THE NOSE BAR’S CATHY MARSTON ON STOCKING THE CELLAR FOR CHRISTMAS
Ah, Christmas! A time to overindulge, treat yourself and others around you and generally just have a good time. And how is that possible if you don’t have suitably festive liquid accompaniment? To make sure you have the right wine for the right occasion this year, take a few tips from Cathy and make sure Christmas goes with a swing.
To drink with Christmas lunch
The variety of choices on Christmas Day means that you want the most versatile of wines. I would go with the Groote Post Old Man’s blends. The red is soft and juicy but with enough body to cope with the heartiest of meals while the white is the friendliest, freshest little glugger you could wish for. And they are great value so you can drink a lot of them without breaking the bank.
To drink on Christmas Eve
Ooh, the excitement, only one sleep until Christmas Day! Don’t drink anything too big and heavy – the last thing you want is a hangover while you open your prezzies. I would go for a nice, chilled Sauvignon Blanc – perhaps the South Hill from Elgin – full of crisp grapefruits and quivering with anticipation!
To give as a gift
Some wines are very aptly named and if you can get hold of it, then the Pour Mes Amis (‘For my friends’) from Newton Johnson in the Hemel en Aarde Valley says it all. You don’t even need a card to go with it.
To drink with Christmas pudding
I’d go for a red Muscadel. The one from Rietvallei with its raisin and rooibos tea flavours is a winner and matches a sticky, alcoholic pudding to perfection.
For carols by candlelight
Whatever you have as you sit on the grass and listen to the music, make sure it’s a screw cap. Forgetting your corkscrew is a disaster you don’t want! Try the lovely new dry rosé from Pierre Jordan: crisp and dry, but with enough body to go with food.
To impress your in-laws
Go for something unknown so you can tell them
it’s the next big thing and dazzle them with your wine-savvy. How about the Eaglevlei Nouvelle – an entirely new grape variety, unique to SA and set to take over from Sauvignon Blanc as the crisp, clean, fruity wine of the future.
To please your family who knows nothing about wine
Cheap and cheerful always works for family, so I would drink the great value range from Waterford Estate, the Pecan Streams. The red is fruity, the white is crisp and dry and the rosé is most delicate and fresh. What more could you want?
For grandparents
Thanks to Weltevrede Estate, here are two more wines that save you buying a card to go with them. Ouma se Wyn and Oupa se Wyn – a pair of beautiful old sweeties with lots of character and charm. Sounds about right to me.
For organic preferences
Avondale has been practising ‘biological’ farming for many years now and most of its new plantings are certified organic. The Jonty’s Ducks red is a delicious wine, named in honour of the little quackers who eat the snails which would like to
eat the grapes, given half a chance. Drinking wine never felt healthier.
For tradition
You can’t be without a glass of fine port at Christmas, it just wouldn’t seem right. De Krans Vintage Reserve with its gorgeous fruitcake flavours is the quintessential Christmas port, ideal with pudding, cheese or simply by itself at the end of a long day.
To keep until next Christmas
See if you can get hold of a bottle of Mvemve Raats De Compostella 2005. Just released, with lots of dense, rich black fruit. If you can squirrel that away somewhere and resist the temptation, I promise it will reward you when you come to drink it.
Find these wines at
Caroline’s Fine Wine Cellar
021 419 8984
Vino Pronto
www.vinopronto.co.za
021 424 5587
Wine Concepts
www.wineconcepts.co.za
021 671 9030