’Tis the season to be jolly, so drink well this Christmas (without paying over the odds) Shop wisely this Christmas, and there are some real bargains out there that will keep you in high spirits long after Santa has paid his annual visit. Photograph: David De Lossy/Getty Images ’Tis the season to be jolly, so drink well this Christmas (without paying over the odds) It’s never easy to please everyone, but when it comes to Christmas drinking, it’s well nigh impossible. Some people want to stick to the classics; others are gagging for a change; some are willing to pay more for a Christmas bottle (I was amazed last year by complaints that my wine suggestions were too cheap); others are feeling the pinch. Well, at the risk of infuriating those who want to splash out, I’m highlighting value buys again. It’s been a tough year in so many ways, and I don’t want to add to the pain by suggesting a massive hit on your wallet. These are the best still and sweet wines for £10 or less, and fizz under £15.

Southern France is still my favourite source of Christmas reds, because they tend to be bold, generous and well-priced. Few cut-price châteauneuf-du-papes can compete with the handsomely bottled Famille Perrin Vinsobres Les Cornuds 2014 (£8.99 The Co-op; 13.5% abv); or the joyous exuberance of the Château Cesseras Cuvée Olric Minervois 2013 (£9 Booths; 14% abv) – both would be ideal with turkey. best beer and wine dealsAnd Aldi’s Exquisite Collection 2014 Plan de Dieu (£5.79; 14% abv), from the Côtes du Rhône, could easily be twice the price.buying wine online new zealand Pinot for less than a tenner is a big ask, but again, Aldi manages it with Estevez Pinot Noir 2015 (13.5% abv). dry white wine popular

It’s a touch sweet, maybe, but at £4.79, who’s complaining? There’s always some well-priced rioja around at Christmas. If you’re a Wine Society member, get a bottle (or three) of the fruity Castillo de Viñas 2014 (13% abv) for £8.75; otherwise, go for Tesco’s Finest Rioja Reserva 2011, made by the reliable Baron de Ley in a more traditional style, for a very reasonable £8.best red wine nz If you like bordeaux, it makes sense to buy it by the magnum: Marks & Spencer’s full-bodied, unfiltered Château Tour Guillotin 2015 (13.5% abv), from Puisseguin Saint-Emilion, is great value at £15 (down from £20 until 1 January), or the equivalent of £7.50 per standard bottle.best wine to go with seafood And if you’re the type who wants to pretend Christmas isn’t happening (I sympathise), I recommend Gal Tibor’s edgy, exciting, fruit-brimmed Ti Ti (14% abv), from Hungary, which is £8.99 in Lidl’s Christmas selection.the best french wines 2012

Even if you think you don’t like it (tried chablis lately?), chardonnay comes into its own at Christmas, though even cheap burgundy tends to cost more than 10 quid. Some of the best alternatives now come from Down Under: try the elegant, creamy Hill Smith Estate Chardonnay (£10 Waitrose; 13.5% abv), which is as far removed from the stereotypical, tinned peach flavours of Aussie chardonnay as you’ll find at the price; glass of wine to beeror Tesco’s refreshingly citrussy Finest Limestone Coast Chardonnay (13.5% abv) at just £6.best bottle of wine for the price And if you’re looking for a party white, I really like the crisp Viognier Sauvignon Blanc 2015 (12% abv), which at £7 is a real steal from Booths; best wine accessories gifts

and Asda’s Extra Special Gavi 2015 (£6.48; 12% abv), which is a better buy than most pinot grigio, but still an easygoing crowdpleaser. For the smoked salmon, either pick up one of the Loire whites I wrote about the other week, or a crisp riesling such as Cave de Beblenheim’s Kleinfels Riesling (£9.99 Waitrose; 13.5% abv). I also like Tesco’s limey, zesty Tingleup Riesling (12% abv) at £8 – ideal if you’re planning to Thai up the turkey leftovers. There’s not much joy on the sparkling wine front if you want a change from prosecco and don’t want to pay champagne prices. One option would be Franciacorta, from Lombardy. It’s drier than prosecco, and is normally quite pricey, but Lidl has an unusually affordable example from Borgo Regio for just £8.99 (12.5% abv). Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Crémant de Loire, which is based on chenin blanc, is pleasantly creamy and worth picking up on its introductory offer of £9. But if it has to be prosecco, why not go for a magnum?

Aldi’s Lucci Prosecco (11% abv) is good value at £12.99 (that works out at £6.49 a bottle), or go for a magnum of Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Prosecco (10.5% abv), currently on offer at £15.50. Now is the time to buy sweet wines, because the high street has a bigger selection at Christmas than in the rest of the year. Again, Aldi and Lidl have come up with the best bargains: Aldi’s Berton Vineyards Botrytis Semillon 2015 (£5.99 a half-bottle; 10% abv), from Australia’s Riverlands, delivers a great whoosh of lemon and honey for half the price of sauternes, while at just £6.99, Lidl is offering a whole bottle of sweet, honeyed Monbazillac (13% abv) that would be ideal with a light, fruity Christmas pud.Wine auctions feature perennial favorites that pop up so regularly bidders come to expect them; cue Screaming Eagle, Dom Perignon, or Chateau Margaux. Hunting down unexpected, lesser-known gems can really pay off. If you’re a connoisseur, detouring from the usual suspects might seem like a risk.

But you might stumble upon a new-to-you wine or, most excitingly, completely change your buying decisions going forward. Here are 12 wines that are not typically sought out, but should be. With this mix of ready-to-drink-now wines and those poised for aging, you have some options to uncork for dinner guests or stow away for a future wedding anniversary. With more than 200 years of wine production (since 1798) under its belt, Jacquesson is a big name that often gets crowded out by famed Champagnes like Krug and Dom Perignon. But there is a lesser-known link: the founder of Krug got his feet wet working here, at what is considered the oldest independent Champagne house. Domaine Leroy is among the most expensive wines produced in Cotes de Beaune-Villages. While 1967 in Burgundy isn’t its most standout vintage, it’s still special to drink a nearly 50-year-old wine. The 1966 vintage from one year earlier ranks among the region’s best. A hit with wine critics upon its 2001 release (scores were 93+), this Super Tuscan wine was a standout vintage in 1998.

Having already aged 17 years, it’s ready to be sipped. A Port from Portugal might be cliché but an aged option is not as common. Time in the bottle — even just 23 years — further expresses the Port’s delightful nuances. The grapes are grown on the left bank of the Pinhão River in the famed Douro Valley. In honor of Pop Art artist Roy Lichtenstein, the vivid bottle alone is a collectible, but savvy wine drinkers know Taittinger never fails to disappoint. This 30-year-old bubbly is no exception. The Collection series, of which this is a part, is reserved only for quality vintages, including 1985. Tucked into the esteemed Stag’s Leap District, this dates back to 1972 and has delivered nothing short of consistent quality with its Cabernet Sauvignon. In fact, in blind tastings it’s outshone Chateau Margaux— considered one of the world’s best expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon. Favoring a biodynamic approach, Cayuse was launched after the son of a winery in Champagne interned in this region during the 1990s.

Cayuse specializes in a vast selection of varietals like Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Tempranillo, and Grenache, grown in its 45-acre vineyard. Made from fruit grown organically and biodynamically in the Calistoga and Napa Valley AVAs in the northern end of Napa Valley, Araujo is a quieter cult winery. Just 2,000 cases are made annually. The 2001 vintage was proclaimed by Wine Enthusiast to be the best vintage of California Cabernet Sauvignon ever. This blend of Bordeaux varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot are grown in the 64-acre Les Pavots vineyard on the west side of Mount St. Helena. It is a reminder of the stellar 2007 vintage in Napa Valley. With a little more time in the cellar, it can be even greater. Another blend of Bordeaux grapes, and from another spectacular vintage, Dancing Hare Vineyards is in a prime spot of real estate at the base of Howell Mountain. In June, the owners put the property on the market for $25 million so score a souvenir before the company turns over.

Founded by Russians, Meukow Cognac has been in business for just over 150 years, building up its brand and unleashing a signature black-panther bottle time and time again. The palate gets better with age, so it’s best to put this one away for a while. Located in Yountville, a stone’s throw from Thomas Keller’s eateries, there’s a waitlist for current releases of the winery’s Cabernet Sauvignon blends. One reason is limited production; another is that Abreu sources fruit only from the best regions for his Cabernet Sauvignon blends, including Thorevilos. This is the ninth vintage. Winery founder David Abreu is the real deal: he’s been hired to replant vineyards for Screaming Eagle. See wines for sale on Invaluable in Auctionata AG’s 423 Rare Collections of Fine Wines & Spirits (February 12) and J. Levine Auction and Appraisal’s Wine Collection of Richard Beine (February 13). A wine writer since 2004, Kristine Hansen is the Wine Editor for a restaurant-industry magazine and also contributes wine/travel coverage to numerous publications like Wine Enthusiast and Conde Nast Traveler's website.