This week's Christmas case has its vine roots firmly planted in the Old World and mostly in La Belle France, with the odd nod to Spain and Portugal. So if you are still looking to buy some really great wines to keep you going through the festive season or are looking for that elusive present for a friend or colleague, this week's case could be just the job.

No Euro-centric case of wine would be complete without a couple of bottles of Champagne. So we begin with Autreau-Roualet's NV Champagne, which is, by the way, not only very good fizz, but also extremely good value. Autreau-Roualet are a small, family-run house in the Marne Valley and have been making wine there since 1670 in the small village of Champillon near Epernay.

This is very much an aperitif-style Champagne as it's dry, bright and citrussy with a hint of lemon sherbet and lots of lively acidity to get your taste buds in shape.

Next up has to be some seriously good white Burgundy from Chablis. Hence we have two bottles of the extremely fine and complex 2004 Tour de Roy Chablis from Domaine de Malandes.

This is absolutely classic Chablis - beautifully balanced, with firm sappy apple fruit and a rich, dry, steely minerality and savoury character which lingers for ages on the palate. Whereas so much Chablis these days seems to leave you feeling depressed and disappointed, this puts a spring in your step and reminds you just how good it can be.

You could drink the Chablis with the turkey or have it with some smoked salmon as a starter. Personally, I would reserve two bottles of Chateau Haut-Gaudin 2001 to have with the bird and all the trimmings. Partly that's because I'm a bit of a claret man when it comes to Christmas. But mainly it's because this wine is my idea of really good red Bordeaux with its scented aroma, attractive plummy fruit, sandalwood and vanilla overlay. Best of all is its finesse, elegance and harmony as it weighs in at an ideal 13 per cent alcohol.

Another favourite of 2006 was the Domaine de Vieux Lazaret's 2005 Cotes du Ventoux in the Rhone Valley, which was one of the wines to feature in The Oxford Times Wine Club's very first offer back in September. This wine is so utterly delicious that I just had to bring it back for an encore in this week's Christmas case. So for those who missed it first time round, you can still revel in its rippling damson and berryish fruit as well its pepper and spice seasoning.

On top of all that, you'll also find some excellent acidity balanced by ripe plush tannin and long finish. Again this is great with stews, roasts and red meat dishes.

From there we move on to two bottles of the 2005 Navajas Tinto, which is the only Spanish entry in this special case. This was another of my top wines of 2006 both for its sheer quality and great value.

It is Rioja at its youthful precocious best, with intense raspberry and black cherry fruit, over-layed with a flourish of vanilla and coconut. Beautifully balanced with medium weight and cushioned by fine-grained tannins, this is a cracking drop of red.

Just as last week's case did, this dozen also comes equipped with a couple of bottles of sweet wines.

The first is the 2003 Chateau Poulvere, which is a fantastic Sauternes look-alike from the Monbazillac appellation, just South-West of Bergerac. This scented, golden-hued pudding wine is soft and sweet but not cloying with flavours of apricot, marmalade and honey. I personally wouldn't pair this with Christmas pudding, but would certainly save it for the cheese course or a variety of fruit-based desserts.

Last, but by no means least, is a drop of traditional port. My Christmas certainly wouldn't be complete without a really good bottle of warming port, which is why I have plumped for Taylors 2000 LBV (Late Bottled Vintage). All that LBV means is that the wine is a pure vintage port, which has been aged in a wooden cask for four to six years, so there is no need to decant it.

Taylors, of course, is one of the best-known port shippers, having been founded as long ago as 1692. However, this modern LBV is hedonistically sweet and spicy with generous black brambly fruits and smooth tannins. I would drink this with any and all of the following: stilton, coffee, mince pies and dark chocolate. What could be better!

The Old World Christmas Case includes the following wines for £99.

  • Two bottles Autreau-Roualet NV Champagne
  • Two bottles 2004 Tour de Roy Chablis, Domaine des Malandes
  • Two bottles 2001 Chateau Haut Gaudin, Bordeaux
  • Two bottles 2005 Navajas Tinto, Rioja
  • Two bottles 2005 Domaine de Vieux Lazaret, Cotes du Venoux
  • Half half bottle 2003 Chateau Poulvere, Monbazillac
  • Bottle 2000 Taylors LBV Port.

Remember this case is delivered free within Oxfordshire.

Click here for this week's offer

You can buy the two previous Oxford Times Wine Club Christmas Case offers - the New World and Survival cases - by visiting the www.theoxfordtimes.net/whatson/wineclub/offers website.

Next week's column features two Fine Wine Connoisseur Christmas Cases. The New World Connoisseur Case has the following wines for £189: two bottles of 2001 Cloudy Bay Pelorus, New Zealand; a bottle of 2006 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand; a bottle of 2002 Cloudy Bay Te Koto Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand; two bottles of 2003 Meerlust Chardonnay, South Africa; two bottles of 2002 Pinot Noir Domaine Drouhin, US; a bottle of 2003 Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel, US; a bottle of 2001 Grant Burge Holy Trinity Barossa Valley, Australia; a half bottle of Campbell's Rutherglen Muscat, Victoria, Australia; and a half bottle of 1999 De Bortoli Noble One Botrytis Semillon, Australia.

The Old World Connoisseur Case cost £299 and includes Gosset Grand Reserve NV Champagne, and 1995 Chateau Dauzac, 5eme Cru Classe, Bordeaux, 2001 Les Boudots, Denis Mugneret et Fils, 1er Cru Nuits-St-Georges, Burgundy.