There’s also a stellar cut-price magnum of pale rosé from Provence that will flutter along most cheerfully with many dishes (it’s just lovely with salads, Camembert and sushi too).
Wishing you a healthy and happy Christmas! Until next time. Bon appétit!
Try these felicitous bottles…
1) Distinctive red from the meagre schist-loaded hills north of Pézenas & Béziers in the northwest portion of the Hérault department in the eastern Languedoc
2019 Domaine des Trinités Faugères Le Portail, Languedoc, France
£13.99 (or £12.59 in a case of 12), Cambridge Wine Merchants; £14.95, Lea & Sandeman (or £13.50 in a case of 12)
Brilliant value Syrah (65%)-Grenache (15%)-Mourvèdre (10%)-Carignan (10%) red from the foothills of the Cévennes in the Languedoc – where 80% of the wine is red – that hits the spot with its magnificent inky loganberry, black fruit, herbal notes, crunchy acidity and sappy tannins. A proper wine full of vim and vigour to savour with roast beef and meaty canapés. Super length and energy. Sold by two of the nation’s crème de la crème wine merchants, this is one of those reds you just keep coming back to for another sip, one more glass. It’s so easy to drink and great value. Wow!
2) Head to Tesco for this brilliant cut-price magnum (for Clubcard members)
2020 Famille Perrin La Vieille Ferme Rouge Magnum (1.5l), France
£15 but on offer for £12 for Clubcard members until 01/01/2022; buy 6+ bottles and save 25% on this Clubcard price before 15 December at Tesco
Wine lovers looking to treat family and friends this Noel need look no further than the new range of eight magnums that are exclusive to Tesco. Equivalent to two standard 75cl bottles, wonderfully celebratory magnums are a mark of munificence, impactful at dinner parties and guaranteed to put everybody in the party mood. Unoaked and made from old-vine Carignan, Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah, this fruit-forward bargain brims with rich, ripe, black/red fruits, light spice and truffle fruit. Lusciously ready with filigreed tannins, it’s a whizz with white meats and winter stews. Unpretentious, crowd- and wallet-friendly for Clubcard members. You have the scoop for this forward-drinking, cut-price, bankable, merry magnum from Famille Perrin, the kings-of-the-castle proprietors of Château de Beaucastel, the celebrated organic Châteauneuf-du-Pape estate near Avignon. Brilliant offer and a super match for the flavours of Christmas Day. Mad not to seek this out – a seriously good offer that’s unmissable. It’s selling out fast, though. Head to bigger Tesco stores ASAP. Buy all you can find.
At Tesco New World wine buffs meanwhile should seek out the fleshy, velvet-textured 2019 Lapostolle Reserve Merlot, Chile (Tesco, £12). Like riding in a swish limousine, it’s a supple and polished hedonist’s delight. Make sure you track it down whilst on the spectacular Clubcard discount offer. Buy 6+ bottles and save 25% on the Clubcard price until 15 December. Just the ticket for both beef Wellington and Christmas turkey with all the trimmings. Joyeux Noël!
3) Co-op for Christmassy claret & a standout Tuscan red
2015 Château Beau-Site, St-Estèphe, Bordeaux, France
£22, Co-op, 124 stores only
Just the kind of claret that vinously defines Christmas for many traditionalist wine enthusiasts, this is a superbly judged, classic, Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend with a little age. Whilst it won’t go anywhere in a hurry, it’s arguably best consumed youngish. Lightish and a pleasure to drink, it would be great with roast beef or lamb. Nab it now before Co-op’s stocks are depleted. Also consider Château Brassac 2017 (Co-op, £10) and, if you’re more an admirer of Margaux, Château d’Arsac 2018 (Co-op, £23). Tuscan fans meanwhile shouldn’t miss out on the superb lip-smacking Villa Boscorotondo Chianti Classico Riserva 2017 (Co-op, £16) – a treat with all those fruity stuffings, sauces, chestnuts cooked with bacon and sprouts with cream and Parmesan. Buon Natale!
4) Must-try, light-bodied Kentish still Pinot Noir made from specially selected Burgundian clones
2020 Balfour Hush Heath Estate Luke’s Pinot Noir, Kent, England
£25-£30, Laithwaites & Balfour Hush Heath Estate
Raise a glass – and festive spirits – with a superb vegan-friendly single-vineyard (named after the producer’s eldest son) Pinot Noir made in nearby Staplehurst by father and son winemakers Owen and Fergus Elias. This buoyant, scrumptious, floral red has the X-factor in abundance, a fluid feel, feathery tannins and accents of damsons, red cherries, raspberries, pomegranate, vanilla spice and earth; it would be a glorious local vinous treat for Christmas. Not cheap, but worth every penny, long of flavour and frighteningly easy to drink. Bring on the turkey with cranberry stuffing and chestnuts, cold cuts, game birds, roast lamb, pan-fried salmon/tuna/red mullet and rare steak. What joy! Treat yourself. Another candidate for your busy decanter. Bravo Becca Reeves, Laithwaites’ talented buyer/negotiator for England (and South Africa)! Also seek out other top-tier local still and sparkling Pinots from fellow tiptop ‘Wine Garden of England’ producers Gusbourne and ever-improving Simpsons.
Visit www.winegardenofengland.co.uk for more information.
5) Want to really splash out? Let there be an exquisite aged Gran Reserva red Rioja this Xmas
2010 CVNE Imperial Gran Reserva Rioja, Spain
£42, The Wine Society
Haro-based CVNE is one of Rioja’s most illustrious names. It was founded in 1879 by Eusebio and Raimundo Real de Asúa and now – over 140 years later – it’s still controlled by the founders’ ancestors. Gran Reserva Rioja is only produced in exceptional vintages and the reds must age for five years (60 months), of which at least 24 months must be in oak barrels (Rioja has the largest number of barrels of any wine region in the world, around 1.3 million) and at least the same period in the bottle. From an outstanding vintage this skilful, iconic Rioja is spotlessly smooth, with a gorgeous scent and a flavour of tobacco leaves, forest floor, red cherries, red plums, strawberries and spice. Ripe tannin steps in on the finish and pulls the freight of flavour onward. One for young roast game birds and aged Manchego, it’s extremely smart and will satisfy many wine connoisseurs over the next few years. Decant at least an hour before serving. Truly impressive.
6. Think pink, think Provence …
2020 Mirabeau Pure Provence Rosé Magnum (1.5l), Côtes de Provence, France
Clubcard offer at Tesco, down from £30 to £25 until 1 January 2022, with 25% off 6+ bottles, for Clubcard members, through to 15 December. The 75cl bottle is available for £15, Clubcard price, save 25% when you buy 6+ bottles until 15 December at Tesco & £14.99 at Majestic, Mix Six
Rosé is not just for midsummer. Kickstart your festivities this year and create a conversation around your Christmas dinner table by keeping the rosé flowing and reminiscences of balmier days glowing with this gorgeous magnum of Provençal pink. Made by the English winemaker Stephen Cronk and mainly Grenache with a dollop of Syrah and Cinsault, ‘Pure’ makes a gorgeous centrepiece for your celebratory lunch. Whether you’re having turkey with all the trimmings, seafood (hello oysters) or a nut roast, this is a bottle that won’t fail to whet your guests’ jaded palates! Peach, pear, pink grapefruit and red summer fruits fill the mouth. Enjoy before, throughout or after a festive meal. This irresistible princely pink magnum oozes class and refinement; snap it up whilst on the incredible offer at Tesco (see above). Head to larger Tesco stores. £31 at Waitrose.
Follow James on Twitter @QuixoticWine
