The best white wines to buy this Christmas - whatever your plans are

Wherever you plan to be, at home or away, here are a few suggestions of white wines to have on standby, to suit whatever Christmas you have planned.

The students come home

Frankly, it is lovely to have noise in the house and the washing machine going constantly.

Students are not quite as boozy as they used to be so make sure you have some non-alcoholic drinks available, as well as wine.

Extra Special Fiano 2022, Terre di Siciliane, Italy, Asda £6.75: Medal-winning and deservedly so, this is worth keeping in the fridge for occasional drinking, at lunch or dinner time. Aromatic and delicious, it has citrus and nectarine fruit, with a twist of Mediterranean herbs and it is perfect with creamy pasta, or anything fishy.

Domaine de l’Arjolle Sauvignon Blanc Viognier 2023, Languedoc, France, Booths £8.50: With 40% Viognier adding peachy fruit to the crisp, citrus Sauvignon flavours, this is a wine that can be enjoyed with or without food. It is perfect for late-night suppers alongside a veggie quiche or a turkey sandwich.

REAL Royal Flush, Non-alcoholic Sparkling Tea, Waitrose £9.50: The cork pops like champagne but this is totally alcohol free. It has a gentle taste of peach and spice, with an overall savoury style. This is grown up drinking without the buzz.

Neighbours in for drinks

‘Drop-in for drinks’ is an easy way to entertain a circle of friends, or even the whole village so long as you specify a start and end time.

Everyone is far too busy to stay long at this time of year, but a quick glass of wine allows you to catch up with people you have meaning to see for ages. Provide a few nibbles, drinks and don’t forget the non-alcoholic drinks too.

McGuigan Zero Sauvignon Blanc, Australia, Morrisons £4.25: Despite its zero alcohol this is still full of zesty citrus flavours. It has a touch more sweetness than the alcohol-version, but not enough to be cloying. For those who need to go last-minute Christmas shopping, a few bottles of non-alcoholic drinks are essential.

Yealands Sauvignon Blanc 2024, New Zealand, Tesco down from £10 to £8.50 until 31 December: Consistently good, this comes from one of New Zealand’s sustainable vineyards where sheep graze between the vines in winter. The 2024 vintage is just making its way into shops right now, but 2023 is the one to buy if you get the choice. It has had time to rest in bottle and fill out its zesty lemon, lime, peach and passionfruit flavours.

Lugana 2023, North East Italy, Asda £11: Give your guests a different taste in their glass with this delicate, floral wine with fresh honeydew melon fruit, white peach and a hint of almonds. Dry, elegant and perfect with any nibbles you might be handing round.

Sit down dinner

Inviting a few friends round for dinner is a great way to show off your latest cooking skills, so pour some interesting wines alongside.

These don’t have to be expensive, but they need to be good.

Chez Michel Marsanne Collines Rhodaniennes 2023, Marks and Spencer £9: M&S has stopped promoting its wines with up and down pricing, so every wine is always at its best price and this one is exceptional value. Marsanne is a grape that does well in the Rhône giving rounded, herb-dusted, honeysuckle and peach flavours with enough weight to take on roast chicken or even turkey.

La Val Albariño 2023, Rías Baixas, Spain, Waitrose down from £16.99 to £12.99 until 1 January: Albariño is growing in popularity by the day, and this is a really elegant version. It has floral aromas with peach and nectarine flavours backed by crisp acidity and a tang of sea-salt on the finish. Pour alongside almost any fishy dish, but this wine also goes well with an asparagus or prawn risotto.

E.H. Booth and Co. Chablis 2023 Booths £14.50: I have tasted a lot of Chablis in the last few weeks and this Booths version shone out for its fresh citrus flavours and a gravelly minerally crunch. If you are serving a seafood starter then this is the wine to pour.

The Big Day

Deck the hall and stuff the turkey, this is the day to enjoy good food and wine so spend a little more on each wine and appreciate the step up in quality. Get out your best glasses for this occasion.

Mountadam High Eden Chardonnay 2023, South Australia, Field and Fawcett, £19.90: Chardonnay is a terrific wine to line up against Christmas food. It can go from a smoked salmon starter to the turkey for those who prefer whites to reds.

This one comes from the High Eden hills, where high-altitude vineyards catch the breeze, so grapes retain their freshness and flavour. Forget about old Aussie chardonnays that were full of oak and heavy flavours, this one is different.

It has delicate peachy fruit, backed by a thread of citrus and just a hint of sweet spice on the finish.

Joseph Mellot Sancerre Le Montarlet 2023, Tesco down from £24 to £20 until 31 December: Step away from the big, green flavours of Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc to Sancerre, made from the same Sauvignon Blanc grape but in different soils and climate.

There is citrus, yellow capsicum, a touch of newly cut grass and a sprinkle of herbs, but above all there is the crunch, like walking across a pebble beach. Team with starters.

Gérard Bertrand Organic ‘La Sauvageonne’ Blanc 2023, Languedoc, France, Majestic £22.49 on a mix six deal: From the man who transformed the Languedoc region from a bulk wine producer to one where quality shines out, so long as you know where to look.

This is a blend of white Rhône grapes, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Viognier and Marsanne, grown to biodynamic standards and it gathers up the scents of the herb-strewn hills of the region.

There are broad flavours of stone fruit, wrapped up in earthy, savoury notes with enough weight and presence to accompany a full roast dinner.