Get the party started with easy drinking whites

As we hurtle into the Christmas party season, here are a dozen clean, crisp, easy drinking wines for serving as aperitifs to help you get your party started.

Still party white Languedoc, France: Picpoul de Pinet Les Vignes Sur Mer 2021 Maison Azan Star buy

Brilliant choice for a zippy, citrusy, dry unoaked white with mouthwatering acidity and saline notes made close to the sea in the Bassin de Thau in southern France. The grape is locally known as ‘lipstinger’, but don’t let that put you off.

£11.95, Corney & Barrow

Rueda, Spain: Oro de Castilla Verdejo 2021 Hermanos del Villar

Rueda is now Spain’s best selling white wine – made from the historic verdejo grape it results in superb bright, fresh, dry white.

£10.50, House of Townend; Flora Fine Wine

Chablis, France: Petit Chablis Vielles Vignes 2021 Domaine Dampt

Very good example of petit chablis from outlying vineyards with Portlandian limestone, made by the Dampt brothers: minerally notes, zesty citric and elderflower flavours. £15.99, Laithwaites

Clare Valley, Australia: The Lodge Hill Riesling 2022 Jim Barry

Seems odd to find such a delicate riesling down-under, but this elegant, stylish Clare riesling is hard to beat on price. Loved its limey lemon meringue flavours, purity and finesse. £10.50, Co-op; £10.99, Majestic Wine

Rias Baixas, Spain: La Val Orballo Albarino 2021

Impressive unoaked minerally leesy blend from two vineyards: Taboexa at 300m above sea-level which gives rich honeyed ripeness – and Arantei at just 30m which gives saline freshness.

£12.50, Woodwinters

Bordeaux, France: Lions Blanc Sec de Suduiraut 2021 Ch Suduiraut

Fantastic provenance from Chateau Suduiraut in Sauternes, this sleek dry semillon and sauvignon blanc blend is from fine sandy gravel soils in southern Bordeaux.

£21, Cambridge Wine

Party fizz Languedoc, France: Blanquette de Limoux Reserve 2019 Antech Star buy

Blend of 90 per cent mauzac grape with chardonnay and chenin blanc from historic Antech winery; traditional method with 18 months on lees, surprisingly rich on palate with nutty lemony depth.

£11.50, The Wine Society

Jura, France: Cremant du Jura Brut 2019

Elegant rich creamy fizz from 100 per cent chardonnay made in the classic traditional method in the little known Jura region in eastern France – astonishingly good for the price. £8.99, Aldi

Veneto, Italy: Sorso Prosecco NV Great value

If you are looking for inexpensive Prosecco, this floral scented delicate fizz made by Casa Vinicola Zonin ticks the box with its green apple, pearskin and lemon flavours and bittersweet finish.

£6.49, Morrisons

Robertson, South Africa: Graham Beck Brut Rosé

Methode Cap Classique from the legendary Graham Beck – I personally prefer the rose version to the standard white as it has more depth, strawberry fruits and sheer class for the price.

£11.99, Majestic Wine; Ocado

Alsace, France: Cremant d’alsace Cuvée Julien NV Dopff

Cremant d’alsace accounts for 35 per cent of fizz drunk in France – this great value well aged blend is from 50 per cent pinot blanc and 50 per cent auxerrois grapes aged on lees for 24 months. Dopff are the historic Cremant house based in beautiful Riquewihr. Impressive fizz for the price.

£14.50, The Wine Society

Hampshire, England: Black Chalk Classic 2018

Hard to beat Black Chalk for such an elegant, citric, minerally, stylish fizz which has such purity, creaminess without the raw austerity of some English fizz. This small batch traditional method fizz is made from the classic chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier grapes by talented winemaker Jacob Leadley.

£34, Cornelius Wine; Luvians; Vino Wines

Join Rose’s Fine Wine Dinner at The Peat Inn in Fife on Thursday 8 December, rosemurraybrown.com