Festive. What does that phrase imply to you? For some, it elicits a buzz of intense pleasure. For others, it sends a chill down the backbone – the considered internet hosting all these family, and all that washing up… The bulk might be someplace in between – or each on the similar time. And that features us. So right here’s what we do to navigate the season. We increase a glass. It’s a very good time to be form to ourselves – particularly after the yr we’ve all had. That deal with you’ve been coveting? Now’s your likelihood. And, in these pages, now we have loads of inspiration.
We’ve tasted a whole lot of wines to give you this spectacular line-up. Life is simply too brief for drained classics at Christmas. Higher to have one startling glass than two bland bottles. All these wines will shock and delight – some might problem, however we make no apologies for that. Proper now, we deserve wine that counts.
We’re recommending wines by event. However listed here are a few choices to have open over the entire festive interval – to maintain you sane, to entertain surprising friends, to quench a thirst. First up, two wines you could’t go incorrect with: the traditional, characterful Isabelle & Denis Pommier, Hautérivien Petit-Chablis, Burgundy 2020 (£22.50 Lea & Sandeman); and the very good worth, lip-smackingly dry Berry Bros & Rudd, Amontillado Sherry (£14.95).
Turning to crimson wines, the juicy, meaty, peppery bag-in-box Michael Opitz, Buddy Speak Burgenland Pink, Austria 2019 (£42.80/2.25L BIB Wine Co) ought to final you a good whereas. And at all times have a bottle tucked away of the most effective worth candy wine in Britain: Tesco Best Dessert Semillon, New South Wales, Australia 2017 (£6.25/37.5cl). Since you by no means know whenever you’ll be ambushed by a rogue mince pie.
Social gathering
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As a self-employed couple, our workplace Christmas celebration is hardly essentially the most raucous affair (even the photocopier declines the invitation). However there are at all times gatherings of various sorts to plan for round this time, whether or not massive or small. The one factor that applies to all of them? Good wine could be a lifeline.
Let’s reduce straight to the chase with a scrumptious bottle of Cubicles Champagne Brut Rosé NV (£27.50 in shops). It appears the half and makes an excellent impression, be it your boss or choosy neighbour. It additionally works superbly with savoury canapés.
For greater gatherings, the Castellore, Natural Prosecco Further Dry NV (£7.99 Aldi) is good. It’s nice worth and ridiculously quaffable – not too cloying, simply aromatic, floral and refreshing. Ultimate for the youthful crowd, too, with its easygoing fashion and decrease (11%) alcohol.
Although we battle to empathise, we’re conscious there are some non-fizz drinkers on the market. By no means concern. We’ve the best celebration white – Berry Bros & Rudd, White Burgundy by Collovray & Terrier 2020 (£14.95). Sure it’s own-label but it surely’s a uncommon one that appears sensible – so deploy it at every thing from an enormous knees-up to a cocktail party. Its elegant, creamy, appley fashion will impress even wine snobs.
Lastly, we should always deal with the elephant on this specific celebration venue: mulled wine. For those who’re a fan – keep on mulling. You need to use a bottle of absolutely the discount that’s Pagos del Rey’s El Aviador Tempranillo 2021 (£6.99 Majestic) from Castilla y León. However then once more its brilliant crimson fruits make it brilliantly easy-drinking in its personal proper, Spain being such a very good supply of partaking worth reds. No mulling mandatory right here.
Christmas morning
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We’ve by no means been large on Christmas morning ingesting. It’s onerous sufficient, blurry-eyed, not tripping over the youngsters – even pouring the tea efficiently into the mug can show difficult. Or perhaps it’s our need to construct anticipation for that lunchtime aperitif.
However, we salute these of you who do embrace the celebratory ambiance proper from the off, and now we have some superb solutions for you.
For individuals who need to ease into the day gently, look no additional than the Cà ed Balos, Moscato d’Asti, Piedmont 2021 (£16.50 Mom Vine, Pip of Manor Farm). That is the considering particular person’s Moscato – candy however not syrupy, as a substitute herb-scented and totally revitalising. It received’t simply wake you up, it is going to usher you into Christmas day on a silken sedan, complementing your heat pastries and fruit platter completely. And, given the 5.5% alcohol, there’s no want to fret about over-indulging.
Persevering with the theme of moderation, Drusian, Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Further Dry NV (Alc 11%; £15.95 Stone Vine & Solar) marries apples and pears with bubbles of nice delicacy. For those who actually should mix away its refined charms with white peach purée to make a Bellini, then go forward – simply save a bit to understand the wine, too.
A lot the identical goes for the M&S Classics No12, Crémant de Bourgogne Brut NV (£12 Marks & Spencer). This can be a ridiculously good-value Champagne lookalike, stuffed with bready, appley charisma. Combine it with contemporary orange juice for a Buck’s Fizz if you’ll – simply don’t match it with their music.
And for individuals who merely need a ravishing breakfast wine? We provide the Champagne Barnaut, Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs Brut NV (£35.50 Lea & Sandeman). Brimming with bruised apple, contemporary bread and virtually manzanilla Sherry character, it is a grower Champagne that activates the fashion and envelops your senses. One glass is breakfast in itself – heaven with scrambled eggs and smoked salmon (kippers cry out for it too).
Christmas lunch
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The place to begin? Originally: fizz. Be happy to go off-piste with dry Sherry or no matter floats your boat, however we like bubbles, significantly English ones. Even then: the place to begin?! The tyranny of excellent alternative suggests you go together with a favorite, or a good-value choice – however we’d recommend this Christmas you look native for a minimum of one wine. For us in Hampshire this would possibly imply Black Chalk, Hattingley Valley or Raimes. For our neighbours in Sussex – there’s Digby or Wiston; Dorset – Bride Valley or Langham; Kent – Gusbourne; Thames Valley – Harrow & Hope. You get the concept.
However right here we’ve gone for a showstopper: the Ridgeview, Oak Reserve Single Winery Brut NV (£75 Ridgeview) from Sussex. It’s the most effective wine this venerable English fizz producer has ever made – like grand cru white Burgundy with bubbles. Essentially the most characterful English fizz we’ve tried this yr, unquestionably – its nutty, struck match, vivid apple character stopped us in our tracks. It’s removed from low cost however, with high English fizz now promoting for almost £200, it’s not unreasonable. What’s extra, its structured, critical fashion means it is going to work not solely as an aperitif but in addition as a match in your fish starter and even turkey foremost.
Our lunch tends to be fairly traditional – shellfish starters, then some type of fowl with trimmings. We make no excuses for being unreconstructed Chardonnay superfans, so white Burgundy it’s – and we had been significantly excited to find the René Lequin-Colin, Again to the Roots Bourgogne Chardonnay 2020 (£23.95 Stone Vine & Solar). We’re consistently looking out for traditional white Burgundy that has character and class however doesn’t break the financial institution: this one hits the bullseye. (On which observe, we are inclined to discover a wealthy white works simply in addition to a crimson with the Christmas foremost course.)
One widespread thread between most Christmas feasts is the sheer vary of flavours on the desk. Solely sure reds address this – one is Pinot Noir, significantly from the New World, given the additional richness of physique and flavour. The Novum, Marlborough Pinot Noir 2020 (£38 The Sourcing Desk) from New Zealand is like high Gevrey-Chambertin at a knockdown worth – dark-fruited and intense however with nice autumnal class, too. Then there’s Rioja – and the Viña Arana, Gran Reserva 2015 (£34-£36.50 Cubicles, DBM Wines, Hic, Trustworthy Grapes) is like sinking right into a leather-based armchair after a protracted day: luxurious, perfumed, sensual. That is certainly one of our favorite conventional Rioja producers and its wines seldom fail to impress.
As for candy issues – it wouldn’t be Christmas with out them. How concerning the Gonzalez Byass, Apostoles VORS Palo Cortado 30 Yr Previous (£19.99/37.5cl Waitrose)? It’s a mix of nutty, tangy palo cortado with a splash of raisiny Pedro Ximénez: the result’s wealthy however not overly candy, and totally superb. You can pair it with pudding for those who
need – although we’d recommend cheese or chocolate. Or simply savouring it mid-afternoon in a quiet second. Even when it means locking your self within the bathroom.
Boxing Day
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For those who’re something like us, by the point you get to the twenty sixth of December, you’re struggling to maintain up. This can be a level within the festivities when a breath of contemporary air is required – each actually (suppose: lengthy stroll within the driving sleet) and metaphorically (suppose: off-piste wines to fill you with an absurd sense of journey).
Only one sip of glowing Westwell, Pelegrim Brut NV (£32.50 Westwell) transports you to the scented hedgerows and brimming orchards of rural Kent. This small producer makes great-value, eclectic wines – and this one’s daring appley, brioche character and wonderful stability owes a lot to the fabulous 2018 classic.
To revitalise the senses, a glass of zingy, peppery Villiera, Sauvignon Blanc, Stellenbosch 2021 (£8.50 Marks & Spencer) is a great-value South African choice – take pleasure in it with a Boxing Day curry, or as a fridge staple for a festive pick-me-up. Another on the white entrance from New Zealand can be the Hunter’s, Offshoot Chardonnay, Marlborough 2019 (£21.95 Jeroboams), which packs a critical nutty/struck-match punch – one for mackerel paté, or the hipster nephew.
Beaujolais was made for Boxing Day – none extra so than the complicated, barely wild, elegantly bittersweet Domaine de Fa, Roche Guillon Fleurie 2019 (£22.50 Yapp Bros), a long-term favorite of ours. For one thing equally adventurous, pour a big glass of the Lonely Winery, Montepulciano, Eden Valley 2017 (£20.95 Corney & Barrow) from South Australia – its effusive smoky, floral and damson overtures will ease the flagging thoughts.
New Yr’s Eve
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We’ve regrouped. The celebration outfits are dusted off. And the wines must rise to the event. If there’s ever a spot for a large-format bottle, it’s tonight. So why not kick off proceedings with a magnum of Champagne Legras & Haas, Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2012 (£111 Non-public Cellar)? A lesser-known title, maybe, however excellent high quality in its biscuity, tangy profundity. (If you wish to play it secure, the Bollinger, Particular Cuvée Brut NV magnum is £104.99 at Waitrose Cellar.)
We are inclined to get along with an enormous gang, and a curry is usually the upshot. The proper excuse to get caught into some Riesling – and one producer that has thrilled us currently is New Zealand’s Pegasus Bay, with its ultra-complex, wealthy however structured bottlings. Its succulent Essential Divide Riesling, Canterbury 2019 (£13.99 Majestic) is elegantly off-dry (21g/L residual sugar) and is our shout for the best-value wine on the British excessive road on the retailer’s Combine Six worth of £10.99 per bottle. Snap it up.
For those who’re seeking to push the boat out and intrigue your fellow revellers, look no additional than the Thymiopoulos, Rosé de Xinomavro 2013 (£30 The Wine Society), made by this yr’s Decanter Rising Star award winner Apostolos Thymiopoulos, in Macedonia, northern Greece. Oak then bottle age, together with the Xinomavro grape, make for one of the vital intriguing and complicated rosés available on the market. It’s nuts – however a minimum of you received’t be ringing within the new yr with boring wine. (It additionally comes with an in-built New Yr’s decision: life’s too brief for bland rosé.)
Considered one of our greatest festive finds this yr has bought to be the magnum of Berry Bros & Rudd, Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir 2019 (£52/1.5L BBR), made for the service provider by Au Bon Climat. Phrases fail – it’s simply attractive. Smoky, gamey and beneficiant, it’s every thing you need from cultured Californian Pinot (and can be nice as a present or for Christmas lunch, too). Simply promise us you’ll make time to boost a glass to Jim Clendenen, Au Bon Climat’s guiding gentle, who died final yr. (To make the tribute additional particular, put on an outlandish shirt to do Jim proud.)
Gifting
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Uninterested in pretending to be grateful about presents? Ask for – and provides – the present of wine. There are many choices right here – even non-liquid ones, similar to a gift-that-keeps-on-giving (ie, membership of The Wine Society, £40).
Canned wine has come on leaps and bounds this yr and we’d be thrilled to find a can or three of the honeyed (French) Banks Brothers, No16 Pinot Gris 2021 (£19.50 for 3x25cl, Banks Bros) nestling in our stocking on Christmas morning. May it even be sufficiently subtle to sneak into church? Perish the thought.
One pretty present thought is the Foodie Feast (£65 The Little Wonderful Wine Co) – 4 delectable half-bottles to savour: English fizz (toasty Nyetimber Traditional Cuvée), white (leesy Billaud-Simon Chablis), crimson (warming Fontodi Chianti Classico) and candy (refined Carmes de Rieussec Sauternes).
All of us want presents for lecturers, co-workers or different vital figures in our lives. A bottle of the well packaged, richly mulberried Doppio Passo, Primitivo, Puglia 2021 (£9.49 Adnams) from southern Italy will guarantee you might be of their good books all yr. Alternatively, the intensely flavoured South African Porseleinberg, Swartland Syrah 2018 (£59 The Wine Society) will guarantee VVIP standing wherever you tread.
How have we bought this far with out mentioning Port?! Maybe an applicable finish level. The Croft, Quinta da Roeda Classic Port 2004 (£24.99 Majestic, £18.99 on the Combine Six deal) is each elegant and intense: candy however fiery and ageing superbly. A festive wine – in all the suitable methods.
