Christmas Wines

As the year draws to close, The Wine Tipster has reflected on some of his favourite wines and in particular those he feels would be ideal over the festive season. Here is his selection;

Champagne and Sparkling
Prosecco Masottina DOC Brut Treviso – BBR, £13.95
Masottina make a seriously fine range of Prosecco and their Brut is a crowd-pleasing Prosecco with fine bubbles and intense, fruity aromas of apple, lemon and grapefruit with a lovely hint of spice and ginger.

Canard-Duchêne Authentic Brut – Waitrose, on offer at £25.49

Completely underrated Champagne house who make excellent fruity and complex bubbles that offer great value. Their fresh Authentic Brut has lovely balance  of citrus fruit, white flowers and red fruits. Look out for their Charles V11 range too, which are very refined.

Gauchezco Vineyard Sparkling Pinot Noir Rosé Extra Brut– Ocado, £14.99
Gauchezco represents the traditional Gaucho culture from Argentina. This is a producer which is a name to watch and their 100% Pinot Noir sparkler is full flavoured, well balanced, stylish with attractive cherry fruit flavours and zingy acidity.

 

 

 

Whites
Zalze Chenin Blanc 2015 Vineyard Reserve – Co-op, £8.99
The Co-op have really stepped up their wine selection in the last few years and this South African Chenin Blanc from Zalze is an excellent recent recruit. This is the perfect dry easy drinking white to be enjoyed over the festive season with tropical, ripe pineapple and peach aromas, balanced fruit and crisp acidity.

Yalumba Viognier 2015 – Waitrose, £12.99
Australian producer Yalumba pioneered a renaissance of this rare, exotic and alluring variety. Devotion and hard work have seen Yalumba become internationally recognised as one of the world’s most accomplished Viognier winemakers. This is a Grade One performer made by a Grade One producer who bring this grape variety to life and capture the attractive peach and apricot flavours. Top wine.

Reds
If you’re looking for a perfect pairing for your Christmas turkey, then Jackson Estate ‘Vintage Widow’ Pinot Noir 2013 from Marlborough, New Zealand would be ideal. Currently on offer at £16.99 at Majestic when bought as a case of 6 bottles or save 25% at Ocado(RRP £19.49 – available from Majestic Wine & Ocado). ‘Vintage Widow’ is named in recognition of the partners and families of those who are overlooked during vintage. This 2013 is a wonderful and delicious combination of cherries, plums. spice and herbaceous character and ‘Vintage Widow’ 2013 will benefit from decanting a couple of hours before serving.

Les Dauphins Côtes du Rhône Villages 2015 – Waitrose, down to £6.74 from £8.00
This popular and versatile Rhône is a must for the Christmas basket. Great with lamb or ideal if you like a glass of red with character. For the fuller style to match with beef then try their Les Dauphins Vinsobres 2013 Côtes du Rhône which is great value at £11.99 from Waitrose.

 

 

 

 

Sweet
Elysium, Black Muscat 2014, Andrew Quady, Majestic – £9.99 per half bottle
Elysium is Greek for Heaven, a fitting association for this excellent wine made by Andrew Quady. Virtually black in colour, with a rose-like aroma, very intense on the palate and full of fantastic rich velvety fruit, yet has great balance and is not too cloying.One of the few wines that can stand up to chocolate puddings. Or try it poured over ice cream for the ultimate after-dinner treat!

Fortified
Sandeman 20 year old Tawny Port, Waitrose, £29.99 down from £37.40
Sandeman are globally recognised for the quality of their tawny ports and the 20-year-old should be part of the cast of any Christmas lunch. A wonderful rich and elegant combination of flavours of dried apricots, honey, nuts, spices, vanilla creates an endlessly complex wine that has a brilliant length of finish which goes on and on. Great with nuts, mince pies and hard cheeses like Grana Padano. The Wine Tipster features Sandeman Tawny Port on a regular basis because they are so versatile and not just a port for Christmas!

 

Here are a couple of good reads for the Festive period.

For those of planning your trip to Venice then The Wine Tipster can highly recommend this excellent guide; Venice an entire world by Mario Anton Orefice published by Marcianum Press at £9.35

Corkscrew by Peter Stafford-Bow, published by I_AM Self Publishing, 2016,£9.99 from all good bookshops.

Settle down, grab a glass of fizz and have a good laugh at an improbable tale of a professional wine buyer. Mark my words, you will enjoy!

Cheers to a Happy Christmas and New Year.