The full-on family gathering

I’m imagining that you’ll have a lot of people in the house, some staying over, many arriving at different times, and that you will be serving food at some point. Sloe gin sours are quite workintensive so this choice relies either on advance prep or, better, on child labour. Buy lots of lemons and get the children squeezing – they can then also make citron presses for themselves ( just a mix of lemon juice and water, fizzy or tap, sweetened with sugar) and any other non-drinkers at the party. The wines I’ve picked can take you through lunch or dinner, too.

SUPER TO SERVE

Hayman’s Sloe Gin (26%, Ocado, £26.50 for 70cl)

The juniper, maraschino and hawthorn flavours of sloe gin have an innately festive feel. Use it to make sloe gin sours (50ml sloe gin + 20ml lemon juice + 1 tsp egg white, shaken with ice then strained into an ice-filled tumbler). Add soda if you prefer a long drink. Domaine Begude ‘Elegance’ Chardonnay 2022, Pays d’oc, France (13%, bibwine.co.uk, £42.32 for 2.25l box) If you like Chablis, try this luminous yet comforting chardonnay. Very gently oaked and made with mountain grapes, grown on Begude’s Limoux estate, it has been declassified from AOC Limoux as it doesn’t meet that appellation’s oaking rules. Hello, smoked salmon…

The Best Gran Montana Uco Valley Malbec 2021, Argentina (14.5%, Morrisons, £11 down to £10 until Tuesday)

An absolute standout among wines in Morrisons, this malbec is made by renowned producer Familia Zuccardi. Intense enough to be satisfying yet also perfectly drinkable even without food, it is beautifully textured, gently oaked with notes of violets, drinking chocolate and blueberries. And let’s face it, everyone loves a good malbec.

M&S Collection Islay Single Malt Whisky, Scotland (46%, Marks & Spencer, £35 for 70cl)

Kilchoman became the first new distillery on Islay in 124 years when it was founded in 2005. The independent farm distillery made this lightly smoky whisky – new into M&S this season. Elegant and precise, it’s the bottle to have in for the moment your family whisky drinkers reach for a dram.

GREAT TO TAKE

Langham Estate Corallian Classic Cuvée Brut NV, England (12%, Lea & Sandeman, £30.50)

Your host deserves a good bottle of fizz. The English sparkling wines made at Langham Estate in Dorset are not just superb but also superbly good value. L&S stocks the Culver Classic, which is pinot-dominant and quite Champagne-like, as well as this chardonnay-dominant, more nervy, cuvée, both excellent.