XMAS EVE SPARKLING

NV Pasqua Romeo & Juliet Prosecco, Treviso, Italy

(£11.99, reduced to £9.99 each in a Mix Six deal until January, Majestic) I LOVE the label (graffitiinspired), I love the flavour (long, refreshing and uplifting) and I love the price of this delightful Prosecco, so it is imperative that you rush down to Majestic to secure stock.

2016 Calvet Crémant de Bordeaux Brut, France (£12.49, reduced to £8.99 until January 1, ocado.com)

I AM always amazed at how delicious as well as how detailed this wine tastes. Bordeaux is famous for its reds, but this masterful creation, made from the unlikely bedfellows Semillon and Cabernet Franc, is a cracker.

NV Sainsbury’s Blanc de Noirs Champagne, France (£19, Sainsbury’s)

ALWAYS a winner, this wine is made from the red grapes Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. When you use only red grapes in a ‘white’ sparkler, you cannot fail to bring some of the haunting, ripe, berry nuances to the wine. This is what makes this Champagne so fascinating.

2014 Bride Valley Rosé Bella, Dorset, England (£37.50, reduced to £27.95, rudewines.co.uk; £38, highburyvintners.co.uk)

THIS is one of the most remarkable English wines of the year. It is made by legendary wine writer Steven Spurrier and named after his wife. A stunningly delicate rosé with a silky-smooth palate, this wine is truly amazing and a great example of how we can rival the rest of the world with our sparklers.