Best wine advent calendars of 2020 to raise a glass to the festive season

We’ve had a little word with Santa Claus and good news – you’re all on the nice list this year! To make the countdown to Christmas that bit more cheerful, we’ve rounded up our very favourite wine advent calendars for 2020.

Whether you’re a fan of robust reds, elegant whites, fantastic fizz or a bit of everything, we’ve found a calendar that will get your day off to a great start throughout the month of December.

A thoughtful gift for the wine connoisseur in your life, or for yourself (we won’t tell if you won’t).

Although a surprise is always fun, when considering which boozy advent calendar to go for this Christmas, think about whether you’d prefer a mix of colours, or a strictly all-white, all-red or fizzy selection.

Whichever you opt for you’ll hopefully discover some new grape varieties, vineyards and brands along the way.

Do note, these boxes can take up quite a bit of space. In many cases, the festive design will only add to the décor, and we’ve even featured one which can be re-filled and used again (perhaps every month deserves a countdown?).

If any take your fancy we’d highly recommend moving fast as they tend to sell out pretty quickly!

You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.

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Laithwaite’s wine advent calendar

Designed to look like an elegant French château, Laithwaite’s advent calendar has 23 windows to explore, stuffed with 187ml minis, across, white, red and rose. You’ll only have to wait until Christmas Eve to open your half bottle of Didier Chopin Brut Champagne which is hidden in the roof. There was a good mix of wine styles (ideal if you’re keen to try something new) including merlot, rioja, chardonnay and the award-winning Visionario from Italy. If you like the sound of this, we’d suggest putting your £10 deposit down quickly as this one is always a sell-out.

Buy now £69.99, Laithwaite’s

First4Hampers wine advent calendar

Wake up to a full 24 days of wine-fuelled advent fun with this festive red and white printed calendar. Inside is a mix of white, red and rose miniature 187ml bottles. Although you won’t receive any direct repeats, the same brands do pop up multiple times (such as the Waters Edge chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, merlot and pinot grigio rose). While the quality of the wine isn’t quite as good as our winner, many will just appreciate the good-natured fun!

Buy now £69.99, First4Hampers

Virgin Wines advent calendar 2020

Virgin Wines advent calendar 2020: £89.99, Virgin Wines

The original and still one of the best, Virgin Wines offer three calendars - all red, all white or mixed. New for 2020, aside from the 24 miniature bottles, on Christmas Day you’ll receive a full-size, award-winning bottle of wine worth an impressive £19.99. This does make the box pretty heavy and it’s fairly large, so you might want to make some space under the tree. The outer packaging has also been updated, with a new Christmas scene complete with reindeer. We don’t want to give away too many spoilers but you’ll find wines from right around the world, including many of Virgin Wines most popular styles, such as its Black Pig label.

Buy now £89.99, Virgin Wines

First4Hampers wine advent tipsy tree

If you’re looking for a more eco-conscious option this Christmas, this wooden “tipsy tree” could be the answer. It comes with the exact same line up of minis as the First4Hampers wine advent calendar although the tree itself can be reused year after year. In fact, if space is an issue you could do away with a real tree completely. As you’ll be the one that fills each numbered “bauble” you’ll also get to decide what’s on the menu each day. Prefer a mid-week white and a robust red come the weekend? – you’re in charge. There’s also an all sparkling version available if you prefer your fizz.

Buy now £85.00, First4Hampers

Marks & Spencer the season to sparkle prosecco advent calendar

Ok, so this is predominantly a chocolate advent calendar, filled with a mix of luxurious milk and dark Marc de Champagne ganache filled truffles. However, with a little patience you’ll find a mini bottle of Marks & Spencer’s signature prosecco waiting for you on Christmas Day. Cheers!

Buy now £10.00, Marks & Spencer

First4Hampers sparkling advent calendar

‘Tis the season to sparkle, which is exactly what you’ll do with this calendar, packed with a selection of prosecco and sparkling wine. We were impressed by the brands in this one, particularly the Bottega prosecco. However, the very best is naturally saved until last with a bottle of champagne from Laurent Perrier Champagne waiting for you on Christmas eve. The bottles inside this one are all 20cl – just enough for a full champagne flute.

Buy now £125.00, First4Hampers

The verdict: Wine advent calendars

Standing out ahead of the pack is both Laithwaite’s and Virgin Wines advent calendars. Whilst we’ve awarded our Best Buy to the former (we can’t resist a glass of champagne!), we’d be equally happy waking up to the Virgin Wines calendar each day too.

For more reviews of advent calendars, read our round-up of the best beauty advent calendars