With only a few days left to Christmas you may be like me at this moment, running around like a headless chicken trying to get all the last moment things organised that you should have sorted our three weeks ago. With this possibility in mind I've put together a few suggested wines that are all widely available and are all under £10. They're a mixed bag; some are big and full-bodied, others softer and more elegant. I've relied heavily on the multiples in this list rather than specialist stores, since you're probably more likely to be doing your last minute shopping in a supermarket than elsewhere. They're mostly red, to stand up to the rigours of a Christmas lunch.

Las Casas del Toqui Cabernet Sauvignon Prestige Reserve 1998, Chile

I suspect if you decanted this and gave it to most people they'd rate it as a much more expensive wine than it is. It shows a complex range of tastes, with fruits and berry flavours predominating. It has all the freshness that you expect from the New World, but none of the brashness. It's beautifully balanced and at this price it's remarkable value for money.
Available Dunnes Stores £8.99

Domaine Petit Alain, Vielles Vignes 1998

The Petit Alain estate has been in the same family for four generations and tradition is a big part of their ethos. Made from old Carignan vines, the wine has a full-bodied earthiness profoundly different to designer wines. It also ages extremely well.
Available from Bubble Brothers, Cork, Dun Laoghaire and the Internet. RRP £8.95

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 1999 Farnese/Fantini

In style much like the local wines of my part of Italy; robust, full-bodied and a little unsubtle, it displays all the earthy terroir of the region. A wine for quaffing or drinking with pasta and pizza.
Available Molloy's off licenses and Karwig's of Carrigaline. RRP £6.50

Saint Chinian 1999 'Les Garriguettes', Gerard Bertrand.

If you like huge reds, bursting with fruit and flavour, then this wine will fit the bill. Made from a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault, the hot summers of the Languedoc ensure the very ripe grapes that produce this wine. It's powerful enough to hold its own even with a dish like chilli con carne.
Available O'Briens off-licenses, RRP £8.99.

Clos Malverne Pinotage Reserve 1999

Bigger in every way than the non-reserve, except in alcoholic content (13.5% instead of 14%) it has a well-balanced elegance. Made from 30 year old vines, it's complex and subtle, but with a marked character of its own.
An impressive wine for £8.99 at Dunnes Stores.

Alasia Dry Muscat

If you're used to the sweet Muscats, this wine comes as a surprise. It's very aromatic, but at the same time is crisply dry. I'd see this wine best served with pungent and aromatic dishes like Thai food, or with strongly flavoured fish like mackerel. If you were Sybaritic enough, it would also make an afternoon garden wine drunk without food.
Available Superquinn, Super Valu and selected off-licenses, £6.85