Festive fine wines worth splashing out on

Oleg Dmitriev from Independent Wines - a business which only started up this year - offers some advice on choosing wines for the festive season.

Christmas is all about eating, drinking and being merry. It's the time of year where we splash a little extra cash to make our friends, family and colleagues feel loved.

If you're planning on giving wine as a gift, now is the time to put your old favourites down and step things up a notch.

After the year we've had, everyone needs something extra special. That's where the Wines of Christmas come in. Each one has its own 'X Factor' – these aren't your everyday wines. From big blockbusting reds to high altitude whites, this is our pick of the best Christmas gifts for wine lovers.

1. ForteMasso Barolo Castelletto 2015

Presented in a black wooden gift box, this blockbusting Barolo makes quite an impressive red wine gift. It comes from the excellent 2015 vintage – possibly the best vintage for Barolo this decade. This deep ruby wine spent 30 months in oak and was then aged in bottle to allow its powerful flavours and aromas to mellow and mingle. Expect flavours of black cherry, raisins, Christmas spice and a savoury touch of leather.

This award-winning wine will happily age for another 20 years, making it an excellent present for any wine collectors in your life.

2. Castello di Radda Vigna Il Corno Gran Selezione 2014

This exceptional wine is a Gran Selezione – a type of wine that's only made in the very best years. Each grape used to produce this Chianti Classico was grown in one vineyard - in an area of Tuscany known as Il Corno (the horn). Five months of lees aging, followed by 20 months in barrel, gives this wine an exceptionally well-rounded taste. Red berry fruit, spice and vanilla are the main flavours and it has incredibly velvety tannins.

One for real Chianti connoisseurs.

3. Francone Barbaresco Fausoni 2016

Deep, rich and complex - this wine is a true masterpiece. It comes from a vineyard in one of the best cru regions of Neive, which is itself one of the most important areas in the Barbaresco DOCG. Grapes grow on a southwest slope and gently ripen in the afternoon sunlight before being hand-picked in October. The wine has a truly powerful flavour, thanks to the two years it spends aging in French oak barrels.

Flavours include dried blackberries, tobacco, leather and nutmeg with a supremely long finish.

All these delightful wines are available for next day delivery from Independent Wine – an Edinburghbased wine merchant from their website.

www.independent.wine