Festive cheer: shoppers are already stocking up on special bottles for the big dayBBR has also been seeing increasing customer interest in the Loire Valley on the back of its recent Loire en primeur campaign, as well as the boost provided to its wine range from new producers. “There’s a freshness to the Loire wines, and the bottles are so incredible with food, with both the Chenins and Cabernet Francs making a great match for turkey and heartier fish dishes too,” Drew explains. The Rhône, Italy and Spain also come into their own at this time of year, says Majestic’s Newman. She highlights old customer favourites such as Domaine Roux St Aubin premier cru, Château Batailley and Rioja Ardanza Reserva, but also some of the newer additions, including Giacomo Fenocchio’s Barolos. “Our buyers have also done a lot of great work to premiumise other categories outside of fine wine, and give our customers accessible options to trade up to something a little bit special at Christmas without breaking the bank,” Newman adds. “I think that’s really important at the moment, given some of the pressures on consumer spending. There are some fantastic examples in Gavi and Primitivo, for instance, where we have introduced more premium options that we think will become really popular over the next few weeks.”

Festive Fizz

In terms of fizz, Christmas is the biggest time for Champagne. And, while the grandes marques are always popular, Berry Bros. & Rudd reports that it is also starting to see more customers focusing on both prestige cuvées and smaller, artisan Champagne producers (see feature, pages 70-78). “Often we’ll see both styles in the same order,” Drew points out, “with a case of grande marque Champagne – perhaps for a party – and then a few bottles of older vintage Champagne by a grower such as Leclerc-Briant. These bottles are often saved for a smaller gathering, or chosen specifically to pair with food.”

Happy days: retailers are focusing on quality and value this year The interest in artisan Champagne has exploded over the last few years, agrees Burke-Gaffney and, despite the difficulties of the market, it is a trend that has continued at a pace. “Philipponnat, Paillard and Dehours have all been reaping the benefits of this demand for carefully crafted Champagnes that have vineyard or regional identity,” he reports. Waitrose is also expecting a big Christmas for Champagne sales, which it said had shown no signs of declining in stores after a tough year in 2023. The retailer has added the Penfolds Brut Champagne to its offering, which it is expecting to offer a point of difference, particularly for gifting, as it is being sold in a bright red gift box. Waitrose’s strong record in vintage Champagne – it has by far the largest share on the UK high street – as well as crémant, bodes well for fizz sales this festive season. But it is not all about French sparkling, of course – English sparkling continues to grow in popularity. “Our range of English sparkling wines continues to get better and better,” Newman notes. “And we know this is a category our customers really buy into and champion at Christmas time.” And the category for bubbles is widening further still – perhaps from a surprising angle. As Drew explains: “The thing I’m most excited about this Christmas isn’t a wine or a spirit, but a tea.” BBR’s new sparkling tea by The Real Co., launched in time for Christmas, is the merchant’s first non-alcoholic offering under its Own Selection range. Anecdotally, the elegant, kombucha-derived drink has already proved very popular, with the team reportedly having sold through more than one-third of the first batch and looking at ordering more. “It’s taken quite a while for us to create a product we are really proud to put our name on – but it means that we really do have something for everyone in our offering this Christmas,” Drew says. Sparkling tea is also proving popular at Fortnum & Mason. Wine & spirits buyer Oscar Dodd told db recently that the retailer ’s own offer, which is made by Copenhagen Sparkling Tea, represented more than one in five of all sparkling options sold at the luxury retailer, including Champagne, sparkling wines and sparkling tea. It’s proved so popular that the London store is stocking it in a new magnum format, and plans to launch it in half-bottles later in 2025.