Oh, you thought it was all over? After all the carolling, gifting and tree-ing (not to mention the eating and drinking) of the actual Christmassy bit, it feels almost cruel to have to do it all again, and on – in my opinion – one of the most stressful nights of the year: New Year’s Eve.
If you’re not paying over the odds and going out, with long queues and stressed-out staff, you’re the stressed-out one yourself. “Is everyone good for drinks?” “When was the last time anyone saw [insert child’s name here]?” And then there’s the clean glass matrix, where no one can remember whose is whose and you’re caught in an endless cycle of washing-up. The antidote to all of the above is, for me, just to stay in with your immediates and a bottle of something nice. Five guests maximum. I don’t like going into the New Year already tense – what hope will I have for 2026 if I’m going into it with high blood pressure and flat wine in a warm glass?
Obviously, the done thing here is sparkling wine, and there are a few options out there. Champagne is the most obvious one. The sort you’ll find in the supermarket will have “NV” on the label, meaning it’s a blend of vintages, so the wine is classified “non-vintage”. Unless you’ve had a particularly liquid 2025, this is the sort of thing you’ll want if you’re planning on watering more than three people. If the champagne has a year on the label, meanwhile, it’s “vintage”: more expensive, yes, but also more expressive of a time and place for the producer.
How about prosecco? If you’re already a fan, you’ll know exactly the one you want to drink. But if you don’t think prosecco’s for you, on account of its usual sweetness, I have a good work-around: to find a dry prosecco, look for bottles with “brut” or “extra brut” on the label, and perhaps you’ll find something more pleasurable.
And this will be the last time this year I recommend lambrusco, from Emilia-Romagna, the most easily recognisable versions of which are a deep, inky pink with a candyfloss foam (I did a whole column on the stuff earlier this year). Try it with cured meat.
This time last year, I went all in on recommending soju, a Korean drink distilled from rice and often fruit-flavoured, for a party. I still stand by that, not least because it’s designed to be shared between friends. No need to neck it, though, because it’s incredibly pleasant to sip. Or mix it with a light beer, such as rice beer or lager, to create a lightly flavoured carbonated drink. Currently, my favourites for this are peach and plum, but who knows what next year might bring?
Four bottles to get your party off with a bang
Jinro plum soju £6 (350ml) Morrisons, 13%. Get the party started with a tasty plum soju. Fresh but fleshy. Pour yourself a shot and top up with beer for a lightly flavoured lager.
Bollinger Special Cuvée 007 James Bond Edition £52.95 The Whisky Exchange, 12%. Sure, why not? The usual reliable Bollinger NV in a campy, James Bond-themed package. Love it.
Tesco Finest Prosecco Valdobbiadene DOCG £10 Tesco, 11%. Something to convert the prosecco scrooges in your life. Drier than most, with apple and pear notes.
Secco Lambrusco di Modena DOC £9.59 Giordano, 11%. This has it all: good supporting tannin, fabulous acidity, and the bright red and black fruit aromas you’d expect from lambrusco.
