On the 25th of November we hosted our annual Christmas Tasting in the Riding School Venue in The Stable Yard at Hatfield House
We hosted 300 guests who placed their Christmas orders with us after having had the opportunity to taste over 190 wines from 25 different producers and winemakers. Browse our order booklet to see what you missed.
Here are some of the best loved festive wines from the day's tasting.
Made from 75% Palomino grape, blended with Pedro Ximènez. Dark mahogany in colour it is velvety soft on the palate conjuring flavours of dried figs and raisins, with a toffee finish.
Country: Spain
Region: Jerez
Grapes: 75% Palomino 25% Pedro Ximenez
ABV: 18%
Lithic Whisperer Syrah 2018
Regular price
£35.00
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Tax included.
Made from very small quantities of selected grapes from a specific block on the Andreas estate. Intense, concentrated dark red colour with aromas of black ripe fruit and sweet spice. The palate is richly raisined with hints of charcoal and earthy minerality, softened with a hint of white pepper.
Mead is produced from fermented honey. This is gives the drink a very distinct, sweet and warming mouthfeel, perfect for sipping by the fireside. The finest mead has been gently blended with Christmas spices to make the perfectly smooth and mellow Christmas beverage. Perfect withmince pies, Christmas pud, or just on it's own.
Country: England
Region: Honey sourced from Derbyshire and Mexico
ABV: 11%
AKA the golden liquor of poets or the nectar of the gods.... lovers and nobility alike thought this to be a tonic for health, fertility and longevity. Rumoured to have aphrodisiac properties it was historically presented to newlyweds to enjoy their honeymoon.
Doran Vineyards Honor D Red 2022
Regular price
£14.75
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Tax included.
Very Rhone -like style of Shiraz/ Grenache. Earthy, with spicy notes and hints of black berries. Very rich and ripe, but juicy and easy drinking.
Country: South Africa
Region: Voor Paardeberg
Grapes: 75% Shiraz 25%Grenache Noir
ABV: 14%
Papagiannakos Assyrtiko 2023
Regular price
£17.95
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Tax included.
Brilliant straw colour with greenish shades. On the nose the wine shows expressive notes of exotic fruit and notes of melon, lemon, green pepper and jasmine with orange. The mouth is delightfully rich with flavours of peach and green apple and a lemony fresh finish that lingers and evolves.
Country: Greece
Region: East of Athens
ABV: 13%
Grapes: Assyrtiko
Food match: Greek salads, shellfish and grilled white fish, turkey.
Domaine Papagiannakos was established in 1919 in the heart of the plain of Mesogaia, Attica - just 30km from the shadow of the Acropolis.
DaschBosch Methode Ancestrale 2022
Regular price
£20.95
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Tax included.
Aromas of lime, crisp apple with freshly baked pastry, and toasted almonds on the nose. The palate is bright and zippy with vibrant acidity and a soft creamy mouthfeel. A delicious, sustainably produced Pet Nat South African wine made from Verdelho grapes.
The wine is named in memory of Francois Traucat, the celebrated 16th century Nimes gardener, who was responsible for the intensive cultivation of the mulberry tree across the Languedoc and thus the expansion of sericulture in the region.
Caizergues Les Magnarelles Blanc AOP 2022
Regular price
£15.95
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Tax included.
Two months on it's fine lees gives this wine a lovely round mouthfeel. Aromas of pineapple, acacia and citrus with a full bodied palate of peach and kumquat. It has great freshness and minerality on the finish.
Golden yellow colour. Precise and delicately honeyed nose, underlined by toasted notes. Unctuous foam leads into to a sophisticated palate, with a distinctive Chenin character of quince, acacia and beeswax. The finish is elegant, upheld by bitterness and structure.
Country: France
Region: Loire
Grapes: Chenin Blanc
ABV: 12.5%
Food Matches: Aperitif, foie gras, vanilla desserts or gingerbread!
Blandy’s 5 Year Old Gift Box 4x 5cl
Regular price
£13.95
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Tax included.
Blandy's 5yo Sercial, Verdelho, Bual, and Malmsey 5cl bottles in a lovely gift set. Perfect for someone who loves Madeira, but can't choose their favourite style.
Country: Portugal
Region: Madeira
Grapes: Bual, Sercial, Verdelho, Malmsey
ABV: 19%
Kromanti Fine Rum 40% 500ml
Regular price
£39.95
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Tax included.
Smooth and silky small batch sipping rum made with Tamarind, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Kromanti Rum is an award-winning spirit, honouring the true heritage of Island life with its authentic mix of Caribbean herbs and spices. Taking its name from the Kromanti people, this small batch rum is infused with the herbs and spices that provided physical and spiritual nourishment to its community — tamarind, nutmeg and cinnamon.
KWV 10YO Brandy Gift Boxed 700ml
Regular price
£29.95
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Tax included.
A vintage brandy matured in oak barrels for 10 years. With its deep amber colour, KWV 10 Year Old contains complex, dried-fruit and port-wine aroma, enhanced by subtle spicy and nutty flavours. A full-bodied brandy, with a lingering, fruity and slightly sweet finish. KWV 10 Year Old Brandy is produced by pure copper pot still distillation from carefully selected wines derived from the recognized brandy grape cultivars grown in the best suited areas of the Cape Winelands in terms of soil, climate and location.
KWV is one of South Africa's leading wine and spirit producers, with an impressive international reputation and history. Its new owners brought in a winemaking team led by Wim Truter. With its 72 growers in every region of the Western Cape, it has unrivalled access to all of South Africa's wine regions, and they champion both South African classics and off-beat varieties as well as employ innovative methods such as producing sulphur-free wines using honey bush and Rooibos tea bark. KWV is amongst the Top 50 World's Most admired wine brands as per the Drinks International 2019 report.
Montanaro Aperitivo 6 P.M.
Regular price
£33.00
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Tax included.
16%
The ‘Aperitif’ of the Maison Montanaro originated a secret recipe studied and put into practice by our Master Distiller. In fact, this allows us to have a bright red tones without using chemical dyes, only natural plant extracts such as red apple, radish, cherry, carrot and sweet potato are used. The balance and unmistakable taste is given by citrus essences, herbs and natural aromas.
It is a Typical Italian aperitif perfect for after work, hence the name 6 p.m., in combination with the Vermouth Rosso Montanaro for a classic cocktail typical of the 1970s. Excellent on the rocks with soda.
Cafe 20 Hermitage Cognac
Regular price
£119.00
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Tax included.
ABV: 42%
Hermitage Cognac was founded by David Baker for whom, more than sixty years ago, wine tasting became an obsession. Soon he was looking for drinks with more diverse and complex flavours. Cognac won the day and the company was formed.
Hermitage seek history and provenance in their cognacs which are either vintages from the year of harvesting, or age statements, with defined years of barrel ageing. Cognacs from the Grande Champagne mature more slowly, but this is an advantage. They can remain in their casks for longer, drawing on the oak that will, after decades of ageing, provide the intense richness known as rancio. Their cognacs are very special so only those from single estates are acceptable. Each handpicked cognac reflects the terroir of its origin and the dedicated skills, accrued over generations, of the family who produced it. For decades Hermitage have striven to provide cognacs of the very highest quality. Their experience and understanding of old cognacs, and their bookmarks in history, has provided them with an intimate relationship with both the cellars from where they come and the cognacs themselves.
