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I love this time of year, when the dust has settled on Christmas and you’re existing in a haze of leftovers and Quality Street. There are a few days before welcoming in the new year, and, hopefully, you’ve long relinquished the expectation of having an amazing New Year’s Eve and will be celebrating in whatever way brings you joy.
Whether you like to be in your PJs by 7pm, looking forward to some Jools and friends and cooking up a feast, or hosting a stellar all-night party complete with bathtub bars, then I’ve got some wine inspiration to help.
I’ve selected 26 of the best drinks you’ll need this New Year’s Eve – from pinot noir to vermouth and crémant. I’ve gone heavy on the fizz, as, while you never need an excuse to drink something sparkling – I’m firmly in the mould of Madame Bollinger when it comes to champagne – New Year’s Eve always feels like a wonderful reason to crack open a bottle.
Helpfully, in the dying embers of 2025, there are some sparkling deals to be had. I certainly know what shops I’ll be visiting on 27 December to stock up on one of the best champagne deals available. Whatever you end up doing, I’m wishing you and yours a very happy new year, filled with joy, which for me definitely includes a lovely glass in the company of good people. Cheers to that!
Comte de Senneval champagne brut, France, NV
Lidl, £9.99 (with Lidl Plus card, usual price £13.99), 12.5%
If you want champagne at prosecco prices, then this is the deal for you. It’s an uncomplicated, enjoyable, good party pour with appealing notes of citrus and warming toasty notes.
Les Pionniers champagne brut, France, NV
Coop, £15 (with member’s card until 02.01.26, usual price £21.75), 12.5%
This really is one of the best supermarket champagnes available, made for the Co-op by the brilliant Piper-Heidsieck – you get so many bubbles for your buck. It has an appealing toasted buttery nose with crisp uplifting citrus and notes of baked apples and a beautiful long length… I’ll see you in the queue!
Lanson ‘Le Rosé’ champagne, France, NV
Tesco, £35 (with Clubcard until 31 Dec, usual price £47), 12.5%
I adore a pink champagne at New Year’s, and Lanson is one of the originals and best in making a blended rosé, having produced them for nearly 200 years. Composed of a substantial blend of reserve wines as well as the latest vintage, it’s aged for a minimum of three years, creating a wine that just exudes elegance and finesse. It’s brimming with ripe redcurrants, raspberries, rose blooms and hints of softened cherries on a soft buttery pastry.
Taittinger brut réserve champagne, France, NV
Waitrose, £33 (until 01.01.26, usual price £45),12.5%
This is such a distinguished champagne and is a refined glass to welcome in the new year. It has such purity, with a racy citrus edge alongside orchard fruit, which yields to aromas of hot buttered toast with a lick of acacia honey.
Bollinger special cuvée brut champagne, France, NV
Waitrose, £40 (also on offer from £45 at Sainsbury’s and Tesco until 01.01.26), 12%
It’s easy to forget how good the “classics” are, whether that’s food, films, literature or in this case, wine. I love how generous Bollinger is; it’s unapologetically glamorous with warming brioche notes alongside bountiful, gently spiced golden apples, toasted almonds and swirls of whipped cream.
Segura Viudas brut vintage cava, Spain, 2022
Sainsbury’s, £9 (with nectar card until 31.12.25, usual price £12), 12%
While it may be made via exactly the same method as champagne, cava always has a distinctly Mediterranean influence, and I love it all the more for it. Made by a family-owned estate, this wine has a lovely, decadent feel, full of ripe autumnal orchard fruit and hints of Catalan almonds. Oh, and the packaging is party-perfect too.
Bolney Estate Classic cuvee NV, Sussex, England
Sainsbury’s, £25 (with nectar until 31.12.25, usual price £35); Morrison’s, £25 with More card, 12%
A wonderful estate that’s been producing outstanding wines since the early 1970s. This perfectly balanced wine is a seamless English sparkler with a lean core of citrus and fresh green apples alongside notes of lemon-cream-filled brioche.
Louis Bouillot crémant de Bourgogne, France, NV
Sainsbury’s, £12 (with nectar until 31.12.25, usual price £14), 12%
A gorgeous chardonnay-dominant crémant with aromas of fresh lemon, white peaches, honey-roasted nuts, and a supple toasty note, all wrapped up with a bright, refreshing finish.
Crémant de Loire brut rosé, Gratien et Meyer, Loire, France, NV
Tesco, £10 (with clubcard until 31.12.25, usual price £13.50), 12%
A delicate and enlivening sparkling from one of the benchmark crémant producers in France. A beautiful blend of pinot noir, chardonnay, chenin blanc and cabernet franc, this is a perfectly pretty pink with notes of summer-red fruits and a soft, creamy finish.
Vista Castelli trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Italy, 2024
Tesco, £5.25, 11%
An entirely uncomplicated, simple party pour if you’re looking to switch from your usual pinot grigio. It’s fun and energetic with notes of fresh citrus, hints of almond and ripe apples.
Les Charmes Mâcon-Lugny chardonnay, Cave de Lugny, Burgundy, France, 2023
Waitrose, £10 (until 01.01.26, usual price £17.50), 13%
I’m boldly declaring this is the only wine you need for a tenner. It will look as beautiful on the dinner table as in the hands of your New Year’s Eve party host as they pour you a glass. This unoaked expression of chardonnay is bursting with bright orchard fruit, delicate apple blossom and a fine mineral note, too.
Specially Selected chablis premier cru, Burgundy, France, 2023
Aldi in-store only, £14.99 (until 31.12.25, usual price £19.99), 12.5%
This consistently remains one of the best value, widely available chablis even at full price. It has a wonderfully concentrated palate with charming aromas of ripe apples, warm lemon curd and a refreshing sea-mist edge with a lovely long finish. It gives all the feelings of something special without the damage to your wallet.
Curator white, A A Badenhorst, coastal region, South Africa, 2024
The Wine Society, £9.95, 13%
Made by one of South Africa’s most joyous wine makers, Adi Badenhorst, this is a wine crafted for sheer pleasure. A blend of chenin blanc, chardonnay and viognier, it’s full of soft peaches and ripe apricots with a touch of citrus zest.
The Pebble chenin blanc, Patient Cottat, Val de Loire, France, 2024
Tesco, £11, 12%
This is a super-easy chenin blanc from its spiritual home in the Loire valley. It has delicate aromas of green apples, golden pears and a subtle honeyed note; it’s a mouth-wateringly delightful pour.
Studio Miraval, Provence, France, 2024
Tesco, £10 (with clubcard until 31.12.25, usual price £12), 12%
It’s always helpful to have some rosé on hand, and this has been one of my “rosés of the year”. A charming blend of cinsault, grenache, rolle and tibouren, it offers aromas of apricot and nectarine, along with squishy raspberries and elegant floral notes. It’s a fresh, well-made, crowd-pleasingly appealing wine, which, pound for pour, always over-delivers.
Esporao Monte Velho tinto, Alentejo, Portugal, 2024
Ocado, £12.25, 13%
Made from a gorgeous medley of indigenous Portuguese grape varieties, this fleshy and supple wine is full of ripe blackberries and wild hedgerow fruit with hints of cinnamon and cloves. It feels generous in the glass, but not overpowering, an enticing wintry red.
Lirac, Rhône, France, 2024
Lidl, £8,99 (until stocks last), 14.5%
Part of the limited-edition wine tour, I’d imagine this will be gone by early January. It’s simply a sensational wine for the price. Lirac is located just a stone’s throw away from Châteauneuf-du-Pape and exhibits all the hallmarks of a southern Rhône gem. Think full-bodied, brambly, spiced, dark, berry fruits, hints of liquorice allsorts and a sunshine-warmed finish.
Bourgogne pinot noir, Louis Jadot, France, 2022
Majestic, £22.50 mixed six (single bottle £30), 13.5%
If your New Year’s Eve consists of less dancing on the table and more dining on the table, then this is a special bottle to serve up. This is a soulful, harmonious pinot noir with ripe wild strawberries, black cherries, notes of sweet spices and autumnal forest floors all wrapped up in silken tannins.
Cuvée Laborie, pays d’oc, France, 2024
The Wine Society, £7.75, 12.5%
An effortless and completely charming party wine delivering abundantly easy-quaffing flavours of ripe strawberries, soft raspberries and the sweetest of red summer cherries. It’s easy on the alcohol, smooth with the tannins, and comes in a box as well as a bottle! That’s your house wine sorted.
Beaujolais No 1 Beaujolais Villages, Burgundy, France, 2023
Waitrose, £11 (until 01.01.26, usual price £14.40), 12.5%
A glorious gamay in all its supple red-berried heaven, it’s a joyful glass of bright red plums, raspberries and redcurrants, reminding us of warmer days ahead, but for now, it’s the perfect wine to drink while grazing on leftovers.
Diplomático Mantuano, Venezuela
Waitrose, £26 (until 01.01.26, usual price £32.50), 40%
Aged for approximately eight years, this is a decadently rich and complex rum with notes of sweet Christmas-dried fruits, wooded spices, cigar smoke and fresh vanilla pods. This is a staple for many cocktails, and I love substituting gin for this in a negroni to make a boulevardier, or substituting whiskey to make a rum-based old fashioned.
Tanqueray London dry gin
Sainsbury’s, £18.50 (with nectar card until 31.12.25, usual price £23), 41.3%
Other than maybe Beefeater gin, I don’t think there’s a better “house gin” for the money. Perfect for a gin and tonic or as a mixer in cocktails, it’s a citrus-forward shot of juniper joy.
Cinzano vermouth rosso
Waitrose, £11.50, 15%
If you want to switch up the steadfast Martini Rosso in your vermouth, or want a festive drink that’s easy to prepare, then Cinzano is a reliable switch. A fragrantly sweet vermouth with notes of vanilla and sweet cinnamon spice alongside dried figs and sour cherries, it’s a classic for a reason. Serve over ice with a dash of soda, or mix into a negroni or manhattan.
Campari, Italy
Tesco, £15 (with clubcard until 31.12.25, usual price £19), 25%
While aperol remains solely for summer, if you want to spritz in winter, then I would suggest campari with a slice of blood orange for the garnish. Its jewelled appearance even looks like a party in a glass, and is a staple in a negroni, of course, too.
Noilly Prat vermouth, France
Waitrose, £11 (until 01.01.26, usual price £14), 18%
The original French dry vermouth. There’s a fragrant lift of chamomile, bitter orange and coriander which is as invigorating as it is beguiling. I recommend a serve of this over ice with oysters, but of course, it is the perfect addition to a martini, where I suggest using just a whisper to create the finest cocktail.
Tanqueray Ten batch distilled gin
Tesco, £27.50 (with clubcard until 31.12.25, usual price £35.50), 47.3%
Is there anything chicer than mixing up a martini on New Year’s Eve? You can batch-prep martinis, which means you’ve always got a perfect pour ready to go, and Tanqueray Ten makes one of the most invigorating martinis imaginable thanks to its heavy citrus lean.