What to drink on Christmas Day
Discover the top recommendations from the Drop team
Whatever your approach to Christmas, the chances are that if you're reading this newsletter then you probably set some store in what to drink on and around the 25th December.
We've been giving this some thought and have come up with a few suggestions to ensure that your festivities are, at the very least, well watered. From a sprightly English sparkling to kick-start party time, through to a heady Rivesaltes for the crafty midnight mince pie, via various other very fine drops of this and that, we are confident that we have every eventuality covered.
All wines are available on the Drop Delivery App or in any of our shops and bars
WHAT: Sangiovese - Tenuta di Caparzo - Brunello di Montalcino - Tuscany, Italy - 2015 - £52
PRODUCER: No stone goes unturned in the quest for perfect at Caparzo. So much so that they only make their Brunello in top vintages. Like 2015
WHERE: Tuscany, birthplace of the Renaissance
WHY: Medium body with wild berry fruit with floral hints, and earthy, minerally notes. Firm tannins and complex. Yum.
WHAT: Touriga Nacional, Tinta Amarela, Blend - Sandeman `Quinta do Seixo` Port - Douro, Portugal - 2013 - £35.50
PRODUCER: For port geeks, the Sandeman Quinta do Seixo estate needs little introduction. They’ve been knocking out the good stuff since 1790.
WHERE: The Cima Corgo sub-region of the Douro, just downstream from the village of Pinhão. Schist soils provide subterraneous avenues for the vines to dig deep for sustenance during the increasingly hot summers.
WHY: A 2013 Port that offers rich notes of cherries, plum, kirsch, oak spice and dark chocolate on the palate. Try pairing with chocolate-based puddings or punchier cheeses.
WHAT: Syrah - Rimizieres Hermitage - 'Cuvee Emilie' - Rhone, France - 2004 - £82
PRODUCER: The domaine has been in the family for generations, though its output was, until the 1970s, sold to negociants. The negociants loss was our gain
WHERE: We're in the Northern Rhone, home of Syrah, just north of where the Rhone and Isère rivers meet and continue on their inexorable way towards the Mediterranean (sous le pont d'Avignon, no less)
WHY: A deeply sophisticated and heady Syrah here folks. This is what you come to the Northern Rhone for. Black olive, violet, wood smoke and a certain gaminess all let you know where you’re at, while the near-two decades that have passed since its inception have mellowed things out into a delicious, perfectly balanced joy
WHAT: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir Blend - Westwell -'Pelegrim' - Kent Downs, England - NV - £38
PRODUCER: Winemaker Adrian Pike took over operations in 2017, having previously worked at Davenport vineyards and, before that, for an independent record label. Edgy, like.
WHERE: A single estate vineyard located on the chalky hills of the North Downs in Kent. Seems to have everything, Kent - apples, hops, wine, massive traffic at Dover. Lucky them
WHY: This is a traditional bottle-fermented sparkling wine that is made from Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay with reserve wines from previous vintages to give further complexity and a consistent extra dry non-vintage style. Biscuity and complex
WHAT: Grenache Blanc, Macabeu - Chateau de Jau - 'Chez Jau' Rivesaltes Ambre - France - 2007 - £21
PRODUCER: The estate is owned by the forward-thinking and ambitious Dauré family who acquired the estate in 1974. In addition to the wines the estate also boasts an excellent restaurant and contemporary arts gallery. Well worth a trip
WHERE: Chateau de Jau is in Collioure, a handsome fishing village on the Mediterranean coast - part of France's southern most AOC. Rivesaltes wines are worth keeping an eye out for
WHY: There's a solid bit of age on the bottle. You could go so far as to say this is France's answer to Madeira. Aromas of honey, spiced bread and orange zest; on the palate, spicy and rich with notes of gingerbread and almonds. The acidity is balanced and the finish lengthy and intense. Brilliant chilled with tiramisu, pumpkin pie or vanilla and pistachio cake. Absolute yumbuckets
WHAT: Viognier - Yves Cuilleron - 'Les Vignes d'a Cote' - Rhone, France - 2020 - £24
PRODUCER: Yves Cuilleron is arguably the most renowned Viognier producer in the world. He took over as a 4th generation vigneron in 1987
WHERE: We are in the Northern Rhone and while this wine is no Condrieu, the vines are from harder to reach vineyards just outside the appellation and still get the same TLC
WHY: As anyone familiar with wines of this ilk might suspect, this is full, fleshy and generous - five-star peach melba in a bottle.
WHAT: Chardonnay - Qupe - 'Y' Block - Santa Barbara, California, USA - 2020 - £27.50
PRODUCER: Qupé Wines focus in particular on Rhone varieties, and are therefore, naturally, members of the Rhone Rangers - a club of sorts, with a fetish for wines of the Rhone. Just to confuse things, this is not a Rhone-style wine.
WHERE: Cool climate is the name of the game here. We're on the Pacific and this particular valley runs west-to-east, acting as a funnel for the cool winds off the ocean. A wind funnel.
WHY: So as you might expect this is at the fresher, brighter end of the Chardonnay spectrum - though being California there is of course a dab of French oak, bringing vanilla and toasted brioche into the mix. It's a finely and perfectly balanced wine.
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