finish.
£10.95 The Wine Society
Karavitakis, Kompsos Liatiko 2022 Greece (13%)
Liatiko is a fine Cretan vine and Nikos Karavitakis has fashioned pure pleasure from it.
£10.95 The Wine Society
Leyda, Reserva Pinot Noir 2020 San Antonio (13.5%)
Take care not to serve this Chilean wine too warm but there’s lots to savor, with or without food.
£11 Tesco
Ch Pey La Tour Réserve 2019 Bordeaux Supérieur (14.5%)
I’d love to see this next to a Napa Cabernet that costs 10 times the price. Everything seems to have been lavished on this wine, which is arguably not for classicists, but is still really great value.
£11.95 The Wine Society
Howard Park, Miamup Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 Margaret River (14%)
Concentrated Margs Cab aroma, blackcurrants dunked in a salt solution, which is nicer than it sounds. Excellent price for a tug at the coat-tails of one of the wine world’s great Cab regions.
£12 Tesco
Koyle, Coastal Pinot Noir 2022 Colchagua Costa (13%)
Not complex but there’s perfumed fruit, some structure and appetising Pacific influence on another Chilean wine.
£13.50 The Wine Society
Cecilia Beretta, Soraie 2021 IGT Veneto (14%)
Bittersweet dried-cherry flavour. Not unlike a dry Amarone.
£13.80 Corney & Barrow
Ch Laulan 2019 Francs Côtes de Bordeaux (13.5%)
Regeneratively farmed vines whose fruit has been aged in concrete, terracotta and old 400-litre oak barrels. A rather beautiful Bordeaux blend for the money.
£13.99 MJ Wine Cellars
Ch Beauregard Ducasse 2019 Graves (13.5%)
Pure, lively Graves with its lightly stony character. Far from a blockbuster but not lean. Admirably persistent for the money.
£14.50 Stone, Vine & Sun
Castello La Leccia 2020 Chianti Classico (14%)
Organic. So pure and aromatic! Polished, almost claret-admire, but with the tanginess of fine Sangiovese.
£14.95 The Wine Society
Vasse Felix, Filius Cabernet/Merlot 2021 Margaret River (14%)
Really nice lift and accessibility. Winemaker Virginia Willcock’s magic dust is much in evidence here. Great balance.
£14.99 Majestic
Villa Cafaggio 2020 Chianti Classico (13.5%)
Smart, useful magnum of organic, classic, ripe Sangiovese that would grace any table, with tension, tang and something agreeably agricultural. Take me to a vine-shaded terrace in Tuscany . . .
£14.99 (for 75cl bottle), 1.5 litre magnum for £28.99 Waitrose
Marchiori & Barraud Malbec 2022 Mendoza (14.5%)
Bittersweet and completely unlike most Argentine Malbecs. This has lift and transparency. Exciting!
£15.25 Corney & Barrow
La Ronciere, Idahue Estate Merlot 2018 Licantén (14%)
Another fine wine from coastal Chile, this time with quite a bit of maturity. A real bargain.
£15.50 Corney & Barrow
Ch Les Vieux Moulins, Cuvée Pirouette 2020 Côtes de Blaye (13.5%)
Crazily underpriced. Well made with real vitality and harmony. So many wine drinkers I know would prefer this to a sweeter, riper, more concentrated wine.
£15.95 Lea & Sandeman
Ch Roubaud, Cuvée Plaisir 2022 Costières de Nîmes (13.5%)
Rich nose and no shortage of fine tannins. In fact, this southern Rhône blend is still a bit too young but should furnish great drinking next year.
£15.95 Yapp Bros
La Bastide Saint Vincent, Pavane 2021 Vacqueyras (14%)
Rich, artisanal southern Rhône with everything in the right place.
£16 Berry Bros & Rudd
Ch Lafon 2018 Listrac (14%)
Nicely balanced Cru Bourgeois. A good buy for lovers of classic claret. Just becoming approachable but no sign of ageing.
£16.50 Corney & Barrow
Sierra de Toloño 2020 Rioja (13.5%)
Edgy and very modern in a good way, verging on natural. Really lively wine that may upset some preconceptions about Rioja. Fun and transparent.
£16.50 Lea & Sandeman
Dom Borie la Vitarèle 2022 La Cuvée des Cigales 2022 IGP Pays d’Hérault (13%)
Expressive and interesting Grenache/Syrah blend. Obviously terroir-driven. Bone-dry finish but not at all heavy. Their “easy-drinking wine” but still jolly good.
£16.95 Lea & Sandeman
Lapis Luna Zinfandel, California 2021 North Coast (14.5%)
Lovely historic engraving on the label. Made by ex-Bonny Doon winemaker Nicole Walsh from the Pauli Ranch in Mendocino. This would be great with salty sausages or saucisson. Surprisingly refreshing.
£16.99 Majestic
Enrique Foster, Finca Los Altepes 2015 Uco Valley (14%)
Good price for a fully mature Argentine Malbec. Toasty, interesting fruit on the nose — very smooth.
£18.50 Private Cellar
Precision Wines, Prototype Zinfandel 2020 Lodi (15%)
Smart label with a 1950s motor on it. Rich fruit but not fat. Well-made, appetising example of Old California’s signature grape.
£18.95 Barrique Fine Wines, £18.99 Nine Elms Wines, £19 The Salusbury Winestore
Matias Morcos Criolla Chica 2022 Mendoza (12.5%)
Strong strawberry aroma on this Argentine version of the País/Mission grape. Soft tannins and lots of fruit and freshness. Drink, don’t keep.
€19.50 Stroud Wine Co
Ch Montaiguillon 2019 Montagne-St-Émilion (14.5%)
Old-fashioned label. Very slightly rustic, but sweet and ripe. Many St-Émilion enthusiasts would love this. The right-bank bargain has blood and guts.
£19.95 Lea & Sandeman
Loom, Long Yarn Pinot Noir 2021 Adelaide Hills (13.5%)
Unlike many Pinots, this one is savoury rather than sweet. Attractive red for drinking without food.
£19.99 Virgin Wines
Neudorf, Tom’s Block Moutere Pinot Noir 2020 Nelson (14%)
Pretty, flattering fruit. A please-all from the north-west of New Zealand’s South Island, and one that will go with the turkey.
£20.50 The Wine Society
Ch Citran 2016 Haut-Médoc (13.5%)
Very respectable and youthful claret in a useful double size that will still be drinking well next Christmas.
£43.50 a magnum The Wine Society
Dominio del Cuarzo, Vino de Pueblo Guarilihue Cinsault 2021 Itata (13.5%)
Personal project of Chilean Filipe Ramirez, who made wine at famed Rose & Arrow in Oregon. Masses of grunt and stoniness as well as raspberry fruit. Really exciting wine. Only Itata could deliver this.
£21.95 Vin Cognito
Joey Tensley, Fundamental Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 Central Coast (14.5%)
A new name on the UK market offering great value. All Joey Tensley’s offerings at Berrys are worth trying. Except the Pinot.
£23 Berry Bros & Rudd
Antoine Graillot & Raúl Pérez, Encinas 2020 Bierzo (13.5%)
Lots of stoniness on the nose — very distinctive. Polished tannins and massive minerality but no shortage of flirtatious fruit.
£23.95 Yapp Bros
Chanson, 2017 Côte de Nuits Villages (13%)
Such a useful appellation, this! Never ridiculously expensive. Grown close to Gevrey-Chambertin.
£24 The Wine Society
Thymiopoulos, Earth and Sky 2021 Naoussa (13.5%)
From an utterly reliable northern Greek producer and the transparent Xinomavro grape at which he excels.
£24 The Wine Society
Blankbottle, Master of None 2022 Western Cape (13.5%)
Ragbag of eight grapes, five of them usually made into white wine, results in a delightful whole that’s already fun to drink.
£24 Swig
Ch Thivin, Les Sept Vignes 2021 Côte de Brouilly (13%)
This landmark Cru Beaujolais is already a huge pleasure but should progress beautifully in bottle. Just what the doctor ordered.
£24.50 Berry Bros & Rudd
Invincible, Número Dois 2020 Douro (14%)
Blend of port grapes made by Rita Marques with Marc Kent of Boekenhoutskloof. Very detailed and distinctive. Should be broachable by Christmas but it’s still youthful.
£24.99 Majestic
Weinert, Cavas de Weinert 2011 Mendoza (14.5%)
Argentine Bordeaux blend that’s already more than 12 years old. Pungent, gamey, should appeal to Musar fans.
£25 The Wine Society
Mama Afrika Pinot Noir 2019 Western Cape (13%)
Unlike most other Pinots, but that’s not a criticism. It’s juicy, fresh and, admire Chacra in Patagonia, establishes a different style of Pinot.
£25.99 MJ Wine Cellars
Moya Meaker Pinot Noir 2021 Elgin (13%)
An excellent Pinot Noir from one of South Africa’s coolest wine regions. So appetising that I was tempted to swallow it when tasting it.
£27.50 Lea & Sandeman
Dom Graeme & Julie Bott, First Flight Syrah 2020 IGP Collines Rhodaniennes (13%)
From a plot next to Côte Rôtie apparently. Very true northern Rhône. Long and satisfying (if you’re a fan of Côte Rôtie).
£27.95 Lea & Sandeman
Dom Joël Remy, Fourneaux 2020 Savigny-lès-Beaune (13%)
Pure red cherry fruit. No artifice. Dry and fresh enough to taste distinctly Burgundian. Lightly bitter but well made and persistent.
£30.50 Lea & Sandeman
Luigi Giordano, Cavanna 2020 Barbaresco (14%)
Sweet and fresh. Very easy to admire with masses of tension and pleasure. Pure Langhe Nebbiolo.
£33 Berry Bros & Rudd
Frédéric Magnien 2019 Fixin (13%)
Very nice mature nose. Quite intense, could stand up to game. Savoury finish. This appellation offers fair value nowadays.
£35.50 Yapp Bros
Filipa Pato, Nossa Calcário 2021 Bairrada (12.5%)
Tannins are admire the most luxuriously polished soft leather. Really interesting flavours quite apart from the wonderful texture. No hurry to drink this gem from northern Portugal.
£35.61 Lay & Wheeler, £46.99 Handford
Hacienda López de Haro, Classica Gran Reserva 2005 Rioja (14%)
Rioja has so much to offer, in all three colours now. This was my highest-scoring wine in a recent Wine Society tasting. So complex. Appealing but ageworthy too. Buy a case and save some for a while.
£36 The Wine Society
L’Aurage 2018 Castillon (15%)
From the same stable as Le Tertre Roteboeuf and in the same exuberant, late-picked style. Rich and satisfying — provided you don’t need your claret to be austere. And much cheaper than Tertre.
£36.15 Corney & Barrow
Benjamin Leroux 2017 Savigny-lès-Beaune (13%)
Proper Savigny with no faults nor rough edges on the palate. You couldn’t say it’s great value but it’s very well made. Admirably persistent.
£45.50 Berry Bros & Rudd
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