Three Christmas Wines

Three wines for Christmas; from Dourthe, Taylors and Croft

You need a mix of wines at Christmas - some serious, some sweet and some easy-drinking. Here are three to cover most situations.

With a family Christmas Dinner

Pey La Tour Bordeaux Superieur 2009 (in magnum £24.99, Oddbins, Waitrose) from a good year (which Bordeaux has not had for a while), this still feels very youthful. Cassis and ripe bramble fruit with liquorice, pencil shavings and a touch of undergrowth. Fresh, complex and supple. Very harmonious and drinking really nicely now.

Magnums are the perfect size for ageing wine -  and are so much more indulgent and generous than standard bottles.

With Christmas Treats

Taylor's First Estate Reserve Port (£12, 75cl, widely available) ripe dark berry fruits, cassis, eucalyptus, cooked mixed fruit and warming spice; the youthful fruited exuberance contrasts with something more complex - leather and cigarbox, savouriness and mellowness.

Match with dark chocolate and cherry torte, or sip in front of an old black-and-white film.

For Easy Sipping

Croft Pink Port (£14.99, 75cl, Cambridge Wine Merchants, Selfridges) soft, ripe red fruits, some porty-eucalyptus and sweet-strength. Ideal for when you want something straightforward and uncomplicated - or for use in cocktails.

Drink as a Christmas Day aperitif, a Boxing Day pick-me-up, or keep chilled in the fridge to open when friends come round.

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