Christmas Tasting 2024

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.

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. This wine is made from a blend of Malagouzia and Assyrtiko planted on the plateau on the Scotini Mountain at 700m. By being planted at this height helps ensure the freshness and acidity that makes this wine so mouth-watering.

Country: Greece

Region: Peloponnese

ABV: 14%

Grapes: Assyrtiko (50%) Malagouzia (50%)

Food match: Pairs perfectly with Greek salads, shellfish and grilled white fish.

The Lantides Estate is situated in the Ancient site of Nemea, in the heart of the Peloponnese, north of Argos and just west of Corinth on the coast of the Aegean. Panikos and his son Simon run 25 hectares of vineyards which are situated around the mountainous valley of Skoteini in altitude between 500 - 650 meters above sea level. This family business was started in 1993 by Panikos Landidis, who had previously studied in Montpellier and Bordeaux in oenology. Today this knowledge is used to make quality wines using local varieties that are native to Greece.

The Peloponnese Peninsula is a large landform on the southern edge of continental Greece. Covered in mountains, rugged plateaus and valleys, the area has an abundance of mesoclimates and terroirs suitable for premium viticulture. Native grape varieties such as Agiorgitiko, Moschofilero and Mavrodaphne are planted throughout the peninsula. The modern Peloponnese
wine industry began to grow following the end of World War II, and today the region is one of the most viticulturally productive in Greece.

The floral aromas and white peach flavours are complimented by vanilla, toasty notes, a lovely creamy texture and mineral tones through to a classy finish. An absolute must buy for any lover of elegant French Chardonnay, at a fraction of the price you’d pay for village Macon.

Country: France

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

ABV: 13.5%

Grapes: Chardonnay

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%

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: Tejo

Grapes: Arinto, Olho de Lebre, Fernão Pires

ABV: 11%

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.

Vegan

The wine undergoes no oak ageing - it's fermented and matured in stainless steel at a controlled temperature (16-18ºC) with some time spent on fine lees. Maturation in bottle for up to a year.

Deep purple/red colour with an opaque core. On the nose it is rich with sweet red and black berry notes, some vanilla and sweet spice. On the palate it is much weightier than the nose suggests.  Very opulent, but elegant and balanced at the same time.

Country: South Africa

Region: Stellenbosch

ABV: 14%

Grape: Shiraz

Delicious, fresh melon aromas and flavours with a hint of creaminess on the finish. Beautifully balanced Chardonnay. A pinch of Salt Chardonnay undergoes amphora, French oak and stainless steel maturation. This makes the wine complex and textured with a lovely, long finish.

Country: South Africa

Region: Darling Hills

Grapes: Chardonnay

ABV: 13%

Medium Bodied, with a subtle sweet spice and smokey character. Bright ruby in colour and concentrated, notes of plums, blackberries and damson fruit combine perfectly with the well balanced toast and oak notes.

Country: Uruguay

Region: Canelones

ABV: 14%

Grapes: Tannat

Food match: BBQ meats or herby sausages and mash

Medium ruby red colour with a pure nose of ripe dark fruits, cherry, plum and sweet spices like ginger and aniseed supported with discreet oak. The palate is round and textured with a well balanced freshness, ending with a long and broad spicy finish.

Country: Italy

Region:  Puglia

Grapes: Primitivo 100%

ABV:  14.5 %

Oak Ageing  6 Months

Food Matching

A food-flexible wine, but pairs well with roast red meats, grills, pasta with ragu sauce.

Such an attractive, appealing nose of mixed red fruits, very bright and clean. The palate is soft and mouth-filling. Red fruits follow through with a touch of minerality. Great finesse, with a gentle and seamless finish.

Country: Italy

Region: Piemonte

Grapes: Nebbiolo: 90%
Cabernet Sauvignon: 5%
Vespolina: 5%

ABV: 13%

Food Match: A wonderfully versatile red that is great just with simple antipasti or with roast lamb with all of the trimmings.

Orbello is a small village very close to the Tenuta Sella vineyard where this wine is produced from. A traditional blend that Tenute Sella has been producing for more than 50 years. Nebbiolo, Vespolina and a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon, all the grapes are hand-harvested. Once picked a cold maceration is carried out. Alcoholic and malolactic fermentations in stainless steel tank. Aging for 1 year in barriques, and 6 months refinement in bottle.

Gorgeous, salmon pink colour. Elegant floral and red currant aromas on the nose  accompanied by herbal notes. On the palate, it is fresh, but textured with a long dry finish.

Country: Italy

Region: Piemonte

Grapes: Nebbiolo

ABV: 13%

Food Match: Light starters and salads, soft, creamy cheeses like feta or goat’s cheese.

Fresh, zesty and full of life, with aromas of wild, ripe black currants and citrus zest. On the palate it is crisp, clean with notes of minerality and an almond skin finish.

Country: Georgia

Region: Kakheti

Grapes: Mtsvane

ABV: 13%

Food Match: Fresh goat's cheese salad with grilled asparagus or grilled seafood with pan fried fleshy white fish with a rich, mushroom sauce.

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

Superb concentration, complexity, amplified aromatics, and depth of flavour going on in this Georgian qvevri wine. Dried apricots and ripe peaches. Well rounded, with a sophisticated tannic structure, vibrant acidity with a long honeyed finish.

Country: Georgia

Region: Kakheti

Grapes: Kisi

ABV: 13%

Food Match: Spicy dishes, seafood such as shellfish and salmon, aged hard cheeses.

"Amber in colour with kumquat, sun-dried apricot and marzipan on the nose, candied orange peel, dried peach and tangerine zest on the palate, supported by muscular but polished tannins, thanks to controlled extraction. Fantastic depth, the lovely dried apricot notes follow to the long finish." 92 points, Sylvia Wu, Decanter (September 2022)

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

Vibrant aromatic of blueberries and black plums with a hint of toasty oak. The generous, rich palate is packed full of juicy red and black fruits and underpinned by a fine tannin profile. A balanced wine with a persistent fruit finish.

Country: Georgia

Region: Kakheti

Grapes: Saperavi

ABV: 13%

Food Match: Red meat dishes, Stews and casseroles or mature cheese.

Georgia is considered to be the ‘cradle of wine', as 8,000 year-old indigenous Rkatsiteli grape seeds have been found in clay vessels.