It’s A Wine-derful Life: Festive Tasting

Festively frolic with this fabulous lineup that will leave you feeling merry and bright - so whether you’re dreaming of whites this Christmas, or you fancy a tipple redder than Rudolph’s nose, this is a tasting to tingle and jingle your taste buds. Alongside the wines there will be artisanal cheese and charcuterie to pair, plus our WSET-certified wine whizzes will be there to whisk you through these wintry winey wonders. It’s sure to be a cracker.

Soutiran Cuvée Alexandre 1er Cru Brut, NV, Champagne, France

Produced from grapes grown in Premier Cru vineyards, this should be called ‘Alexandre the Greatest’. Only 60,000 bottles per year are produced, so it’s a real rarity in the Champagne game, and being aged between five and eight years, it’s a labour of patience, as well as of love. It’s fruity, balanced, and sure to fill you with Fizz-mas spirit!

Domaine Michel Vattan, Cuvée ‘O-P’ Sancerre Blanc, 2020, Loire Valley, France

Terroir is a concept often dismissed by those not in the wine world as mythical, but when you taste the sea pebbles crashing against your palate in this offering from Nathalie and Pascal’s vineyard in Sury En Vaux, it suddenly all makes sense. Half century-old vines mean lower yields, but more concentrated flavours. Sure to win over Sauvignon Blanc-sceptics - it’s emphatically aromatic and eager to please.

Domaine Garnier & Fils Chablis, 2018, Burgundy, France

Christmas is a family affair - and brothers Xavier and Jerôme have teamed up to make a Chablis that is crisp, elegant and clean - and not just in flavour. Their vineyard uses no herbicides or insecticides, meaning that nothing about the wine is compromised. We say hurray for Chardonnay, and for sustainable winemaking.

La Colombina Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, 2013, Tuscany, Italy 

Made entirely from handpicked Sangiovese Grosso grapes (think Chianti, but more refined), it is then oak aged for up to forty months, which is longer than most whiskeys. The result is a fresh, almost meaty wine with a heady perfume that will knock your stockings off and leave you longing for the rolling hills of Tuscany...or, at least, for another bottle.

Château Gigognan Clos du Roi Rouge, 2015, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France

‘Clos du Roi’ means that this hails from the walled vineyards of the king. Well, the French may have gotten rid of theirs a while back, but this certainly takes the the crown as Châteauneuf-du-Papes go. It’s fruitier than a Christmas pud, but the booze is far less noticeable - but don’t let the regal past deceive you, this is a modern style, but still effortlessly powerful.

Azienda Agricola San Cassiano Amarone DOCG, 2016, Veneto, Italy

Christmas can sometimes seem a bit stuffy and drab - it needs a bit of passion, or perhaps some good ol’ Italian passione. Deep within the Mazzane Valley, indigenous grapes are grown as Mother Nature intended: without fertilisers, excessive irrigation and minimal human intervention. The only major step taken is to partially dry the Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella grapes, adding that distinctive, luscious depth. 

Quinta Do Noval 10yr Port

Our last port of call is that fortified wine we all associate with Christmas, no, not your grandma’s glass of sherry, the other one. Port is as essential to the Yuletide season as mince pies and regrettable decisions at the office do - but this is a cheeky little fling you won’t regret. Fruity, complex and with a warming spice, there really is no better way to close festivities.

To misquote Paul McCartney, we’ll simply be having some wonderful Christmas wines - we’d love to have you over at our place, but, if you can’t make it, you can always try them for yourselves by ordering a case.