Christmas Tasting 2024

Ruby coloured with soft crimson nuances. Intense nose with ripe blackcurrants, plums and cherries. The palate is smooth and harmonious with soft long finish.

Country: Bulgaria

Region: Thracian Valley

Grapes: 40% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Rubin

ABV: 13%

Food Match: Red meat dishes, charcuterie and hard cheeses.

From the Yamantiev's Winery

Pale, lemon yellow colour, fresh and light with an aromatic and herbal note. Aromas and characters of apples, citrus and white flowers.

Country: Bulgaria

Region: Thracian Valley

Grapes: Muscat, Chardonnay and Dimyat

ABV: 13%

Food Match: Salads, mussels, fish, olives.

From the Yamantiev's Winery

A delicious traditional method sparkling with ageing sur lie (on the lees) in bottle for 36 months. Bisser Blanc de Blancs is a classic style brut sparkling made from 100% Chardonnay grapes from The Kolonist vineyards in the Odesa region. 

Grapes: Chardonnay

Country: Ukraine

Region: Odesa, Bessarabia sub region

ABV: 11.5%

The estate winery "Kolonist" was founded by the Plachkov family in 2005 in Bessarabia, Ukraine. Named in honour of Bulgarian colonists who came to these lands over 200 years ago. 

Soft, harmonious, with subtle mineral tones, which gradually turn into tropical fruits. Aroma: fresh, bright, with dominant notes of mango and white peach, elegant flowery notes.

Grapes: Riesling

Country: Ukraine

Region: Odesa, Bessarabia sub region

ABV: 11.5%

Food pairing: Excellent with beef and other red meats, and also grilled vegetables and chicken.

ABV: 11,7%

The estate winery "Kolonist" was founded by the Plachkov family in 2005 in Bessarabia,
Ukraine. Named in honour of Bulgarian colonists who came to these lands over 200 years ago. The winery started with 30,000 bottles of wine on the market, today it produces 350,000 bottles, which include classic aged reds and whites, Haut de Gamme wines, sparkling wine "Bisser" by classic method, semi-dry and sweet wines. In addition, Kolonist makes grape seed oil, two types of balsamic vinegar and some cosmetics.

Elegant and complex with touches of spice on the nose, full of flavour  palate with dried fruits, oak and honey balanced with an attractive freshness.

Country: Portugal

Region: Douro Valley

Grapes: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz

ABV: 20%

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.

Country: South Africa

Potstill content 10 years

ABV: 38%

Grape Spirit: 50% Colombard, 50% Chenin Blanc

KWV The Mentors

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.

'Baby Chateauneuf Du Pape' A rich fruity wine that is made easy to drink with smooth tannins and an elegant finish. The harvest is hand-picked, meticulously sorted and 100% destemmed. It’s a traditional vinification with temperature control. No yeast added.

Country: France

Region: Rhone Valley

Grapes: Grenache, Syrah

ABV: 14 %

 Organic

Food: Best enjoyed with grilled red meat, especially lamb.

Aromas of white peach, citrus blossom and fresh green apple.  Fine lively bubbles, contributing to the elegant finish. To be enjoyed in its purest and natural form, without the restrictions of alcohol.

Country: South Africa

Region: Coastal Region, Western Cape

Grapes: Chardonnay

ABV: 0.45%

Reg Holder started his career with vintages in France, Australia and the USA before
returning to South Africa. He then spent 11 years as the winemaker at both Neil Ellis and
Delheim. In 2015, while his wife was pregnant with their first child, he started experimenting with de-alcoholised wine for her. When they were expecting their second, in 2017, Reg decided that he was going to move full time into the Lautus de-alcoholised project.
He uses a state of the art piece of machinery that combines centrifugal force and a
vacuum in order to extract the alcohol while leaving the wines' volatile flavour and aromatic essence intact. Unquestionably the best de-alcoholised wine we have tried!

Medium to full bodied with a dark ruby colour and aromas of black cherries and berries, sweet spices and vanilla. The finish is soft and long with hints of black pepper and tobacco.

Country: Bulgaria

Region: Struma Valley

Grapes: Melnik 55

ABV: 14%

Food Match: Red meat dishes especially roast lamb, charcuterie and hard cheeses.

Medium to full bodied with a dark ruby colour and aromas of black cherries and berries, sweet spices and vanilla. The finish is soft and long with hints of black pepper and tobacco.

Country: Bulgaria

Region: Struma Valley

Grapes: Melnik 55

ABV: 14%

Food Match: Red meat dishes especially roast lamb, charcuterie and hard cheeses.

Wonderful, lively bubbly with fresh granny smith apple aromas and flavours.

Country: France

Region: Limoux, Languedoc

Grape: Mauzac, Chenin, Chardonnay

ABV: 12%

Traditional Method

Aromas of dark cherry and blackberry plus a rich, round palate of red berry fruit are complemented by toasty, vanilla notes that bring a touch of spice to the finish.

Country: France

Region: P Haute Vallée de L’Aude, Languedoc-Roussillon

ABV: 13.5%

Grapes: Pinot Noir

 Food Match:Beautiful drinking on its own or with game, robust fish or slow cooked stews.

Gorgeous, deep golden colour. Rich, sweet and nutty nose. Softly sweet and wonderfully balanced palate. Perfect chilled as an aperitif.

Country: Portugal

Region: Douro Valley

Grapes: Malvasia

ABV: 20%

2007 was a fabulous year for creating balanced Vintage ports in the Morgadio da
Calçada style with great structure along with fine elegance and finesse. Wonderful to
taste now, but for those with patience this wine will be amazing in a few decades.

Country: Portugal

Region: Douro Valley

Grapes: Touriga Franca, Tinta
Roriz, Tinto Cão, Tinta Francisca, Tinta
Amarela, Sousão and others,
including Touriga Nacional

ABV: 20.5%

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.