The Festive White and Orange Wine Guide 2025

Welcome to my round-up of 40 white and orange wines for the festive season. Ranging freely across styles, countries, regions, grape varieties and prices, it's designed to cover all tastes, occasions and eventualities from now until Christmas and New Year and then well into 2026.

There are bottles for the towering occasions, lots of inspiration for gifts and, no less important, wines for the times when absolutely nothing is happening. All of them are ready for drinking, but some will continue to develop.

Whites should be chilled, of course, but beware of overdoing it and numbing a wine into oblivion, especially the more complex wines. As a very rough guide, finer and fuller bodied styles need less chilling than light, crisp, cheaper or higher acid wines. And orange, aka amber, wines should be no more than lightly chilled, if that.

There are no rosés here because you can find a whole selection in my recent round-up – Prime Time for Pink. Like white wines they should be chilled, but, again, the more complex, expensive rosé wines don’t need to be chilled as much as the cheapest.

Wines are listed in ascending order of price, give or take the vagaries of special offers, and I haven’t separated them by colour, so you'll find the two orange wines mixed in.

Andrew Peace Masterpeace Chardonnay 2024, Victoria, Australia

This was a Wine of the Week in September, so I’ll just say here that I’ve tried it again recently and am all the more sure that this one of the best value Chardonnays at its full price, never mind when it’s on offer (currently £6 with Clubcard). It’s sappy and supple with lemony fruit, easygoing smoothness and the lightest touch of oak. 12%

£6.75, Tesco

The Gathering Storm White 2024, Spain

Bright, crisp, appley and peachy with a tiny squeeze of lime deftly softened with a light sheen of vanilla and oak. It’s a blend of Verdejo, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, mostly from Castilla-La Mancha, and it’s the Chardonnay that has been aged briefly on its lees in American oak barrels. Smart winemaking and label. 12%

£7 in any 6-bottle mix, £8 singly, Majestic

Poderi dal Nespoli Famoso Rubicone 2024, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Crisp yet rounded dry white with a delicate flowery scent and flavours of lime and apple – and a story behind it: it’s made from a very localised grape variety, Famoso, in the Rubicone region of Emilia-Romagna, that has only been rediscovered and revived in the last decade. Perfect aperitif and party wine, or partner for spaghetti alle vongole, other light starters, risotto and fish dishes. 12%

£8.85–£9, Booths, Ocado

Casal Farneto Cimaio 2017, Marche, Italy

This is a one-of-a-kind wine and a great present for anyone interested in wine. Neither medium sweet nor medium dry, but bang between the two, there’s honey on the nose, then intense, tangy citrus, spice and nut notes, a rich, slightly oily texture, a firm mineral backbone and acidity running all the way. It’s a late-harvest wines made from Verdicchio grapes picked in early December when they are partially dried by botrytis and it’s fermented partly in French oak barrels for six months then aged for three more years. It’s particularly good with cheese and nuts would make a great present for anyone interested in wine. 14.5%

£8.99 for 50cl (reduced from £15), Laithwaites

Beronia Rueda Verdejo 2024, Rueda, Spain

A zippy, aromatic, dry, slightly nutty Spanish Verdejo which has recently been a Wine of the Week. If you are looking for a red to go with this, Beronia's red Riojas are also good. 13%

£9–£12.50,  Majestic, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose

Errazuriz Estate Reserva Pinot Grigio 2024, Aconcagua Valley, Chile

Persuasive dry Pinot Grigio for those who need persuading about the grape variety (here blended with 15% Chardonnay). Leafy, floral aromas, pear and grapefruit, delicate creamy roundness from three months’ ageing on lees and a mineral, briskly crisp, grapefruit-zest finish. 13%

£9–£10.50, Tesco, Ocado

Rose & Rose Sauvignon Blanc 2024, Marlborough, New Zealand

Very good value Sauvignon Blanc from the Rose family in the Wairau Valley in the heart of Marlborough. Ebullient and punchy with classic gooseberry, lime, cut grass and green herbs and some flinty struck match. 12.7%

£9 in any 6-bottle mix, £11.50 singly, Majestic

MAN Family Wines Free-Run Steen Chenin Blanc 2024, Cape Coast, South Africa

Chenin Blanc – Steen is the old South African name – made from free-run juice, i.e. unpressed grapes, and aged on its lees to give richer texture to the fresh, stony, citrus fruit. The vines are 25 years old and unirrigated. 13.5%

£9.75, Booths

Royal Tokaji Dry Furmint 2023, Tokaj, Hungary

Crisp and steely with the characteristic smoky-mineral pungency of Furmint grown in the Tokaj region’s volcanic soils spliced in with lime, apple and spice. 12.5%

£10.99, Laithwaites

Three Choirs Stone Brook 2023, England

A very perfumed, light-bodied, off-dry wine in the style that established English wines before Champagne-style sparkling wines and Champagne grape varieties made their mark. Made from Gloucestershire-grown Siegerrebe and Solaris, it’s flowery, blossomy, fruity and crisp with a herbal lime-zest tang. 11%

£12 in any 6-bottle mix, £14 singly, Majestic

Tbilvino Qvevris Rkatsiteli 2022, Kakheti, Georgia

Amber wine (aka orange wine) made in the traditional Georgian way by fermenting the pressed juice, skins and pips of the ancient, indigenous Rkatsitelli grape in pointed, conical clay qvevri buried in the ground. The result is a dry wine with food-friendly chewiness and aromatic apricot, pear-skin and walnut flavours. Try it with lamb. 13%

£12.50–£16, Majestic, Booths

Les Fleurs Vin Blanc Ecoresponsable 2024, Vin de France

A southern French blend of Rolle (aka Vermentino) with Grenache Blanc and a little Sauvignon Blanc from high-elevation vineyards harvested at night to retain the zippy, herb-tinged fruit and charm. The name Ecoresponable refers to the fact that it's certified organic and packaged in a lightweight, 90% recycled glass bottle with a recycled paper label and no capsule. The winemaker, Bruno Lafon, also makes Haynes, Hanson & Clark's very good Racine Picpoul de Pinet – well worth picking up at the same time. 12.5%

£12.95, Haynes, Hanson & Clark

d’Arenberg The Hermit Crab Viognier Marsanne 2024, McLaren Vale, Australia

The Osborn family’s white Rhône-style blend of Viognier and Marsanne is an old favourite. Made using traditional methods and lightly aged in French oak, it’s bright, zesty and smooth, with aromas of apricot, freesias and lemon and a layering of Russet apple, lime juice and toast. 14%

£13, Tesco

JM Brocard Bourgogne Chardonnay 2024, Burgundy, France

Made 2km outside the appellation on Chablis soils by a well-regarded Chablis producer, this is to all intents and purposes Chablis without the name. Dry, lively, svelte and unoaked, with leafy, oyster-shell minerality. 12.5%

£13.50, The Wine Society

Tenute Orestiadi Orange Inzolia 2024, Terre Siciliane, Sicily, Italy

A wine made from white grapes (Inzolia) spontaneously fermented with the skins for five days, so that it acquires an orangey colour and extra oomph and interest, including a pithy texture, chamomile, orange, dried peach and apple notes and lively acidity. It can be paired with quite strong flavours. Organic. 12.5%

£13.50, Booths; £16.60–£17.99, Field & Fawcett, Shelved Wine, The Fine Wine Company, Valvona & Crolla

Morandé Selección de Viñedos Gran Reserva Gewurztraminer 2024, Casablanca Valley, Chile

This is what I want from dry Gewürztraminer: clean, bright varietal character – lychees, orange blossom, lemon-lime and a hint of minerals – without any syrupy blowsiness and only a modest amount of residual sugar. This wine has few UK stockists, but it’s well worth seeking out to accompany light to moderately spicy South East Asian food (prawn, chicken or vegetables), onion tart and chicken salads, or as an aperitif. There’s a Sauvignon Blanc in the same range. 13.5%

£13.95–£15.25, Urban Grapes, The Cheese Lady, Grape & Grind

Heaphy Riesling 2023, Nelson, New Zealand

Made from old, unirrigated vines (some 50 years old), this is textbook zingy Riesling with juicy lime and apple, a sprinkle of ginger and tingling freshness deftly balanced by the tiniest touch of sweetness. A good aperitif and even better with shellfish or spicy food. 12.5%

£14–£16, Waitrose, Booths, WoodWinters, The Wine Box, Talking Wines, Highbury Vintners

Skouras Wild Ferment Assyrtiko 2024, Peloponnese, Greece

Greece’s top white grape variety, Assyrtiko, grown at high elevations and made into something even more special with indigenous-yeast fermentation and ageing on lees by Domaine Skouras, one of the country’s star producers. Hay and nuttiness, citrus intensity, lees enriched texture and steely acidity. A good wine for pretty well all fish, as well as vegetables and chicken. 13%

£14–£16.50, Majestic (out of stock online but in stores), Booths

C de Sec du Château Closiot 2023, Barsac, Bordeaux, France

Barrel-fermented dry Barsac brimming with fresh lime, spice and honey on toast suffused with the rich lanolin texture of Semillon. From the Bordeaux property of renowned Burgundy producer Jean-Marie Guffens. Very good value (especially at under £15), but you do need to like oak. 13.5%

£14.95–£21, The Wine Society, Yapp Brothers, Trinkfluss Wines, Shrine to the Vine, Victor Indigo November

Clos de La Vierge Le Carré de Peès Jurançon Sec 2023, Jurançon, France

Gorgeous, dry, richly flavoured, tangy Jurançon that was recently a Wine of the Week and was great value even before it was reduced by £4 to its current price. 14.5%

£15 (reduced from £19), Laithwaites

Luigi Boveri Timorasso 2023, Colli Tortonesi, Piedmont, Italy

A full, dry, wax-smooth white flowing with floral, herb and nectarine notes and pristine, tapering acidity. Made from the still-rare, high quality Timorassi grape revived at the end of the last century, it could be paired with seafood, including in gratins and fish pies, creamy risottos, sauced white fish or chicken. 14%

£16, The Wine Society

Mar de Frades Albariño, Rías Baixas, Spain

Mouthwatering, aromatic Albariño with vibrant pink grapefruit and stone-fruit flavours alongside exhilarating minerality and acidity and, thanks to the innovative and sensitive winemaking of Paula Fandino, textural interest too. 12.5%

£16–£17.50, Booths, Tesco, Slurp

Laurent Delaunay Les Grappillages Chablis 2023, Burgundy, France

A new, classically styled unoaked Chablis from award-winning Burgundy producer Laurent Delaunay. Coolly elegant and airy with lemon, briny oyster-shell and delicate roast almond and crème fraîche notes. Harmony in a glass. 12.5%. (Look out for its red partner: Les Grappillages Fleurie, £12, Morrisons.)

£18, or £14 with More card, Morrisons

Domaine Roquemale Les Rocs 2024, Languedoc, France

Stellar, characterful southern French white made by blending more or less equal quantities of seven white grape varieties – Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris, Marsanne, Piquepoul, Rolle, Roussanne and Viognier – growing in clay-limestone soils. Satin-smooth texture, honeysuckle fragrance, luscious stone fruit and a herbal, citrus-rind bitter twist. 13.5%

£18.50, Yapp Brothers

Sierra de Toloño Rioja Blanco 2024, Rioja, Spain

A very stylish and approachable all-Viura white Rioja made by the gifted Sandra Bravo. It’s silky and rounded, dry, herby and pithy and has more intensity and concentration than you might anticipate from just 11.5%.

£18.50, due in soon, Lea & Sandeman

Mendel Semillon 2023, Mendoza, Argentina

Mouthwatering lime curd fruit with olive-oil and lanolin texture flattered by subtle oak toast, a whisper of acacia honey and vibrant acidity. Semillon is a greatly underrated variety, especially for dry wines from old vines, as here in Argentina. Particularly good with shellfish, but also lemony roast chicken. 13.5%

£19.99, House of Townend

Domaine du Château de Demigny Le Saut de Loup Chardonnay 2022, Saône-et-Loire, France

Essentially, this is white Burgundy, but from an old domaine that has been revived beyond Burgundy’s border to the east, so officially it’s a modest IGP Saône et Loire. Forget the designation: it’s delicately nutty with a lemony scent and sweet orchard fruit brushed with spice. 13%

£20.75, Private Cellar

Château la Tour de l’Evêque Blanc 2024, Provence, France

There’s more to Provence than pale rosé, not least this captivating silky textured, floral and citrus perfumed white. Made entirely from Rolle (aka Vermentino) and aged in (deservedly fashionable) concrete eggs, it has pear and apricot on the palate and a vibrant citrus-peel, saline finish. Delicious. 13.5%

£21.25, Corney & Barrow

Avondale Anima Chenin Blanc 2022, Paarl, South Africa

Honeyed pears, quince and baked apple on a textural palate with a toasty, smoky accent and fine, mineral acidity. Depth, complexity and finesse from hand-picked and naturally fermented organic Chenin Blanc vines aged 14-40 years old. 80% was in French oak and the remainder was whole-bunch fermented in amphorae and qvevri before being aged on lees for 12 months with regular bâtonnage. A lot of tlc and it has paid off. Drink any time this decade. 13.5%

£21.49, House of Townend

Kamil Barczentewicz Chardonnay Beton, Lublin, Poland

Nimble and textured unoaked Chardonnay from limestone slopes in southeast Poland, fermented spontaneously and aged in concrete egg. Such precisions, poise and polish. Who knew? An exciting find. 13%

£22, The Wine Society

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand

Why pay £22.50 or more for Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc when there are so many other Marlborough Sauvignons to choose from? Because it’s an icon, it’s a treat, it makes a statement and it really is very good. The 2025 is intensely lemony, in a zesty, rich, homemade lemon-curd way. There’s also lots of elderflower and passion fruit and a little more of an attractive green-herb inflection than in some vintages. For added texture and complexity, a tiny amount was fermented in oak (large vats) and a portion was fermented with wild yeasts.

£22–£30, Sainsbury’s, Majestic, Berry Bros & Rudd, Waitrose, and other independents

Domaine Serge Dagueneau et Filles Pouilly Fumé 2023, Loire, France

You can pay a lot more for a Pouilly-Fumé of this quality. In fact, you can pay a good deal more for a lesser one, with none of the green-herb verve, touch of white pepper, silky appeal and style of Valérie Dagueneau’s. 12.5%. (If you want a cheaper French Sauvignon, try Château Roquefort Les Roches Blanches, £13.75, HH&C.)

£23, Haynes, Hanson & Clark

Eva Fricke Rheingau Riesling Trocken 2023, Rheingau, Germany

Dry Riesling of wonderful intensity, purity and length, layered with citrus and honeyed orchard fruit and stony, mineral depth. Has a great future. 12%.

£25, The Wine Society

Domaine Barraud Saint-Véran En Creches 2022, Burgundy, France

Compelling rich, ripe and savoury Chardonnay with flavours of softly spiced apple crumble and a lemon tang. Expressive, powerful, impeccably balanced. 13.5%

£29.50, Lea & Sandeman

Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon Viré-Clessé 2023, Mâconnais, Burgundy, France

Close your eyes and transport yourself to Meursault. This dreamy Chardonnay made in southern Burgundy is an off-shoot of Domaine Comte Lafon in Meursault and it tastes like it – beautifully creamy textured, elegant and long with grilled hazelnut and cashew nuts mid-palate and a swish of zesty, salty preserved lemon. 13%

£30–£33, Tanners, Berry Bros. & Rudd

Reyneke Estate Chenin Blanc 2024, Polkadraai Hills, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Made from a selection of Johan Reyneke’s oldest vineyards (planted in the mid-70s), this is part of his new estate range from his biodynamic wine farm. And it’s quite something. Dry, crisp, textured and mineral, with citrus, quince and apple fruit, it’s pure, detailed and expressive, but quietly so – like a persistent, penetrating whisper that gradually seems to get louder. Give it time in the glass. It was spontaneously fermented in large casks and 500-l amphorae and aged on its lees in them for 10 months. 13%

£31–£32, Hic!, The Wine Library, Elementary Wine

Giant Steps Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2023, Victoria, Australia

Glistening, pale, cool-climate Chardonnay from one of Australia’s foremost wineries and from a cool, late, small harvest. High intensity but great subtlety in sappy citrus, white peach, crème fraîche and grilled cashew-nut aromas and a palate with a salty, citrus tang, layers of creaminess, a sheen of toasted oak, satin texture and reverberating length. Would repay cellaring for 6 or 7 years more. 12.8%

£32–£38.98, 92 or More, Shelved Wine, Champion Wines, The Online Tasting Club, Alexander Hadleigh

Domaine Georges Vernay Le Pied de Samson Viognier 2023, Collines Rhodaniennes, Rhône, France

Condrieu in all but name – and crucially price – from a famous Condrieu producer. Discreetly opulent and sleek with drifts of freesias, peach and apricot streaked with white pepper, minerals and citrus pith. 14.5%

£39, Yapp Brothers

Marimar Estate La Masía Chardonnay Don Miguel Vineyard 2021, Russian River Valley, US

From vineyards cooled by their proximity to the Pacific Ocean 10 miles away, this is barrel fermented in French oak (one third new), fermented using the estate’s own indigenous yeast and aged on lees for nine months. Lemon, hazelnut and brown-butter notes with creamy richness, a stroke of lightly toasty oak and a long, fresh, polished finish with an intriguing note of pineapple sage. Drink any time within the next 10 years. 14%

£38.99–£45, Paul Adams Fine Wines, Fareham Wine Cellar, The Secret Cellar

Joseph Drouhin Chassagne-Montrachet 2022, Burgundy, France

Fleshy fruit and lustrous floral, hazelnut and lemon notes around a spine of taut, pithy acidity and savoury wet-rock minerality. A beautifully balanced wine from an excellent white Burgundy vintage. Hard to resist now but the rewards of patience will be great complexity. 13.5%

£65–£107.50, Booths, Millesima UK, Vinvm

Photographs by Joanna Simon

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