Festive Wines
Gather and give thanks
It is the festive season. So, hit control-alt-delete, switch off the computer, pack your bags and, while you are in the mood for celebration, go out and try something truly special.
The year is over and it is time to relax. The long-awaited December holidays have arrived and people are packing bags to be with family and loved-ones; to travel to their respective holiday destinations. With summer in full swing, balmy days call for tables laid with the most beautiful crockery and longstem glasses filled with delicious wines.
It is also the time of year when you are allowed to throw cautious spending to the wind, to pull that really special wine from the shelf and to open a truly old vintage Port. Festive wines can be everything from really expensive Champagne to that great value-for-money Sauvignon Blanc that you will be quaffing next to the pool – but when it comes to laying that big family table when everyone gathers around after a rough year, it is apt to serve something memorable. Although taste is imperative, it helps when the bottle just looks the part, too. And who doesn’t like a glass brimming with effervescent pink bubbles?
Here you will find a selection of wines chosen because they fit the role, but also because of their desirability – if you can’t dream during this season then when can you? Remember, there are some things money can’t buy… watching everyone smile after taking a sip of great wine is one of them.
Pre-dinner celebration
1 Silverthorn Genie Rosé
Brut NV
ARP: R165
Made by Steenberg’s John Loubser, the two Cap Classiques under his own Silverthorn label, The Green Man and Genie, are unique in that a limited amount of bottles are made. The Genie offers some unconventional magic – it was made using 100% Shiraz grapes. Available at Norman Goodfellows (tel 011 788 4814), La Cave Liquors (tel 031 572 6073) and Wine Concepts (tel 021 671 9030
2 Graham Beck
Cuvée Clive 2005
CELLAR PRICE: R450
When only the best will do. South Africa’s most expensive Cap Classique and rightly so. Drinking this Méthode Cap Classique is like sipping honey straight from the comb. It is the prestige cuvée from this respected Franschhoek producer and is produced only from exceptional vintages. Available at Norman Goodfellows (tel 011 788 4814) and Graham Beck (tel 023 626 1214)
3 Billecart-Salmon Brut
Réserve NV
ARP: R594
The Billecart-Salmon legacy dates back to 1818. This particular cuvée from the collection displays a fine mousse, with white fruit and floral notes on the nose. A favourite amongst pundits. Available at Norman Goodfellows (tel 011 788 4814), La Cave Liquors (tel 031 572 6073) and Caroline’s Fine Wine Cellar (tel 021 419 8984)
4 Gosset
Grand Rosé NV
ARP: R818
An extremely mischievous Champagne, the Gosset Grand Rosé, like its voluptuous container, reminds one of a Moulin Rouge dancer – it is full-round, cheeky and seduces you with pink kisses. Morgenhof (tel 021 889 5510)
5 Armand de Brignac NV
ARP: R3 668
As flashy as the bottle implies. This Champagne was voted Best Champagne in Fine Champagne Magazine’s 100 Best Champagnes of 2010 – with a 96 point rating! It might be expensive but you will be getting exactly what the bottle suggests: liquid gold. Caroline’s Fine Wine Cellar (021 419 8984)
6 Daniel Dampt
Chablis 2008
ARP: R160
How about a taste of Burgundy? If you can’t justify opening one of the great white wines of the world over the festive season, then you need to stop drinking wine. The Daniel Dampt 2008 is classically Chablis – steely and elegant with a bite of green apple on the palate. Wine Cellar (tel 021 448 4105)
7 Smith Haut La tte Rouge
Pessac Leognan 2000
ARP: R875
Many wine critics say that the 2000 vintage is the best yet produced by the this Château in the Graves district in Bordeaux, France. This wine shows lovely smokey, mineral and black fruit aromas, but you are more likely to remember it for its character traits: “class, intense flavour profile and nobility” according to Robert Parker. Wine Cellar (tel 021 448 4105) It you want to try something less expensive, but rich and concentrated, the Potensac (Lassalle) Médoc 2000 at R285 should do the trick. Wine Cellar (tel 021 448 4105)
8 Nederburg Edelkeur
ARP: Auction wine
If Cap Classique is the queen of celebration, then Noble Late Harvest must be the king. There are few wines as iconic as Nederburg’s Edelkeur, in its youth it is a fine example of a vibrant wine full of citrus and floral perfumes – but it is also a wine that rewards the patient cellarer. If you get an older vintage as a gift this Christmas, remember to share. Nederburg Private Bin Edelkeur is strictly sold at the Nederburg Auction with some vintages available from Makro’s liquor outlets (tel 0860 300 999).
9 Paul Cluver Weisser
Riesling 2009
Cellar price: R85
For something sweet and enticing, you’d be wise to serve this Noble Late Harvest to guests. It is easy to understand why this wine enjoys a cult following. Paul Cluver (tel 021 844 0605)
10 Boplaas
Cape Tawny 1980
Cellar price: R300
Sipping Port matched with a vintage Christmas cake is the perfecting ending to a festive meal. Older Ports are particularly mystical and delicious, age would’ve calmed the rough edges, leaving only the delicate and sweet to enjoy. Boplaas (tel 044 213 3326). Also try Bredell’s Cape Tawny 1998, for something younger but equally rewarding. JP Bredell Wines (tel 021 842 2478).
