One day - five special wines

What do people who work in wine drink on Christmas Day? LadySips is often asked this question, so here’s what she has lined up

I started assembling my bottle squad back in the summer. To avoid mishaps, the contenders have been explicitly lined up on the no-go shelves of our cellar (the wine rack in the coolest part of our house) for the past few months.

My dream team isn’t fancy but special and well-priced, with nothing over £50.

As it’s a party of two, we’re spreading lunch across four time zones, Nigella style, through the day to avoid an early collapse. It’s a traditional line-up of dishes that I’ve paired with my top tipples. Hopefully, they’ll work with your choices, too.

LATE BRUNCH/STARTER This is a medley, some might say haphazard collection, of seafood nibbles along with a veggie option of chicory leaves filled with Swiss cheese, radish, red apple and quince. I fell in love with this bitter-sweet canapé at a Rathfinny Sparkling Wine tasting at Drop Dulwich (where I work) in early December when it was beautifully paired with Rathfinny Sparkling Rosé 2019, £45. This dry rosé nicely balances the sweetness of the cheese and quince and cut through the richness of mackerel pâté, smoked salmon and anchovies, too.

My reserve was a Welsh rosé from Velfrey Vineyard in Pembrokeshire, which I visited in torrential rain last March. Thankfully, the owners had factored in deep drainage channels for their immaculate slopes, ensuring the vines don’t get waterlogged. The Rosé, a silver medal winner at the Glass of Bubbly Awards 2024, has lovely cherry, strawberry, and pomegranate fruits, pastry notes and a long finish. You can order from their website.

THE MAIN COURSE is a KellyBronze, aka the Rolls-Royce of turkeys, which is reared for twice as long as a standard turkey. The birds roam freely in woodland, are fed cereals, as well as soft fruits and pumpkins, dry plucked and hung for maximum flavour. Hats off to Paul Kelly and his family for producing such a fine-tasting roast. There will be competing flavours of herby stuffing and honeyed carrots and parsnips with the turkey, so we’re starting with a classic – declassified Meursault, the 2022 Chaumes des Perrières by Raymond Dupont-Fahn, £38. It has richness and texture, but a lifted freshness. Wine two is the Hitching Post Pinot Noir, full-bodied with a warming heat and spice that can take on robust red cabbage and bitter sprouts. It’s a hefty 14% abv, but still elegant and smooth. If it rings a bell, the Hitching Post is the Californian bar-restaurant in Sideways, the movie about wine. Find it on Disney+.

THE DESSERT is a lighter, nuttier Christmas pud with vanilla ice cream. I will pour a small glass of the luscious, raisiny Valdespino El Candado Pedro Ximénez, £18.50 for a half bottle, over a scoop of ice cream and serve with a sliver of pud on the side. If you’re new to PX and don’t want to splash out, try the very decent own label half bottle from Morrisons for £6.50.

THE CHEESE BOARD The Mons goat, blue cheese and camembert board is matched with a tawny, my favourite style of port. I’ve gone with the well-made Churchill’s 10-Year-Old Tawny Port, which we sell at Drop Dulwich. It has beautiful sweet dried fruit, toasted nuts and orange peel flavours and maintains a freshness. It’s tasting practice for my upcoming Diploma Fortified exam in January. Wish me luck.

• LadySips will be back in January with her pick of lighter style reds and whites for those following a damp, rather than dry, January.