12 Essential Bottles For Your Hostess or Guests This Christmas

Do you have the annual dilemma of what to take to your hostess over the Christmas and New Year period. Or maybe you want to give the man of the house a lovely selection of wines to keep him out of the way while you cook the Christmas turkey!! (or possibly to keep yourself busy whilst he cooks the turkey!)

I have put together a little box of twelve wines, champagnes and other festive tipples for you to have a look at and if you are considering putting together your own box consider some of these.

Asda have an impressive range this holiday season - lets start with Champagne:-

Louvel Fontaine Champagne Brut - from the Champagne region in France and made from the Pinot Noir (70%), Chardonnay (20%) and Pinot Meunier (10%) grapes.  I really loved this very classic, very fresh champagne with a lingering taste of fresh apple and citrus.  The RRP is £18.00, a great price for this lovely bottle of fizz!

For the red wine lover I have put in Winetek Cosmic Shepherd Malbec from Chile - Very concentrated but smooth. I detected a slight smell of figs and the outdoors.  I liked the outside taste of which it had loads of. The grape varieties are Malbec (85%) and Syrah (15%) - RRP £5.00.

I really love a good Chablis from the Burgundy region of France made from 100% Chardonnay grapes.  It is refreshing and has a long and pleasant finish. The RRP is £10.48 and will be appearing on my table this year for sure.

To complete the selection from Asda I really liked the De Bortoli Botrytis Semillon from New South Wales in Australia. I wish sweet dessert wines were more popular because I really like that rich sweetness that adds an added dimension to your pudding or sweet course. This one is made from 100% Semillion grapes and has an RRP of £6.98 - a bargain for such a smooth wine.

Aldi also have an impressive range of wines, sparkling wines and other exciting offerings this Christmas. for example: 

Champagne Veuve Monsigny Brut NV from Elabore Philizot et fils, a traditional blend of Chardonnay, Piot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes. This comes from the Champagne region of France and is a regular item on the Aldi Champagne list.

Both Mr R and I like a fully bodied red like this 'La Sogara' Amarone Della Valpolicella from Italy with a traditional cork stopper.  This 2014 red wine is made from 70% Corvina Verona, 10% Rondinella and 20% other grape varieties and has an RRP of £12.99 in store.

For the white they suggest the Exquisite Collection Limestone Coast Chardonnay 2016 from the Limestone Coast in Australia.  This unoaked and dry and balanced refreshing white wine made of 100% Chardonnay grapes. This bottle has a screw cap which helps prevent spoilage due to the cork drying out. The RRP of this wine is £5.79

After dinner with the cheese course I would recommend Maynard's 10 Year Old Tawny Port. Much lighter than a Ruby Port. At 20% volume it is bottled in 2017 in the Douro region of Portugal and made from a blend of 30% Tinta Ruriz, 30% Touriga Franca, 20% Touriga Nacional and 20% Tinta Barroca.  This combination produces warm amber hughes with a smooth texture and the hint of raisin fruits on the tongue.

Morrisons offer a sweet sherry for my Christmas box. This lovely sweet liquid is made in Spain where the grapes are slowly dried in the sun to increase their sweetness.  It has an ABV of 17% and is perfect drizzled over ice cream for an indulgent holiday pudding!

Following on my sweet tooth train of thought is a chocolatey velvet wine from Rubis.  At 15% it is an indulgent blend of fortified red wine and premium chocolate making it akin to chocolate velvet a great after dinner drink when served at room temperature or equally lovely served straight over ice!

Another red worth mentioning is Passi Mento, Veneto - Indicazione Geografica Tipica 2015. This is an Italian wine from Verona in Northern Italy, a velvety red wine partially produced with grapes that have been slightly dried before fermentation

Mr R loves a drop or two of Spanish Rioja and Campo Viejo is on his list of favourites but rioja wines are known to be red. I was intrigued when I first saw a white rioja from Campo Viejo but it did not dissapoint.  I have grown rather fond of it and have pleasure in including it in this essential bottle list.  The wine is made from the white grapes of Viura and Tempranillo Blanco resulting in a crisp, citrusy wine perfect on it's own ( I like mine with a couple of ice cubes) or with the usual chicken, fish or vegetable dishes.

I hope you like my 12 essential bottles for your hostess or guests this Christmas.  Please leave a comment below what wines you will be taking with you this festive season.

I was sent a selection of wines included in this post as well as purchasing some myself.. I was not required to write a positive review and as usual all opinions and photos are my own.  No photos may be reproduced in any form without my written permission.

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.