At The Oxford Wine Company we spend our days surrounded by thousands of delicious wines, spirits and beers. But which of them do we decide to drink at home? Take a look below for our team’s top picks for this month.
What We’re Drinking in December
Ted Sandbach, Owner & Chairman
Julien Duport La Boucheratte Côte de Brouilly 2021 – £32.00 £28.80 – Leave behind any outdated notions you might have that Beaujolais is all bubblegum flavours. This Côte de Brouilly shows depth and complexity – it’s bloody fantastic!
Neil Gladding, Sales Director
Hundred Hills Brut Rosé Dreaming Spires, Oxfordshire 2019 –£37.75 £33.98 -Fantastic and indulgent local substitute for Champagne.
Tenuta di Sesta Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2020 – £45.00 £40.50 – This is Sangiovese at its best! It has complex rich red fruit, liquorice, tobacco, and spice.
Pouilly Fumé, Petit Fumé, Michel Redde et Fils 2023 – £27.50 £24.75 – This wine is my go-to for Christmas day – perfection!
Emily Silva, Head of Retail and Marketing
Barboglio De Gaioncelli Franciacorta Brut NV – £30.00 £27.00 – This traditional-method Italian fizz is rich and decadent, and punches well above its price point. I’ll be pouring a celebratory glass this Christmas.
Au Bon Climat Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir 2022 – £34.75 £31.28 – Californian Pinot Noir is one of my top picks for the Christmas table. It’s light enough for turkey, but with plenty of flavour to stand up to a meal with lots of things going on! This is a personal favourite that will absolutely be making an appearance in my wine rack this December.
Bodega Lavaque Inca Malbec, Calchaqui Valley, Salta 2023 – £13.25 £11.93 – If you’re like me and come from a family of people who love a glass of full-bodied red, this is a great option. Rich and satisfying, but without breaking the bank when you have thirsty guests!
John Shuckburgh, WSET Educator
Chablis 1er Cru Beauroy ‘Signature’, Alain Geoffroy 2022 – £38.50 £34.65 – Intense and complex on the nose with a rich, yet delicate palate. This is my first choice for the Christmas Eve Fish Pie! Seriously good Chablis.
Casa Lebai Matadiablos, Ribera del Duero 2021 – £36.50 £32.85 – Tempranillo (Tinto Fino) from an artisanal, quality-focussed winery in the prestigious region of Ribera del Duero. Concentrated dark fruit flavours with liquorice and spice. Worth decanting – this is a beauty!
Lochlea Our Barley – £49.00 £44.10 – A luxuriously warming drop from one of Scotland’s newest distilleries. Dried fruits and cereal flavours combine with a peppery palate and a long, fruity finish. A whisky to savour at length!
Manda Joyce, Wine Advisor
Domaine Evremond Classic Cuvée NV – £45.00 £40.50 – A joint venture in Kent by Champagne’s Taittinger. Fresh and elegant as you’d expect from top English bubbly, with additional roundness from malolactic fermentation and three years of lees ageing.
D’Oliveiras Madeira, 15 Year Old Sweet NV – £72.00 £64.80 – Something rich and sweet but not cloying to serve with Christmas pudding, fruit cake and mince pies. Once open, lasts forever – or rather for as long as you can
Domaine d’Ardhuy, Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Rouvrettes Rouge 2023 – £37.50 £33.75 – My standout at a recent tasting, a food-flexible Burgundian Pinot Noir to bring silky delight to your festive table.
Katy Barker, Retail Marketing Manager
Billecart Salmon Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Champagne NV – £83.00 £74.70 -If you’re feeling super fancy, this sparkling is the perfect way to start Christmas Day! This is one of the most elegant, refined Champagnes we have on the shelf. From Grand Cru sites and aged for 5 years in the bottle it has the perfect balance of pure, clean fruit and creamy brioche complexity.
Château De Fesles ‘La Chapelle’ Cabernet Franc 2022 – £16.50 £14.85 – Everyone needs a versatile, reliable red at this time of year. One that can be enjoyed by the glass on a chilly evening, maybe with some ‘picky bits’, or with a roast dinner. This red from the Loire Valley has concentrated, fresh red berries of cranberry and strawberry with a herbal lift.
Alheit Vineyards Cartology, Western Cape 2023 – £37.75 £33.98 – A wonderful alternative to a white Burgundy for your Christmas day lunch. Rich, rounded orchard fruits – baked apples & pears – finished with a creamy finish and honeyed richness.
Mark Warde-Aldam, Shop Manager
Quinta do Soalheiro Granit Mineral Selection, Monção e Melgaço 2024– £24.75 £22.28 – I always love Portuguese Alvarinho (Albarino in Spain). This one adds an extra dimension from the granite mountain rocks. Tropical minerality!
Beaune 1er Cru Celebration Louis Jadot 2018– £54.75 £49.28 – A colleague recently blind tasted me on this. Wow! What a surprise. Ripe and ready to drink, excellent berry fruits with good bottle age. Go on treat yourself!
Hine Rare Cognac – £60.00 £54.00 – I’ve always been a fan of Hine Cognac. Petite and Grand Champagne are the two top growing regions of Cognac. This ‘Fine Champagne’ is a mixture of both and exceptionally smooth.
Min Yee Tseu, Corporate and University Account Manager
Canvasback Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington State 2021 – £45.50 £40.95 – Feels like a warming hug for those cold winter days!
Champagne Arnaud Tabourin Cuvée Or Blanc de Blancs 2020 – £43.00 £38.90 – A value-for-money Vintage Champagne with an excellent amount of brioche and biscuit – perfect for every celebration!
Romain Alaphilippe, Shop Manager
Pineau des Charentes Rouge, Jules Gautret – £22.00 £19.80 – A proper kick-off to a Christmas meal: sweet, red, unapologetically Charentais. The kind of bottle families from Cognac pour without ceremony, because they know it works.
Domaine Gayda Chemin de Moscou, Pays d’Oc 2022 – £28.50 £25.65 -Black fruit, spice, and a long, slow warmth that feels like Christmas dinner after a long year of fighting your battles. Pairs perfectly with anything worthy of being called a main course.
Madre Mezcal Ensamble – £78.00 £70.20 – Forget the syrupy digestives – this is real. A final toast to the year, the people you love, and the places that changed you.
Nick Gorton, Retail Operations Manager
Paul René Cap Classique Brut 2020 – £24.75 £22.28 – Recently shown for a tasting and this South African fizz left me very impressed. 44 months on lees gives a rich toastiness that means it can compete with Champagne, and offers great value for money.
Falchini ‘Paretaio’ Rosso Toscano IGT 2019 – £26.00 £23.40 – A new vintage of a company favourite, this barrel-aged Sangiovese has great fruit character, as well as delicious spice from the oak ageing, and is developing beautifully.
Bodegas Lustau Pedro Ximénez San Emilio Solera Familiar 37.5cl NV – £16.75 £15.08 – I can hear my colleague’s eye-rolls from here as I opt for another Sherry for a staff pick! This lusciously sweet PX is perfect to pair with a mince pie however, so try it and thank me later!
Thom Allinson, Buying & Logistics
Vins Auvigue Aux Chailloux Pouilly-Fuissé 2022 – £39.75 £35.78 – A classic for Christmas Day! A luxurious wine from Burgundy, with expressive notes of citrus, melted butter and nuts.
Karim Mussi Wines, Abras Malbec, Salta 2024 – £21.25 £19.13 – Like Mendoza Malbecs? Try one from Salta! With vineyards being at high altitudes, these wines are incredibly concentrated while retaining freshness and this is a superb example.
Tiefenbrunner Turmhof Blauburgunder 2023 – £25.00 £22.50 – An elegant Pinot Noir from the high-altitude vineyards of Alto Adige in northern Italy. Wonderfully perfumed with elegant notes of bramble, black cherries, and raspberries with a silky finish.
Emma Bristow, Wine Advisor
Alheit Vineyards Hereafter Here, Western Cape 2024 – £31.75 £28.58 – A wine that is made from young vines with a glorious future ahead! Expect notes of apple and citrus followed by flavours of white peach, lemon thyme and orange rind with a gentle warming spice. A beautiful balance of salinity and minerality.
Barboglio De Gaioncelli Franciacorta Brut NV – £30.00 £27.00 – From the Lombardy region in Italy. Made using the traditional method it is a fantastic alternative to champagne. Aromas of white flowers and wisteria, pear and peach and on the palate these follow through with an added citrus zest, brioche and pastry flavours then a lingering creamy finish with a lively mousse.
Torre Zambra Passo Sacro Cerasuolo D’Abruzzo DOC 2024 – £16.50 £14.85 – Made from the Montepulciano grape in Abruzzo. This is a complex rosé which is delicious all year round! On the nose aromas of cherry, wild berries and camomile followed by flavours of peach, cherry and a spicy sweetness with a beautiful balanced acidity. This wine makes me happy!!
Duncan Laing, Wine Advisor
Domaine Clavel Cordelia Chusclan Côtes du Rhône Villages 2021– £14.75 £13.28 -A rich, robust Cotes du Rhone Villages from across the river from Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Packed with flavour the palate shows black fruit, liquorice and leather.
Tiefenbrunner Feldmarschall Von Fenner Müller-Thurgau 2021 – £49.00 £44.10 – Grown at a kilometre above sea level, this minerally Müller Thurgau will put you on cloud nine! Intensely aromatic with notes of white flowers, peach, and apricot. Try with seafood or East Asian dishes.
Ciabot Berton 3 Utin Langhe Nebbiolo DOC 2023 – £22.75 £20.48 – Nebbiolo but not as you know it! Wonderfully light-bodied with flavours of raspberry, dried cranberry with a hint of liquorice and gentle mineral edge. Excellent paired with pasta or pizza!
Lucy Harrison, Shop Manager
Doorly’s 14 Year Old Rum, Barbados – £83.00 £74.70 – A treat for rum lovers this Christmas! This is rich, and has been aged in Bourbon and Madeira casks for 14 years. Notes of citrus peel, tropical fruits and toasty vanilla.
Hundred Hills Preamble No.2, Oxfordshire 2021 – £39.75 £35.75 – A classy local Oxfordshire fizz which is perfect for Christmas day. Bursting with citrus, green apple and brioche from 3 years lees ageing.
Boekenhoutskloof Syrah, Franschhoek 2016 – £48.00 £43.20 – I’ll be opening this on Christmas day! A Northern Rhone style Syrah from South Africa. Full bodied with notes of blackberry, plum, black pepper and olive tapenade.