Getting ready for Christmas, and choosing some wine

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Getting ready for Christmas, and choosing some wine

Christmas eve has been a nice family day so far.

A quick dog walk, a visit with the boys to Fiona’s folks in Lightwater, some last-minute present buying, off with the boys to the gym, a late lunch in Nandos and a trip to Bushy Park to see the deer (with the obvious Christmas link). This evening we have friends round, then tomorrow we are off to my sister’s in Gerrards Cross for a family Christmas day.

The difficult bit? Choosing wines. Tonight’s guests aren’t wine nuts, but will appreciate a few good bottles, so I’ve pulled out a couple of older wines. A 1996 Rustenberg red, a kind gift from Robin van Holdt after a visit to his hotel in St James, Cape Town, and a 2000 Gros Nore Bandol, one of my dwindling stock of La Vigneronne wines (a now long gone London merchant who used to have a lot of good Bandol).

For tomorrow? I have no clue. It is so difficult to choose. It’s one of those days when you want to open something special, but every wine has its time, and you don’t want a bottle that could, on its own, give a whole evening’s entertainment, to be lost in a crowd. Or served to an audience that doesn’t get it. I may have to play safe and go Champage, Burgundy, Bordeaux. But I have some lovely Cotat, and a couple of bottles of Craig Hawkins’ Testalonga that I’d love to pop. There’s also a bottle of Belle Epoque 2002 that will be broached at some stage.

I guess it’s nice to be in a position where choices like this have to be made.

My brother in law Beavington will be hosting tomorrow, so I think some blind tasting on camera will be in order.

2 Comments on Getting ready for Christmas, and choosing some wine
wine journalist and flavour obsessive

2 thoughts on “Getting ready for Christmas, and choosing some wine

  1. I’m away so take a selection to choose from depending on what takes my fancy, and then leave the rest for another visit. Not celebrating as much as normal.

    Underwater Syrah for me, probably a bottle of Choccy Block too (my wife and brother-in-law are serious Chocolate addicts so it’s too much to not do it), Monnier Beaune 1er Cru Montrevenots 2009 is about so may get opened too. Niepoort Vertente is backup in case we need more or it all goes wrong!

    Whites Michelton Airstrip, Soalheiro Alvarinho some Touraine Sauvignon and a Gruner Eiswein from Ehrmoser.

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