Christmas Tasting 2024

Concentrated cassis with a hint of liquorice. Bright and elegant Bordeaux red.

Country: France

Region: Bordeaux, Haut Medoc

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot

ABV: 12.5%

Four times the fun with 3 litres of this silky red from Bordeaux! Concentrated cassis with a hint of liquorice. Bright and elegant Bordeaux red.

Country: France

Region: Bordeaux, Haut Medoc

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot

ABV: 12.5%

7 times MORE fun a regular sized bottle with 6 litres of this silky red from Bordeaux! Concentrated cassis with a hint of liquorice. Bright and elegant Bordeaux red.

Country: France

Region: Bordeaux, Haut Medoc

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot

ABV: 12.5%

Double the fun with 1.5 litres of this silky red from Bordeaux! Concentrated cassis with a hint of liquorice. Bright and elegant Bordeaux red.

Country: France

Region: Bordeaux, Haut Medoc

Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot

ABV: 12.5%

Medium Lemon yellow colour. Floral aromas of citrus fruits and with mineral notes. A lovely freshness and elegance on the palate, supported by bright acidity. Very well balanced natural wine.

Country: Portugal

Region: Lisbon

Grapes: Arinto, Olho de Lebre, Fernão Pires

ABV: 13%

Winemaker Andre is always interested in experimenting with new and old methods. He is the 5th generation of winemakers at Quinta do Montalto, the farm has 15Ha of Vineyards grown with organic certification since 1997 in Clay and Chalk soils under the Lisbon DOC Encostas D’Aire.
He uses ancient methods the create DOC Medieval Ourem, but also made new Portuguese Amphoras and uses the most modern low intervention techniques for his traditional range.

A classic Amaro digestif, made from the cold infusion of four different types of herbs, with sugar and alcohol in tank. After which they are double filtered and finally bottled. Amaro is a type of Italian liqueur made by macerating herbs, roots, flowers, bark, citrus peels, and other plants. The word "amaro" is Italian for bitter.

Country: Italy

Region: Alatri, Lazio

ABV: 40%

Colazingari’s products are textbook examples of the art of liqueur production through the century old tradition of cold infusion, by which liqueurs of much greater refinement and depth of flavour are produced.

Earthy, meaty nose with hints of black berry and forest berries. Morello Cherry, juicy, structured, but soft tannins, very long, elegant finish.

Country: Portugal

Region: Lisboa

Grapes: Castelao

ABV: 13.5%

COZs is a partnership between two Portuguese wine grape growers, Tiago Teles (Gilda, RAIZ) and António Marques-da-Cruz (Quinta da Serradinha), that started in 2015, in a 60-year-old vineyard of the Baga variety. In 2017, acquired the historic Vinha da Pena in Serra de Montejunto – a limestone formation from the Jurassic period, located 15 km from the Atlantic Ocean, in the Lisbon region. Pioneers in the introduction of organic agriculture as well as new concepts of pruning and soil fertilization in the Serra de Montejunto, we initiated an important transformation of practices and mentalities in mountain viticulture.

Just delicious! Deep amber/walnut in colour. Aromas of toffee, fig preserve, coffee and raisins .A grapey, fortified sweet treat. Great with hard, strong cheese. 

Country: Australia

Region: Riverina, New South Wales

Grapes: Muscat

ABV: 18%

Food match: Aged strong hard cheese or creamy blue cheese

This is a traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape serious and brooding and benefits from a little time to breath and open up. The palate is complex with herby, tapenade flavours and ripe textured tannins balancing the significant 15% alcohol which is expertly managed and integrated.

Country: France

Region: Châteauneuf - du-Pape

ABV: 15%

Grapes: Grenache 65%, Syrah 20%, Mourvedre 10%

Fresh and slightly spicy with fleshy, white peach characters and a lovely perfume of jasmine from the Muscat. On the palate this wine is bursting with peach and apricot flavours.  Wonderfully balanced with an impressive backbone of elegant minerality.

Country: Lebanon

Region: Bekaa Valley

Grapes: Viognier, Chardonnay, Muscat de Alexandria

ABV: 13.5%

Food match

Mediterranean chicken or fish dishes with grilled vegetables

Very fresh, precise and tidy this is a great example of a wine on the natural spectrum. Fruit, minerality and subtle oak all in perfect harmony.

Country: France

Region: Arbois, Jura

Grapes: Chardonnay

ABV: 12.5%

Honey, ripe peach and citrus aromas and flavours with lovely long, fresh finish. A fantastic foody, versatile Chenin that can accompany many dishes.

Country: South Africa

Region: Voor Paardeberg

Grapes: Chenin Blanc

ABV: 13%

Food Match: Great with seafood, salads and creamy pasta dishes.

A unique version of a Cote-Rotie blending Shiraz and a small percentage of Chenin.
Floral, with crunchy, fresh red and black fruits on the nose with a rich, but elegant palate of cocoa, blackberries and sweet spice.

Country: South Africa

Region: Voor Paardeberg

Grapes: Shiraz and Chenin Blanc

ABV: 14%

Fresh, clean and summery with a splash of strawberry and raspberry aromas on cloud of
candyfloss. 

Country: South Africa

Region: Voor Paardeberg

Grapes: Grenache Noir

ABV: 10%

A fresh, crisp and fruity Chenin with a dash of Sauvignon Blanc. Complex beyond its style with flavours of pear, white peach and lychee.

Country: South Africa

Region: Voor Paardeberg

Grapes: Chenin, Sauvignon Blanc

ABV: 13%

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%

Concentrated aromas of dried prunes and wild cherries, complemented by subtle notes of clove and cinnamon.

Country: South Africa

Region: Voor Paardeberg

Grapes: Pinotage

ABV: 14%

Deep, dark purple in colour and gorgeously full bodied and unctuous wine. Raspberries, mulberries and aromatic sweet spice jump out of the glass on the nose. Fine grained, grippy, tannins are in perfect balance with the bucket loads of concentrated, ripe fruit character.

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

Grapes: Tinta Barocca

ABV: 14.5%

Dornier is a family owned winery that is situated in the Golden Triangle area of the
famous Upper Blaauwklippen Valley in Stellenbosch - their prestigious neighbours are
De Trafford, Keermont and Waterford, so they are in fine company. The property was home to one of the first wineries in Stellenbosch, having been completed in the late 1600s, as well as an historic Sir Herbert Baker home. The winemaking philosophy at Dornier is to produce premium quality wines, with minimal intervention in the winery, that are expressive of the unique terroir of the Golden Triangle and showcase the complexity and finesse of the noble grape varietals planted on the farm..

Vinified and aged on the skins in traditional qvevri clay pots for 6 months

Amber with orange hues. Stone fruits, peach and white flowers notes on the nose. Intense with pronounced but soft tannins coming from the skin contact balanced with
refreshing acidity. Medium bodied and moreish, with very good length.

Country: Georgia

Region: Kakheti

Grapes: Rkatsiteli

ABV: 12.5%

Food Pairing:  Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine, aromatic rice, smoked aubergine. Serve cool, not cold.

Read all about Penny's recent trip to the cradle of wine, Georgia in her blog here.

Notes of green apple, lemon and fresh pineapple. Nuances of honey and orange
blossoms develop on the palate which is carried through mid-palate with a delightful, fresh, flinty and lingering finish. If you like Chablis, you'll love this!

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

Grapes: Chardonnay

ABV: 13.5

Eikendal Vineyards sit between the foothills of the Helderberg and the edge of Stellenbosch Mountains.

From one of the most respected domaines in Saumur. A fresh nose of fruit (Blueberries and raspberries), pencil shavings and spices. The palate is full-bodied, yet soft, with dark fruit flavours. A red wine full of joy and possibility! 

Country: France

Region: Saumur Champigny

Grapes: Cabernet Franc

ABV: 13%

A rich amber colour. Fascinatingly complex with a light Christmas pudding nose of dried fruits, nuts, and a well flambéed crust. The rich concentrated flavours and tangy acidity are softened by a sweetness on the palate which brings it all together in a wonderfully balanced way.

Country: Spain

Region: Jerez

ABV: 15%

Grapes: Palomino Fino 80% and Pedro Ximenez 20%

Food match: Christmas Pud!

Fermentation was in oak barrels using the wild yeasts from the juice. The wine is creamy and textured; full of ripe stone fruit flavours and notes of acacia, nougat and citrus. Mineral finish.

Country: New Zealand

Region: Central Otago

Grapes:  Chardonnay (100%)

Food: serve with scallops and lobster in a beurre blanc sauce or grilled chicken.

ABV: 13.5%