Domaine Cyrot Buthiau Maranges 1er Cru Les Clos Roussots, 2020

"David Whelehan's ability to sniff out the good stuff has delivered something rather lively in the shape of this lively young red Burgundy. If you find it hard to place the small AOC of Maranges, it's right next to the more familiar Santenay on the Cote de Beaune. This is an exuberant young wine with terrific colour and oodles of fruit underpinned by warm tannins, lovely to have now with, say, a beef daube but even better if you can bear to put some away for a few years." Tom Doorley

Domaine Guerrin & Fils Pouilly-Fuissé Vieilles Vignes, 2019

"Life would be so much easier if white Burgundy were inexpensive. However, you have to pay for quality. On the other hand you can seek out the smart stuff, the inside track wines, and Pouilly-Fuissé, in the Maconnais is a treasure trove. It may seem odd to say that a €30 wine offers brilliant value but this one really does: honeyed, nutty, long, smoky elegant, buttery, delicious. Try it and see what all the fuss is about, but be warned: white Burgundy can be habit-forming."

Feuduccio Fonte Venna Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, 2018

"Montepulciano d'Abruzzo covers a multitude from simple, juicy reds that pair so well with all manner of pasta to this much more serious but still exuberant and fleshy wine. Made in a five-storey underground winery where no expense has been spared, it combines the usual plum and cherry juicy freshness with spice and real structure, plus a good dash of new oak and round but grippy tannins. A superior Montepulciano in every way."

Ramey Russian River Valley Chardonnay, 2019

"If you're taken aback at the price, just compare it with what you would pay for the equivalent from Burgundy. Because that's very much the style. This is, in a sense, a tribute to Meursault and similar Burgundies right down to the toasted hazelnut and what I always think of (approvingly) as a touch of toasted marshmallow. This is very serious stuff and I'd guess about €20 less than most French equivalents. It's on a shortlist of wines to grace my Christmas table."

The Irish Mail on Sunday, 11th December 2022.