Christmas

Where’s the value?

Christmas is here once again, a time of year where finding value for money is of crucial importance. To help you get some bang for your buck, we’re delighted to share some of our best-value bottles. Below, we’ve broken up 12 such wines into four different price brackets, each with a favourite from our award-winning buying team. A nifty way to stock up your wine rack for less.

Where’s the value?

£5-£10

Sarah Knowles MW
Sarah Knowles MW

BUYER’S PICK 
The Society’s Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2022 

‘The Society’s Montepulciano is such a frequent go-to for me,’ says our Italy buyer, Sarah Knowles MW. At £7.95, it’s little wonder. This wine was unstoppable in this year’s Wine Champion competition too; crowd-pleasing with deep, dark fruit and lots of flavour. This much-loved Montepulciano has ripe-cherry and strawberry perfume, a pure-fruit richness and a refreshing finish.

Kékfrankos, Feind 2022 

This is liquid proof that it pays to walk the road less travelled. Kékfrankos is Hungary’s finest red grape and this is a pure and lightly oaked example from the Feind winery on the shores of Lake Balaton. Cherries, strawberries and a light cedar spice characterise this light, juicy red wine. Delightful when served lightly chilled.

The Society's English White 2022 

We’ve worked on our flagship English white with Three Choirs, one of the country’s most significant estates and early pioneers of English wine. We’ve been working with them since the 1990s and they consistently make delicious wines for members to enjoy. The warm 2022 vintage has imbued this blend with generous gooseberry and grapefruit, and a soft but delightfully fresh palate. Brilliant value. 

£10-£15

Matthew Horsley
Matthew Horsley

BUYER’S PICK 
The Society's Exhibition Naoussa Xinomavro 2020 

For Greece buyer Matthew Horsley, our Society Xinomavro is the wine that offers exquisite value for money. An exclusive blend for The Wine Society produced by the master of the xinomavro grape: Apostolos Thymiopoulos. Sweet cherries, raspberries and star anise show alongside fresh acidity and sweet tannins. 

The Society’s Saumur Brut NV 

Not all that sparkles is Champagne. Gratien & Meyer – a producer from the Loire Valley – make this excellent Saumur from the same chenin blanc grape that makes Vouvray. Chez Gratien, a little cabernet franc is also added to accentuate the wine’s natural fruitiness. The result is a delicious sparkler, a little honeyed and round, yet dry, crisp and refreshing. An ideal toast for the festive season. 

Litre of The Society’s Medium Dry Amontillado Blend 

A whole litre of sherry is surely value not to be sniffed at. Made by Sánchez Romate, The Society's Amontillado is a rich and nutty medium-dry sherry with plenty of flavour. Serve at room temperature in good-sized glasses to fully appreciate the bouquet. 

£15-£20

Toby Morrhall
Toby Morrhall

BUYER’S PICK 
Domaine André Bonhomme, Viré-Clessé Pierres Blanches 2020

According to our Burgundy buyer, Toby Morrhall, stepping away from the most famous villages brings excellent value for money. Made from 15- to 45-year-old vines grown on soil with a high limestone content. Matured for 12 months on the yeast lees in stainless-steel tanks, this white Burgundy is a fresh, fine, crystalline wine with a citrusy aroma.

Ignacio Recabarren Casablanca Pinot Noir 2021 

From our fine wine selection, this Chilean pinot is made from a mature vineyard in one of the coolest parts of the Casablanca Valley. The grapes are picked at the perfect time – balancing ripeness with an attractive freshness. The cool 2021 vintage has produced a wonderfully intense and perfumed pinot with an exquisite silky palate. Drinking wonderfully now but will age gracefully for another three years. 

The Society’s Exhibition Crusted Port, Bottled 2013 

You’d usually be paying a lot more than £18.50 for a wine with ten years of bottle age under its belt. The fruit of 2009, 2010 and 2011 harvests, this voluptuous and rich Port was made by Symington Family Estates. With ripe plum and blackberry notes mingling with herbal, woody complexity, it’s perfectly ready to enjoy now. A Decanter World Wine Awards silver and International Wine Challenge bronze medal winner in 2022. 

£20-£25

Marcel-Orford Williams
Marcel-Orford Williams

BUYER’S PICK 
Madiran, Château Montus 2017

It pays to look to Madiran wines for value, and our buyer Marcel-Orford Williams has brought in a special range just in time for the festive season. As the prices of many ageworthy French wines are set to skyrocket, this wine offers an excellent alternative. Aged in barrel for a year, producing a deeply coloured, full-flavoured and thickly textured wine, with a palate of black fruits and spices. The perfect bottle for a festive rib of beef, and it will also age for more than a decade.

Château Coutelin-Merville, Saint-Estèphe 2014 

Claret from Bordeaux’s excellent 2014 vintage, this is an opportunity to get a stellar vintage for less. Made of equal parts cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot, this classic left-bank claret has attractive savoury fruit character and a tannic grip. This wine can be enjoyed now but has plenty of life ahead of it. Perhaps an ideal gift for the claret lover in your life. 

Domaine de Montille Bourgogne Le Clos du Château de Puligny-Montrachet 2018 

Finding white Burgundy for a good price these days isn’t always easy, but this bottle fits the bill. From an enclosed vineyard located in front of the château of Puligny-Montrachet. Fermented and matured in 600-litre barrels, this has a nice balance of ripe fruit, a hint of oak and a fresh finish. Drink this year. 

Where to go next

Hannah Crosbie

Content writer

Hannah Crosbie

Hannah has written about wine for a variety of retailers, magazines and national newspapers. She occasionally works as a content writer for The Society.

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