As champagne shipments plummet and retailers use dramatically discounted champagne in a desperate attempt to lure shoppers, it is tempting to deliver merely a guide to promotions. But all too often it is the less exciting wines that attract the discounts. The wines below, some of them at specially reduced prices, have been chosen strictly on how they taste. The 2002 champagnes are looking promising now while all but the finest 1999s can be a bit soft, in contrast to the much sterner 1998s. All these wines are 12%-12.5% alcohol and you may have to buy a mixed dozen for some of these prices from independent merchants.

More festive season recommendations

Jancis Robinson’s picks of the best red, white, sweet and strong wines

Antonin Truffer, Chardonnay Tradition NV Vin Mousseux
Good value for immediate drinking; fizzed in the tank not the bottle in Salon-de-Provence.
£7.22 Justerini & Brooks (J&B)