In case you haven't noticed, it's the season to be jolly. If you aren't yet decking the halls with sprigs of holly here's just the thing to get you in the spirit: a Christmas wine guide, which will take you from pre-Christmas party to post-Christmas stupor in four easy stages.
Partying with wine
Before you get stuck into the unbridled gluttony of the Christmas feast, there's the annual round of parties to attend. Whether you're hosting or bringing a bottle, the key is to strike the right balance between economy and good taste. You're not going to make any friends if you're the one who bought the ¥700 bottle of paint thinner from the convenience store, but you also don't want to fritter away your budget on finer wine when all that is really required is something that slips down easily without leaving a noxious after-taste.
Top of our Christmas party wine list is Mapu Merlot 2008 (¥898 at Life Supermarket). This one seems almost too cheap, but wines from South America are very competitively priced these days and for my money Chile consistently comes top in terms of quality. Add to that the fact that this winery is owned by the prestigious French wine-house Baron Philippe de Rothschild and you've got a recipe for success. Scents of plump ripe fruit fill the nose with flavors of ripe strawberries dominating on the palate combined with pleasant gloopy licorice.