Picture yourself snuggled on the sofa by the fire at the end of a long busy day or imagine yourself sitting down to delicious home-cooked dinner with friends and family. All that’s missing is a nice glass of red. Here's our pick of the best offerings of the season, from high street bargains to luxury buys for the festive season and beyond. 1. Domaine de Montval Syrah 2013 IGP Pays du Gard: £9.99, majestic.co.uk This easy-drinking and softly textured red wine, which Majestic has bought 30,000 bottles of, is outstanding value. It’s made from Syrah grown around Nîme and is full of blackcurrant and cherry fruit, bolstered by hints of dark cocoa and pepper. A great one for the festive season, this delicious and extremely classy Bordeaux is a fine accompaniment to any festive meat, from game to turkey to beef. A long-standing favourite among Society members, it’s fragrant and ripe with great balance and a long, velvety finish. 3. Casillero del Diablo Carmenère 2012: £5.99, co-operativefood.co.uk

A bargain for a great carmenère that works particularly well with casseroles and spicy meat dishes like Chilli con Carne at festive dinner parties, this wine is bursting with berry flavours and mocha notes and rounded off with subtle spiciness.This smooth and silky wine from vineyards in Oregon, has aromas of raspberry and red cherry, which unfold on the palate. Tesco bought a batch as a one-off special package, hence the very reasonable price tag.best friend wine labels 5. Rust en Vrede Stellenbosch Ridge 2010: £24.13, amazon.co.uktop 10 wine destinations 2015 This intense ruby coloured wine hails from Stellenbosch, one of the premier wine regions in South Africa, but as the estate was established in the 17th century, it’s often considered more “classic” than “New World.” wine in a box handbag

Boasting aromas of ripe plum and fresh cherry, it has damson and redcurrant on the  palate and a long, velvety finish. 6. The Exquisite Collection Minarete Ribera del Duero 2013: £5.99, aldi.co.uk This full-bodied, fruity wine comes from Ribera del Duero region, home to some of Spain’s grandest producers of bold reds. But unlike many wines from this region, Aldi is offering this one with a bargain price tag. 7. Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Côtes du Rhône Villages 2013: £7, sainsburys.co.ukbest french wine nyc Vines are planted on a soil composed of shingle, chalk and clay, the grapes are hand-harvested and the wine is vinified in cement vats for two to three weeks after fermentation. buy cooking wine under 21The result is a classic Rhône red blend that goes a treat with roast beef.best wine for your diet

This textbook Australian Shiraz is exceptionally well balanced. It has a nose full of ripe blackberry, plum and a hint of spice, whilst the palate has a rich blackberry character, underlying chocolate notes and a sweet-oak spiciness, with a fresh acidity. This rich, full-bodied wine has great depth of flavour and a fabulous finish. It’s crafted by a boutique winery in the Alentejo region and good news for the entertaining season is that it goes well with everything from beef to cheese to chocolate. Expect notes of dark chocolate, violet flowers and an edge of spice. The Celler de Capçanes cooperative was formed by five families in the 1930s in the village of Capçanes in northeast Spain. This Merlot-based blend is ripe yet elegant, with aromas of ripe dark fruit, wild herbs and berries. On the palate, it’s spicy and intense, with vanilla and dark exotic fruit flavours. 11. Chateau Brassac Bordeaux Superieur 2012: £6.99, co-operativefood.co.uk This is a real crowd-pleaser of a Bordeaux that particularly complements red meat dishes.

It has aromas of blackcurrant and blackberry and spicy notes, while being fresh, concentrated and well balanced on the palate. Snap up a few if you can – this is great value. This is a winner for Christmas Day as it goes a treat with turkey. This soft, silky, purple-hued Pinot Noir was produced by Romaric Chavy, the seventh generation of his family to tend the vines of Chavy-Chouet, Burgundy. It has cherry, berry and spice flavours. If you’re able to splash out, we think the Château Beaumont Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux 2010 is exceptional. For something cheaper, Aldi’s The Exquisite Collection Minarete Ribera del Duero 2013 is astonishingly good value. IndyBest product reviews are unbiased, independent advice you can trust. On some occasions, we earn revenue if you click the links and buy the products, but we never allow this to bias our coverage. The reviews are compiled through a mix of expert opinion and real-world testingOur award-winning wine writers, Victoria Moore and Susy Atkins, unveil the richest reds for you to sip this Christmas.

Red wines under £10 Côtes du Rhône Villages 2015, France Boasting a cerulean blue and scarlet label that’s strangely similar to another popular Côtes du Rhône you may know, this is my new favourite sub-£5 red. It does really well for the price, evocative of stewed plums and the gently stony taste that is so typical of wines from this part of France.  Orbitali Squinzano 2012, Italy If you have never heard of Squinzano, a DOC in Puglia in Italy’s heel, you’re in good company; neither had I until I tasted this red. The wine is made from 90 per cent negroamaro and 10 per cent sangiovese and is reminiscent of a rich valpolicella – it has a spicy oak taste, is slightly sweet-sour, and tastes of both fresh and dried fruit at once.  Ulmen Carmenere-Merlot 2016, Central Valley, Chile Here’s a juicy, vivacious red: a duet of grapes that delivers an appealing cassis and blackberry compote. Just fine on its own, or pair with pork belly  or roast squash dishes.

(13.5%, Marks & Spencer, £7) Villa Vincini Il Gran Rosso 2014, Veneto, Italy A really useful red and a bargain. Red berries, especially raspberry, shine out in a medium-bodied style that will complement a wide range of savoury party food. ♦ STAR BUY ♦ Les Hauts de Saint-Martin St Chinian 2014, France There’s plenty of personality in this southern French blend of syrah, grenache, carignan and mourvèdre, which is made by the Cave de Roquebrun (you might already know and love the cuvée it makes for Majestic). Redolent of garrigue herbs (thyme, bay and rosemary) – and the crackle of roasting chestnuts.  Vetriano Sangiovese di Puglia 2015, Italy Sangiovese is of course the main chianti grape but this modern-styled sangiovese from Italy’s heel has none of chianti’s dustiness. It’s bright and juicy, and tastes of ripe cherries. It’s soft enough to use as a party wine but refreshing too, with a real bounce in its step.  (Haynes, Hanson & Clark, £7)

Château Tour des Gendres Bergerac Rouge 2015, France A red that has something for everyone. A blend of merlot and malbec, made not too far from Bordeaux – you can think of it as a rustic claret but with extra oomph, or as a black-fruited malbec that combines structure with approachability. Sunny and warm, with hints of clove, fine tannins and deep black berries mingling with earth.  (13.5%, The Wine Society, £7.95) Famille Perrin Vinsobres Les Cornuds 2014, France Sometimes there’s nothing cosier than a sweetly ripe red from the southern Rhône. The Perrin style is always reminiscent of deep crimson crushed velvet; even and sumptuous, with a taste of red berries. This one’s been aged in oak so it’s slightly spicy, too.  ♦ STAR BUY ♦ Domaine Clavel Le Mas 2015, Languedoc, France A gorgeously atmospheric southern French blend of carignan, grenache and syrah that smells of dried herbs sun-baked earth, dried figs and damsons. There’s no oak here – ageing is in concrete.

A wine to cosy up with. Haynes, Hanson & Clark, £9.45; Clos de los Siete 2013, Mendoza, Argentina One of my favourite reds for a fine Christmas feast, made with four varieties, including malbec by Argentina’s renowned winemaker Michel Rolland. Smooth and rich with ripe black cherries, it’s terrific with goose, duck or steak. (14.5 %, Sainsbury’s, £15 down to £13.50 from Wednesday 14 December until 1 January) Les Closiers Lirac 2015, France Lirac is next door to Châteauneuf du Pape, right down in the southern Rhône close to Avignon. This red is a beautiful supermarket find: a rich but also herbal blend of grenache, syrah, mourvèdre and cinsault that tastes of dark fruits.  (14%, Marks & Spencer, £10.50) L&S Bordeaux 2014, France I know how well Charles Lea knows Bordeaux because I’ve been the beneficiary of his deep fund of wisdom on countless trips there to taste the wines en primeur, so it’s no surprise that his own-label claret is a cracker.

Juicy and approachable, it’s made from 80 per cent merlot with a little cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon to add a redcurrant leaf and blackcurrant scent.  (14%, Lea & Sandeman, £10.95 or £9.95 as part of a mixed case) ♦ STAR BUY ♦ Château les Reuilles Bordeaux Supérieur 2014, France A wine from a family-owned château in the south east of the Bordeaux region that makes you smile the moment you stick your nose in the glass. “VG Bordeaux nose” was my first note. There’s a lovely elderberry scent, and the 15 per cent wallop of cabernet franc brings a glorious perfume and uplift. Haynes, Hanson & Clark, £9.10; Berry Bros & Rudd Argentinian Malbec by Pulenta Estate 2015, Argentina Such a lovely generous wine, seriously juicy, all blueberries, damsons, brambles and violets with a big sweep of perfume that wraps you up as cosily as a cashmere scarf. I used this malbec in the Telegraph’s new World of Wine video series – and it went down handsomely with the crew. 

(14.5%, Berry Bros & Rudd, £11.95) Skillogalee Shiraz 2013, Australia A beautiful basket-pressed shiraz that is lusciously reminiscent of mulberries so ripe they drench you with juice. It’s been aged in both French and American oak and is deliciously spicy and textured. Think about this one if you like big wines on Christmas Day.  Villa Antinori Rosso Toscana 2013, Italy This rich and spicy Tuscan red wine has a very Christmassy feel. It’s based on sangiovese (which makes up 55 per cent of the blend) and also contains cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah. A really successful collaboration between the very Italian sour cherry-ness of the sangiovese and the structure and flesh of the bordeaux grapes. (13.5%, Telegraph Wine from Waitrose, £15) Cillar de Silos Ribera del Duero Crianza 2012, Spain This succulent tempranillo from Ribera del Duero tastes of autumnal red fruits and leaves, mace, mocha, vanilla (but only a bit of vanilla) and a dash of Lea & Perrins.

Aged in French oak, it is a buoyant big hug of a wine. Buy it now and use it to cheer up a cottage pie, or have it with a slow-roast shoulder of lamb. Majestic £16.99 or £14.99 on mix six deal; Berry Bros & Rudd, £19.50) Warwick Estate Trilogy 2012, South Africa If you like your wines big and saturated with flavour then you will love Warwick Estate’s trilogy, made from the three main red bordeaux grapes. The 30 per cent of cabernet franc gives the wine a succulent feel. Fareham Wine Cellar, £19.50; SH Jones in Banbury and Leamington Spa, £18.15; Seresin Estate Rachel Pinot Noir 2012,  Marlborough, New Zealand Deep in sauvignon blanc territory in Marlborough, the biodynamic estate of film-maker Michael Seresin specialises in pinot noir. This smells of baked raspberries and dried cranberries (it would be an absolute winner with turkey and the trimmings) and so much more besides.  (13.5%, Booths, Planet of the Grapes, £28) Château Haut-Corbin St Emilion Grand Cru 2010, Bordeaux, France