Case studies: The perfect wines to get you through the party season

Under £10

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2004 Bulle de Blanquette 1531

From the Sieur d'Arques Co-op near Carcassonne, this typical southern French blend of the mauzac grape with chardonnay and chenin blanc for good measure, is richly flavoured, a creamy mousse of bubbles adding luxurious texture to a crisp dry finish. A handy alternative to champagne.

£9.99, Tesco

2006 Marques de Casa Concha Merlot

This pure vanilla-scented merlot, from Concha y Toro vineyards at Peumo in Chile's Maipo Valley, displays an opulent richness of blackberry and cassis fruitiness, whose spicy undertones are perfectly framed by a textured, rounded quality thanks to the balance provided by its supple juiciness.

£9.99, Sainsbury's

2006 Coyam

Alvaro Espinoza, one of Chile's top winemakers, has made a rich blend of syrah, merlot, carmenère, cabernet sauvignon, malbec and mourvèdre, all infused with green pepper and spicy oak: remarkable not just because it's made from organic grapes but for its knockdown price too.

£9.95, The Wine Society

2007 Castillo de Molina Reserva Sauvignon Blanc

From the cool, oceanic-influenced Elqui Valley in Pisco, northern Chile, this aromatic sauvignon is more reminiscent of New Zealand than the Loire with its aroma of mangetout and opulent, scented fruit characters. A very pure expression of the grape variety.

£7.49, buy 2 = £5.99, Majestic Wine Warehouses

2005 Château La Rame Sainte Croix du Mont

Known as poor person's sauternes for its rich, sweet blends of sémillon and sauvignon blanc, Sainte Croix du Mont is a reliable producer of pudding wines like this one, whose scent of grilled almonds and peachy richness are leavened by the honeyed quality of the vine mould known as noble rot.

£9.99, Majestic

2007 Champteloup Chardonnay

This well-crafted, fresh chardonnay from the Vin de Pays du Jardin de la France, aka the Loire Valley, displays especially good crisp appley flavours and limey acidity for its discounted price, making it a great party dry white to be drunk on its own or with finger food.

£3.99, reduced from £4.99, to 2 Dec, Waitrose

2006 Saint-Romain Les Senteurs

From Nicolas Potel and Fabrice Lesne, this pure chardonnay from the village of Saint-Romain in the Côtes de Beaune is subtle and complex with hints of the stirring of the lees in barrel and a delicious rich fruitiness whose savoury acidity and delicate oak add further complexity and balance.

£9.99, M&S

Taste the Difference 12 Year Old Oloroso, 50cl

Made entirely from the palomino grape of Jerez, which thrives in the chalky soils of the region, and aged for 12 years in the traditional, trickle-down solera system, this sherry from the blending house of Lustau is smoky and richly scented with classic aromas of caramel and toffee.

£6.99, Sainsbury's

2007 Pléyades Garnacha Rosé

From the region of Cariñena in north-eastern Spain, this a pure garnacha rosé, which, with its vivid pink colour and intense red-berry fruitiness, is full-bodied, ripe and full of strawberryish flavours as well as the body and dry finish to stand up to salads and pink-fleshed fish such as trout and salmon.

£4.98, Asda

2005 Asda Extra Special Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon

From Australia's Katnook Estate – whose vineyards sit a few miles from the Southern Ocean – this blackcurrant-rich cabernet, tinged with a light, cool- climate mintiness, has developed the ideal, mature mellow smoothness of age. A better value alternative to claret.

£6.98, Asda

M&S 10 Year Old Tawny Port

Tawny in colour, thanks to evolution for 10 years in big old casks, evaporation has concentrated this sweetly raisined liquid into a richly fruity port, now showing a touch of the nuttiness of age. Rare to find a quality 10 Year Old for under £10, so make hay.

£9.99, reduced from £12.99, to 23 Nov, Marks & Spencer

2007 Terra Vecchia Reserve Merlot Niellucio, Skalli

When blended with a softening agent like merlot, as here, nielluccio, one of Corsica's red- grape treasures, produces an intriguing red with an aromatic smoky nose of red cherries and a vibrant fruitiness, framed by the sort of smokiness and rustic tannins that suit autumnal dishes.

£5.99, Somerfield

Over £10

Larmandier Bernier Terre de Vertus Premier Cru Champagne

From ace grower Pierre Larmandier, and made from pure chardonnay, this elegant, dry champagne offers biscuity flavours, long-lasting bubbles and a tangy aftertaste that make it not just an aperitif but good with shellfish too.

£29.95, Lea & Sandeman

2005 Majella Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon

Sweet and smoky on the nose with hints of liquorice and cedar spice, this is an opulent cabernet sauvignon from South Australia with plenty of old-vine chocolatey richness, tempered by succulent tannins, a dusting of oak spice and perky acidity. Claret it ain't.

£15.99, Oddbins

2007 Jurtschitsch Sonnhof, Loiserberg, Grüner Veltliner

From the Kamptal region, this organic dry white made from Austria's signature grape, the grüner veltliner, is a classic of its kind, with its tell-tale whiff of white pepper, its rich and spicy pure fruit concentration and distinctively spicy dry aftertaste.

£14.49, Corney & Barrow

2006 Dr Loosen Ürziger Würz-garten Riesling Spätlese, Mosel

How can a wine with only 7.5 per cent alcohol have this much aroma and flavour? Delectable peachy fruit and undertones of lime marmalade and honey plus an intense tangy zestiness have the tongue tingling. Only the doctor knows how he does it.

£22, Jeroboams

2003 Királyudvar Tokaji Cuvée Ilona, 50cl

Stonking is the only word for this modern take on traditional Tokaji: a glorious rich confection of sweet dried apricot and peach jam whose intense fruit flavour is tempered by a mouthwatering citrusy tang and rounded out by the smoothness of barrel fermentation.

£33, waitrosewine.com

2006 Ridgeview Cuvée Merret Bloomsbury

Ridgeview in West Sussex has become a byword for world-class English sparkling wine and this vintage blend of champagne grapes is no exception, with its superb aromatic intensity, its lively richly textured mousse of foaming bubbles and appetisingly crisp dry finish.

£19.99, Waitrose

2005 Craiglee Vineyard Chardonnay

From cool-climate Victoria, this stylish rich chardonnay made in the mould of white burgundy delivers an exceptional purity of fruitiness, with opulent citrusy flavours and the added complexity that fermentation and lees-stirring in the barrel bring.

£17.50, Victoria, Berry Bros & Rudd

Williams & Humbert Jalifa Amontillado 30 Year Old, 37.5cl

Great value, even in half-bottle, this rare bronze-coloured sherry has a beguiling aroma of smoky coffee and citrus zest with a caramel richness on the palate and the classic bone dry, nutty finish.

£12.50-£18.75, Planet of the Grapes, Nickolls and Perks, Fortnum and Mason

2007 André Dezat Sancerre

From a Loire Valley producer whose sauvignon blanc-based Sancerre is a delight, this full-bodied salmon pinot rosé made from the pinot noir grape is perfumed and rich with an excellent berry-fruity vinosity, elegantly dry on the aftertaste. Just the ticket as an apéritif or shellfish partner.

£12.95, Berry Bros & Rudd

2001 Château Domeyne, Saint-Estèphe

Made by Gonzague and Claire Villars Lurton, this blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc is a mature yet modern style of claret that owes its stylish mocha and cedar aromas to oak maturation and its vivid richness to a satisfying degree of cassis fruit.

£16, Marks & Spencer

1994 Tesco Finest Vintage Port

This is a classic blend of the port varieties from a great vintage, rich, spicy and warming on the nose, full of sweet raisin and plum fruitcake intensity and now sufficiently mature to make it a perfect Christmas treat at a relative bargain price for a vintage of this age. Stand up and decant (the port that is).

£15.99, Tesco

1998 Krug Vintage Champagne

With its complex aromas and evolved biscuity character, this new vintage Krug is explosively full-flavoured with an intense and creamy mousse.

Around £230, Harvey Nichols, Harrods, Fortnum & Mason, Selfridges, BBR, Rodney Densem, Nantwich (rodney densemwines.com), Robersons, (020-7371 2121)