Chablis is widely regarded as the King of French white wine and Simonnet-Febvre Chablis 2009 just loves seafood, making this an ideal choice to have with a festive smoked salmon starter on Christmas Day.

At any other time enjoy a glass with a bowl of steaming moules mariniere, mopping up the white wine sauce with crusty bread. It's also a fine accompaniment to a dozen of Whitstable's finest oysters. This is a fresh, vivacious wine, with intense mineral aromas, a perfect balance of classic finesse and elegance.

Warwick Estate Chardonnay 2009 -

Butternut squash and barrel-fermented Warwick Estate Chardonnay is about as good as it gets. Made from the lush fruit of 20 year old vines planted in Simonsberg region of Stellenbosch, this fresh and lively wine combined with the sweetness of the squash transforms this into an elegant drink. It has hints of buttered popcorn and coconut on the nose, followed with flavours of green apple, lime and orange peel and is a great match with warming butternut squash soup. It also pairs well with other ingredients such as caramelised onions and all kinds of mushrooms, parmesan cheese and cream making this a wonderfully useful winter and festive white to have on hand.

Wakefield Cabernet Sauvignon, Clare

Valley 2008 - Country gentleman or City slicker, either way, if you're tempted by the abundance of fresh, seasonal game, then Wakefield Cabernet Sauvignon, Clare Valley 2008 is the wine for you. Deep red, with a vibrant purple hue, this wine has an aroma of rich blackcurrant, liquorice and subtle spice. Tones of dried basil with subtle hints of tobacco leaf and cedar come from its French oak maturation. A wine of great intensity, it has distinctive blackcurrant and cassis fruit flavours, while the tannins are fine and elegant.

The palate is well balanced, complex and fulfilling and lingers on the finish. It'll easily see you through Sunday roasts and is still smart enough to serve at posh dinner parties.

McHenry Hohnen 3 Amigos Red 2007 -

Wrap up in winter woollies, take a brisk country walk, and then race home to the cosy comfort of a warm kitchen. Tuck in to a hearty plate of sausage and mash, washed down with McHenry Hohnen's 3 Amigos 2007. The blend of Shiraz and Grenache grapes that makes up about 80% of this wine makes this a great foil for British pork sausages, and particularly herby ones. This is an outstanding vintage in the Margaret River where a great summer led to superb ripeness in the grapes. Its nose of black raspberries and dark plum is interwoven with clove and spicy ground pepper. This wine can be drunk now, but will soften and come together with more time in the bottle.

Louis Latour Aloxe-Corton Premier Cru Les Chaillots 2006 -

From the heart of the greatest Burgundy vineyards, here is a wine ideally suited to big winter food or the Michaelmas feast. Cook a succulent joint of roast beef to perfection and lay on the luxury with a bottle of Louis Latour Aloxe-Corton Premier Cru Les Chaillots 2006.

Produced in the vineyards which have surrounded the Louis Latour family home for centuries, this is an invitingly warm pinot noir, with a nose of delicate notes of ripe, red, summer fruit, and distinct cherry character on the palate.

This is a seriously special wine for dark winter evenings.

Vidal-Fleury Muscat Beaumes de Venise 2008 -

Winter fruit crumbles blue cheese, foie gras and pates, dark chocolate pud and even Santa's hearthside mince pie will taste all the sweeter with a glass of Vidal-Fleury Muscat Beaumes de Venise 2008. Yet, this wine, whilst sweet, has a lovely fresh clean finish which makes it stand out from the crowd. Beaumes de Venise is a village in the Rhone valley, renowned for its elegant sweet muscat wine reminiscent of dried apricots, honey and grapefruit, and this one is packed with a medley of flavours from preserved lemon and lychee to a touch of hazelnut and intense caramel, its captivating unctuousness lingers on the tongue, leaving you craving more.

So there you have it, six winter wines to gladden the heart and provide the perfect excuse to stay cosy and warm at home this season.

Stockists / rrps:

Simonnet-Febvre Chablis 2009 - £ 12.99 to £ 13.99

Ann et Vin (Newark), Bablake Wines (Coventry), Bottle and Basket (London N6), General Wine Company (Liphook and Petersfield), Medina Wines (Isle of Wight), Handford Wines (London W11), ND John Winemerchants (Swansea), William Mason Fine Wines (Hingham Norwich), The Vineyard (Dorking), Wimbledon Wine Cellars (London), Wine In Cornwall (Penryn), The Wine Cellar (Douglas), www.yourfavouritewines.com

Warwick Estate Chardonnay 2009 - £ 13.99 to £ 15.99

Flagship Wines (St Albans), Fortnum and Mason (London), Hailsham Cellars (East Sussex), Handford Wines (London), Mill Hill Wines (London), Peckhams (Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen), Raeburn Fine Wines (Edinburgh), Stainton Wines (Kendal) Whole Foods Market (London), Wimbledon Wine Cellar (London) www.sawinesonline.co.uk

Wakefield Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 - £ 9.49 - £ 10.99

Majestic Wine Warehouse, Alexander Hadleigh (Southampton), Cheers Wine Merchant (Swansea), Raeburn Fine Wines (Edinburgh), Sandhams Wine Merchant (Lincoln), www.slurp.co.uk

McHenry Hohnen 3 Amigos Red 2007 - £ 11.99 ? 12.99

Oddbins, Wine Rack (South East England), Adnams (Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex, Surrey), Bablake Wines (Coventry), The City Beverage Co (London), Constantine Stores (Falmouth), Flourish and Prosper (East Yorkshire), The General Wine Co (Liphook and Petersfield), Quaff Fine Wines (Hove), Handford Wines (London), Willoughbys Wine Warehouse (Greater Manchester), Milford Wine Centre (Surrey), Peckhams (Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen), Walter Hicks Wine Merchant (St Austell), Tanners (Shrewsbury), The Vineyard (Dorking), Wimbledon Wine Cellar (London)

Aloxe-Corton Premier Cru Les Chaillots 2006 - £ 27.99

Waitrose

Muscat de Beaumes de Venise 2008 ? half bottle £ 10.99 - £ 11.99 , bottle £ 18.99 ? 19.99

Bablake Wine (Coventry), Duncan Murray Wines (Market Harborough), Fortnum and Mason (London), Hailsham Cellars (East Sussex), Hennings Wine Merchant (West Sussex), Handford Wines (London), Peckhams (Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen), The Vineyard (Dorking), Whole Foods Market (London)