2021 Christmas Guide to Choosing The Best Wine

2021 Christmas Guide to Choosing The Best Wine

We’ve enjoyed wine from one millennium to another, perfecting its taste, production, and source as we branched out to perfect varying grape growing and harvesting techniques. Whether you yourself are on par with a fine sommelier or just enjoy that wine buzz on an evening out, we all know someone who loves a good bottle of red or white.

Holidays are around the corner and we think one of the classiest ways to gift something meaningful this year is through a bottle of wine! Leave those supermarket shelves behind and look through our ultimate 2021 Christmas wine list. There’s something for everyone, from reds and whites to sparkling wine and even vegan wine. We’ve divided each section into three tiers - affordable wines, those that are a bit more expensive but definitely worth it, and finally a luxury wine for those that want to indulge.

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Affordable, Premium, And Luxury Wines For Friends And Businesses

Below we’ve put together a selection of six different categories of wines to make your holiday gifts extra special. We believe these wines would make an excellent gift for a loved one or a fantastic way to say thank you to a business or an employee.

Here is a breakdown of how we chose each wine in the red, white, rose, sparkling, organic, and vegan wine section:

Affordable wines - we’ve gone for a price point that we feel is best suited for filling the wine rack at home. These are wines you can reach for on any Wednesday evening when you fancy a nice glass with dinner or something to enjoy relaxing with Netflix.

More expensive wines, but worth it - these are special bottles! Wines that push the boat out a little more, taking you into a price point you’d maybe reserve for an occasion such as a dinner party with friends. Wines that are intriguing and exciting are more of an ‘event’ to taste and enjoy.

Luxury wines - indulgent offerings from sought after, highly-acclaimed producers who are the future of fine wine (at least to us). Future and current classics by winemakers pushing boundaries and electrifying the palate. These wines can also be laid down to age if the customer wishes, and will only continue to get better with time.

 

Red Wine

Affordable:
El Risco, 2019 from Spain

This fruitful, Spanish red wine is a must-have this festive season. Created using a blend of Bobal, Syrah, and Grenache it’s a spicy wine that will fill your heart and taste buds with wild red berry fruit and cherry.

Sourced from breath taking high altitude vineyards where vines can be as old as 80 years or more, this gorgeous red wine is priced at an affordable £13.00 and has a 14% alcohol content.

Premium:
Salem Wine Co. Pinot Noir, 2018 from Oregon, USA

This is a wine that shows why the Willamette Valley in Oregon is often compared to Burgundy. Salem Wine Co produce their fruit from some of their best vineyards, creating a Pinot Noir that will give your palette a taste of ripe plum and savoury earthiness. This is the perfect dinner date wine that pairs wonderfully with game meats.

Salem Wine Co is the brainchild of winemaker Sashi Moorman and superstar sommelier Rajat Parr. Here they draw inspiration from their love of fine European wines, to create this lush 14% alcohol Pinot Noir priced at £28.00.

Luxury:
Dominio del Aguila, Reserva Ribera del Duero, 2017 from Spain

For anyone looking to treat themselves to a beautifully aged red wine, we recommend this Reserva Ribera del Duero from Spain. Produced using some of the oldest vines in Ribera del Duego (many over 100 years old!), the fruit is handpicked and slowly fermented in a cool cellar for 35 months before it is ready to leave the old fragrant barrels and be welcomed into your home.

Jorge Monzon and Isabel Rodero have invested in making a winery that strikes a balance between traditional and modern winemaking knowledge. This lavish wine is priced at £65.00 and contains 14% alcohol, it’s a red wine that will leave a lasting impression.

 

 

A selection of festive wines, perfect for the Christmas season

White Wine

Affordable:
Le Bon Cote Blanc, 2019 from France

This fresh and aromatic white wine will turn every evening into fun with the signature Le Bon Cote Blanc blend of Vermentino and Terret. It’s a white wine that doesn’t overcomplicate its taste, leaving you with a citrusy and juicy stone fruit taste. Our very own Ben Henshaw has created this fun-loving wine along with Domaine des Lauries to give you a bottle of wine that will leave you wanting more.

Reach for a second glass of this gorgeous white wine, enjoy an evening of laughter, and soak in the balanced taste that makes you dream of Mediterranean Shores. With an alcohol content of 12.5% and priced at an affordable £12.00, this is a wine you’ll look forward to at the end of a good day.

Premium:
Ovide Sancerre Blanc, Gerard et Pierre Morin, 2018 from France

We have searched long and hard to find a Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre that will blow us away, and 'Ovide' by father and son duo, Gerard and Pierre Morin, is a wine that you will not forget. Crafted from a small and 50-year-olf plot of vines, rooted in gravelly limestone this wine is elegant, pure, and leaves you an incredible texture.

Perfect for a special occasion, this Sancerre is exclusive to us at The Sourcing Table for £27.00 a bottle and with a 13% alcohol content. Gerard and Pierre believe in high quality over quantity, so be sure to make this traditionally-made wine yours before they are gone!

Luxury:
Pedra De Guix, Terroir al Limit, 2017 from Spain

Referred to as Terroir al Limit’s “oxidative” white, Pedra De Guix is created using a blend of old vine Pedro Ximenez and Garnacha Blanca from various plots giving you a fresh and mineral white wine akin to white Hermitage.

Simply put, this white wine has a grand amount of class and elegance in each sip as you feel the warmth of the Priorat wine coarse through your taste buds. This luxury white wine is priced at £68.00 a bottle and carries a 13% alcohol content.

 

Rose Wine

Affordable:
Line Rose, Domaine des Lauriers, 2020 from France

Transport yourself to the warm shores of the South of France with a bottle of Line Rose wine from Domaine des Lauriers. This bottle of rose wine will lure you in with its lightness as you enjoy glass after glass. With grapes picked at night to preserve freshness and only lightly pressed during production, this mix of Grenache, Mourvedre, and Syrah is perfect at any time of day.

We can’t think of a better rose to add to your everyday collection, this light and fruity wine has a 13% alcohol content and can be yours for £13.50 a bottle.

Premium:
Picaro del Aguila, Dominio del Aguila, 2019 from Spain

Dominio del Aguila have recovered a traditional Ribera del Duero winemaking technique, blending fresh white grapes and full-bodied red grapes, to create this beautiful more premium rose wine. Creating a mix that gives you the best of both worlds in a gorgeous hue of pink, it’s a rose you’ll want to show off at a dinner party.

This extraordinary and complex rose wine contains 14% of alcohol content and is priced at £26.00 per bottle.

Luxury:
Tillingham Rose, 2020 from England

This exquisite rose wine is the epitome of everything we love about Tillingham and good English wine. With this luxurious rose, you’ll be taken on an exciting journey filled with notes of strawberry, raspberry, and cranberry, accompanied by hints of wild herbs. It's an exciting wine that we can’t get enough of.

Produced in East Essex, the home of grapes perfect for still wines, enjoy your very own bottle of Tillingham Rose wine for £32.90 a bottle and alcohol content of 11.5%.

 

Sparkling Wine

Affordable:
Modi Prosecco, Sorelle Bronca from Italy

Made using traditional winemaking techniques, this estate-bottled Prosecco owes its taste to the natural sweetness of the fruit and the fermentation process which adds natural acidity. With no gimmicks needed, this organic sparkling wine will grace your taste buds with white blossom and pear drops. We’ve put this wine to the test and it wins as the perfect aperitif that you need in your home.

Enjoy this classic Italian sparkling wine before your favourite meals for £17.50 a bottle.

Premium:
Alsace Cremant Brut Nature, Domaine MANN, 2017 from France

A fantastic blend of Auxerrois, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, this sparkling wine echo's the Champagne training of its winemaker, who spent time working with acclaimed Grower Champagne producer Vouette et Sorbee. The same level of sophistication and flavour, that you'd expect from a bottle twice its price. We’d recommend this wine as an aperitif at a classy dinner party, it’s bone dry (meaning, zero dosage) and it’s beautifully aged before your purchase to give you the creaminess you’d expect from a must-try sparkling wine.

This is a more premium, but most definitely worth it, sparkling wine has an alcohol content of 13.5% and is priced at £26.00 a bottle.

Luxury:
4 Elements Chardonnay, Hure Freres, Champagne 2014 from France

Grown and produced in none other than Champagne, France this highly concentrated wine is exactly what we’d expect from a luxury bottle. This indulgent champagne is rich in notes of citrus, stone fruit, pineapple, and smoky minerality that adds to its complexity. This bottle is exactly what you'd want ready for a night to never be forgotten.

Brothers Francois and Pierre have created this elegant champagne on family vineyards spanning across Montagne de Reims. Feel the French air lift you up as you sip on the 4 Elements Champagne that the brothers joke is a “Roulot with bubbles” at only 12% alcohol content and priced at £73.00 this is a bottle of sparkling wine you must get this Christmas.

Whatever the style of colour, we have something for everyone this Christmas.

Organic Wine

Affordable:
Thirst, Radford Dale, 2020 from South Africa

Just as the name would suggest, this is a red wine that will quench your thirst and elevate even a pizza night in. This easy, breezy, and oh so very fruity wine is so drinkable we’d recommend more than one bottle of this unconventional Gamay. Alex Dale and Ben Radford are devoting their winemaking to natural processes, opting for organic wines made from magical old vines.

For an organic, fruity taste of wine, reach for Thirst with a 12% alcohol content and priced at only £13.50 a bottle.

Premium:
Chablis ‘En Boucheran’, Eleni & Edouard Vocoret, 2018 from France

Fragrant with aromas of citrus, white peach, and apple blossom, this wonderful Chablis comes from a small vineyard sheltered between Premiers Crus of Montmains and Vaillons. The soul and energy of this rich organic wine come from the vines that run across three different soil types, allowing the blend of fruit to create a divine and unique taste.

We’d recommend this organic wine for those wanting to experience something new, a glass of rich wine with a kick of acidity and a creamy smooth finish. Celebrate an occasion with Chablis ‘En Boucheran’ priced at £28.00 per bottle and with an alcohol content of 12.5%.

Luxury:
Cote Rotie Les Binardes, Domaine Jean Michel Stephan, 2018 from France

Fill your special occasion with this extravagant organic red wine. Spicy and bold, the Cote Rotie Les Binardes comes from a small vineyard on the slope of Cote Blonde, where more refined and elegant wines are produced. This refined wine will hit you with notes of dark fruit, violets, liquorice, and a hint of minerality. Made with 10% Viognier, you’ll experience a perfume on the nose that is simply unforgettable.

Age only adds to the richness and luxury of this organic wine, we’d recommend purchasing a whole case to store and try bottles over the years to fully experience just how beautifully this wine ages. Priced at £79.00 per bottle and with a 15% alcohol content, this is a must-have for those looking to try perfection over time.

 

Vegan Wine

Affordable:
Soave DOC, Adalia, 2019 from Italy

Produced on fertile, rich soil just East of Verona, this beautiful Soave is a vegan white wine we can’t get enough of. Gaining recognition for production in an area where agriculture has thrived since ancient Rome showcasing notes of creamy peach, river stone, and a hint of almond nuttiness. This vegan wine is renowned for its natural production, allowing earth and wildlife to protect and prepare the fruit.

Enjoy chilled with any meal to taste the balance of fruity and savoury, this vegan white wine is priced at an affordable £15.00 per bottle and has a cool 12% alcohol content.

Premium:
Picaro del Aguila Tinto, Dominio del Aguila, 2019 from Spain

As you may have noticed, Dominio del Aguila wines hold a special place in our hearts and this fantastic vegan red wine is a testament to why Jorge Monzon is a master winemaker. With this wine, you will pick up notes of blackberry, blueberry, dark cherry, vanilla, and sweet spice. The taste starts with your first sip and continues smoothly throughout, it’s the ultimate celebration of red wine.

Picaro del Aguila Tinto is made naturally with sprinkles of tradition mixed with new techniques, this wine will age wonderfully and we’d highly recommend a bottle for a special occasion. Priced at £29.00 per bottle and a 14% alcohol count, this expensive but worth it wine won’t disappoint.

Luxury:
Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir, Whitcraft Winery, 2019 from California USA

Thanks to the cooler climate of Sta. Rita Hills, this vegan pinot noir carries lighter and fresher expressions we’d expect from a Pinot Noir. Not your standard red wine, full of layers upon layers of berry fruit and soft herbs, finishing with a subtle note of earthiness. With this red wine, you will experience the beauty of fine Californian Pinot Noir thanks to the low-intervention techniques mastered by Drake Whitcraft.

This elegant vegan red wine will age beautifully and would be a wonderful addition to a collection of divine pinot noir’s. Although luxurious, this bottle is priced at only £49.00 per bottle, we’d recommend more than one to savour the lightness as long as possible.

Still Not Sure Which Wine to Gift?

We’ve all been there when there are too many choices and they all seem right, what do you do? Simple, give the gift of choice - as in a gift card. Let your gift recipient decide what wine they fancy, they might be a classic red or white wine lover, or an adventurous spirit who wants to venture out into the beauty of orange vino.

This guide has been put together using our love for wine and we hope it has inspired you to choose something new, something unique, something unforgettable. If you have any questions or simply want help choosing the perfect wine, contact us here. For those looking for corporate wine gifting, we’ve got your business covered - take a look at how we can help you deliver a classy Christmas