12 Essential Bottles For Your Hostess or Guests This Christmas
Do you have the annual dilemma of what to take to your hostess over the Christmas and New Year period. Or maybe you want to give the man of the house a lovely selection of wines to keep him out of the way while you cook the Christmas turkey!! (or possibly to keep yourself busy whilst he cooks the turkey!)
I have put together a little box of twelve wines, champagnes and other festive tipples for you to have a look at and if you are considering putting together your own box consider some of these.
Asda have an impressive range this holiday season – lets start with Champagne:-
Louvel Fontaine Champagne Brut – from the Champagne region in France and made from the Pinot Noir (70%), Chardonnay (20%) and Pinot Meunier (10%) grapes. I really loved this very classic, very fresh champagne with a lingering taste of fresh apple and citrus. The RRP is £18.00, a great price for this lovely bottle of fizz!
For the red wine lover I have put in Winetek Cosmic Shepherd Malbec from Chile – Very concentrated but smooth. I detected a slight smell of figs and the outdoors. I liked the outside taste of which it had loads of. The grape varieties are Malbec (85%) and Syrah (15%) – RRP £5.00.
I really love a good Chablis from the Burgundy region of France made from 100% Chardonnay grapes. It is refreshing and has a long and pleasant finish. The RRP is £10.48 and will be appearing on my table this year for sure.
To complete the selection from Asda I really liked the De Bortoli Botrytis Semillon from New South Wales in Australia. I wish sweet dessert wines were more popular because I really like that rich sweetness that adds an added dimension to your pudding or sweet course. This one is made from 100% Semillion grapes and has an RRP of £6.98 – a bargain for such a smooth wine.
Morrisons offer a sweet sherry for my Christmas box. This lovely sweet liquid is made in Spain where the grapes are slowly dried in the sun to increase their sweetness. It has an ABV of 17% and is perfect drizzled over ice cream for an indulgent holiday pudding!
Following on my sweet tooth train of thought is a chocolatey velvet wine from Rubis. At 15% it is an indulgent blend of fortified red wine and premium chocolate making it akin to chocolate velvet a great after dinner drink when served at room temperature or equally lovely served straight over ice!
Another red worth mentioning is Passi Mento, Veneto – Indicazione Geografica Tipica 2015. This is an Italian wine from Verona in Northern Italy, a velvety red wine partially produced with grapes that have been slightly dried before fermentation
Mr R loves a drop or two of Spanish Rioja and Campo Viejo is on his list of favourites but rioja wines are known to be red. I was intrigued when I first saw a white rioja from Campo Viejo but it did not dissapoint. I have grown rather fond of it and have pleasure in including it in this essential bottle list. The wine is made from the white grapes of Viura and Tempranillo Blanco resulting in a crisp, citrusy wine perfect on it’s own ( I like mine with a couple of ice cubes) or with the usual chicken, fish or vegetable dishes.
