What I am drinking this Christmas

Christmas time is for kicking back, enjoying the time with family and friends (after the frantic food and present shopping is done) eating and of course drinking products that are after all that little bit more special.

My drinks this holiday will include the following as well as many other interesting bottles I have acquired over the past twelve months.  My children and grandchildren will be joining us this year for a big Christmas Day meal and I will want to have loads of white wine, red wine and beer for the adults and of course a variety of soft drinks for the little people.

I recently met the winemakers  Zonin from Italy who have been making award winning wines since 1821 and have a very impressive wine list now available in the UK and was thrilled when they sent me a mixed case to sample over the holidays. I am hoping to visit the vineyards next year and bring you the stories of the people behind the wines including their families and their lives.

My Christmas Day sparkling wine will be Prosecco from Famiglia Zonin, crisp with lovely small bubbles, not too sweet and certainly refreshing and the perfect drink to get the holidays started. (Don't tell anyone I may have to start a bottle on Christmas Eve to get the last food prep done!!).

I mostly drink white wine but Mr R is more a red wine drinker however there are a few red wines I really, really love and a good Chianti is one of them.  I had the opportunity to taste this Chianti at an Italian dinner event and was really impressed.  There were no sharp notes or corners to this wine just a smoothness and taste that really got my attention.  Castello de Albola Chianti Classico 2013 is a real winner as far as I am concerned.  I am thinking of saving this one for a creamy turkey pasta or maybe a tomato based pasta during the week between Christmas and New Year.

 Mr R will certainly be opening the Zonin Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore 2014 at the Christmas table though, a rich red wine lovely to drink on its own or with a rich food like turkey - perfect for the occasion!

The visiting men will have a treat for them in the shape of craft beer from Beer52.  There seems to be a plethora of subscription services popping up so that now you can have a regular monthly delivery from everything from socks to cheese (not cheesey socks) and a new player is Beer52 where you are able to tailor your boxes to your own taste..

The Christmas box that arrived contained some really interesting looking bottles with labels that made Mr R make delighted squealing noises (really!!)

And with each case you get a copy of their magazine Ferment packed with loads of info on the month's selection along with recipes to get the most out of  your selection!

Each box will contain 8 different craft beers changing each month.  You can pay monthly, every three months, 6 months or every 12 months with prices starting from £24.00 per box.  You can also send a box to a beer loving friend as a one off gift.

You have a chance to get the freshest beer around and it's like having 50,000 drinking buddies!
If you want to see what Beer52 is all about click here and if you sign up for their service you will get £10.00 of your first box if you enter the code HEIDI10 at the website prompt.

Another wine that will be offered to our visiting diners this holiday is the Australian wine I discovered recently from the Bird in Hand winery.

They say a Bird in Hand is worth Two in the Bush - this wine certainly says it is the truth!  Bird in Hand is a multi award winning Australian winery and is now available in the UK from Frontier Wines.

The white is a Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2015 from the Adelaide Hills.  It's elegant and crisp with tropical flavours and quite citrussy.  Easy drinking chilled however pairs perfectly with cheeses and cured hams and salami. I tasted this wine at the official UK launch in London recently.

The red wine is a Shiraz 2014 with a slight oakiness with aromas of blackberry and pepper with a hint of chocolate. It's full bodied, it's complex and elegant pairing perfectly well with winter stews of beef or venison.

After dinner I will be treating adult visitors to a little Grappa served in tiny little chocolate cups a treat from Carluccio's.

And of course there will be some lovely little things to nibble with some of the drinks above such as a selection of cured meats from Woodall's - The home of British charcuterie! They sent me a selection from their extensive range of salamis, sausages, hams and bacon.

Also from Carluccio's I will offer Baci de Dama (ladies' kisses), mouthwatering one bite hazelnut biscuits with a chocolate hazelnut filling - each one easy to pop into your mouth and made with butter and so slowly melts in your mouth.  Follow up with a strong Italian coffee or glass of Italian Prosecco (see above) for a taste of Christmas paradise!

With an impressive list like this one I guess I will be pretty chilled out by New Year's Day!  What are you drinking this holiday season - leave a comment below and share.

I was sent the drinks and other featured products for review but was not required to write a positive review.  All opinions and photos are my own.

Morrisons Cellar Wine Tasting

Wine heaven, that's where I was recently when I was invited to a wine tasting evening with Morrisons Cellar. The supermarket Morrisons has a very wide and extensive range of wines in store and on-line.

They have devised a unique system to help the consumer find the right wine with the help of a short questionnaire.  They ask three simple questions 1) What is your favourite hot drink, 2) Do you prefer 'no-added sugar' or regular soft drinks and 3) Do you like salt. Based upon your answers you are put into one of four categories: Sweet, Fresh, Smooth and Intense.

This system helps the consumer look in the appropriate area and they will be more certain to find wines that they like.

I was told I was Smooth category and intensity no 9 so I would propably like some of the no 8 and some of the no 10 but mostly the 9s.  There were four tables full of the appropriate wines and we were then talked through as many as we wanted to try. (There was the spitton available so you didn't end up well oiled after the first couple of tastings - shame though!)

Smooth Selection

My favourite in the Smooth selection was a red from France, Savigny-Les-Beaune 1er Crus Les Marconnets 750 ml with a RRP of £15.99. This was a modern-style Burgundy full of flavour and would be a winner with a juicy steak!

Fresh Selection

There were several in the Fresh section that I liked, mostly the whites but my favourite was a French Badassiere Picpoul de Pinet. This wine is drunk in the South of France by the bottle full and is perfect for fresh seafood and shell fish. It had a clean fresh finish and you could almost tast the sunshine and the sea! It has a RRP of only £7.99 a ABV 13% and is available on-line.  Think I will be stocking up on this one ready for our wonderful summer!!

Each table had appropriate canapes for us to try and help get an idea of food pairing.

Some of the Sweet selection

Although I do like a dry white or a full bodied red I also like a sweet wine with dessert or for an appetiser.  Most people forgoe the sweet wine with the pudding preferring to stay drinking the same wine as with the meal but they are truly missing something.  Sweet wines complement the sweet course perfectly and they also make a delightful aperitif if chilled and served in small wine glasses.  I particularly liked the Torres Floralis Moscatel Oro (500ml) from Spain and it was in an unusually pretty bottle (the one on the right in the photo above). This wine retails at £7.99.

Sweet wines can be a particular bargain and worth stocking up for the wine rack when you see them.  This wine is available on-line and in store. I will be popping out for some this weekend for sure!!

Some of the canapes that go with the Sweet group

These sorts of events are not just for loads of free drinks. Each time I attend an event like this I learn something about what I like in wine and what to look for. This gives me more confidence when I am in the wine departments and lessens the chance of buying something I don't like.

Thanks again to Morrisons Cellar for the evening, the wine and the education.

Oh yes and the science bit!