Many moons ago, when I was a baby wine writer, the jerezano at the helm of what was then the mighty Sandeman empire told me that he loved winter’s damp and cold. It gave him the perfect excuse to nip into his cathedral-like bodega and sneak a cockle-warming sip of the oldest, darkest sherries from the ancient soleras, or sherry butts, laid down at Sandeman’s foundation in 1790. As a wine whippersnapper, I ignored such sound seasonal advice, but now winter finds me cuddling up to a glass of sherry, not just as a pre and post-prandial snifter but, following that wise old jerezano’s lead, mid-morning and mid-afternoon too. Sherry’s time has come.

Styles range from bone-dry finos through to sticky, dark cream and Pedro Ximénez sherries, with every graduation in between. Amontillados are really aged finos, but are hard to find unsweetened because that makes them less stridently piquant and tangy for today’s drinkers. Olorosos don’t develop the same protective spongy layer of yeasty flor in cask as finos and amontillados and are richer and nuttier as a result, and again usually sweetened. Palo Cortados are a halfway house between amontillados and olorosos, lacking the flor development of the former and the richness and intensity of the latter.

Contrary to popular opinion, sherry can be very food friendly. The richest cream and Pedro Ximénez sherries are wondrous drunk with a slice of dark fruit cake, or poured over raisin and walnut ice cream. The drier, older amontillados turn a simple lunchtime plate of cheese or pâté into a meal, and sherry can and does go with soup, a culinary tradition beloved by the Victorians. But take care not to follow on with lots of courses and wines to match. Sherry weighs in at about 15 to 20 per cent alcohol — that’s two fifths more alcoholic than most table wines — and deserves respect.

Thankfully, the sherry revival is slowly wooing contemporary drinkers. Sainsbury’s now has four superior Taste the Difference sherries on shelf, including my favourite spicy, tangy, 12 Year Old Dry Amontillado and the finer 12 Year Old Sweet Pedro Ximénez, whose luscious, creamy, figgy moscatel spice (both £6.49 for 50cl) is a real winter warmer. Marks & Spencer launches an equally elegant duo, also from Lustau, at the end of the month, so lap up either its delicious nutty, piquant beefy Dry Old Palo Cortado, or its tasty, waxy, spicy and very intense Dry Old Oloroso, both £7.49 for a user-friendly half bottle that keeps oxidation at bay.

If you want more sherry for your money the bottle to buy is Sánchez Romate’s gorgeous Amontillado Maribel, with its elegant, dry, tangy, smoky, sappy taste, only £7.50 from the Wine Society (01438 740222) for a full bottle that will keep for longer if you decant it into two half bottles.

The keeper: 2007 Gigondas, Domaine La Bastide St Vincent, Rhône Berry Bros & Rudd (0800 2802440), £13.95 The year 2007 was a top rhône vintage, as good in the south as it was in the north, which explains why this hefty gigondas, with lots of ripe, tannic, smouldering spice and smoky black fruit, is such an impressive red. Born on the herb-scented hillsides near the Dentelles de Montmirail, this giant of a winter red needs to slumber on for a few years yet before it turns into a richer, more velvety offering that will still need big food to accompany it and tame its tannins. Drink 2011-15.

THIS WEEK'S BEST BUYS

2008 Terra Andina Winemaker’s Lot Chardonnay, Valle Central, Chile Co-op and Somerfield, £3.99 until November 10 Cut-price party wine with grapey, melon-scented fruit.

2008 Terra Andina Winemaker’s Selection Carmenere, Valle Central, Chile Co-op and Somerfield, £3.99 until November 10 Bold, herby red; works well with or without food.

2009 Fairhills Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc, Western Cape, South Africa Tesco, £4.49 until Nov 10 Green tomato-spiked blend copes well with fiercely flavoured fishy starters.

2008 Fairhills Malbec-Syrah-Tempranillo, Mendoza, Argentina Tesco, £5.99 Serve this big, fat, juicy, earthy red, made from a fruit salad of grapes, with winter soups and stews.

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