As the founder of Manchester Wine Tours and an established food and drink writer, Kelly Bishop knows a thing or two about quaffing exemplary wine. In her latest column for Altrincham Today, she selects four wonderful wines for those looking beyond the usual festive bottles.
A year ago, I published my first-ever wine column for Altrincham Today. It doesn’t feel like five minutes ago. Well, as I write this, my nose is pink (no, not from the booze, how dare you), my fingertips are white, and my credit card is in the red, so that can only mean it’s nearly Xmas again.
While I love a good Christmas tradition, I like to change things up a bit sometimes. Latkes instead of roast spuds. Goose instead of turkey. Curry on Xmas Eve instead of Boxing Day. This diversion from the norm can apply to wine, too, of course. Keep your traditional Xmas wines, if you wish, but if you fancy swapping out at least one of them, I have some ideas.
I asked on social media which wines people associated with Xmas. The answers were as varied and the arguments in the comments as heated as if I’d asked about people’s favourite Xmas songs, or whether they have Yorkshire puddings on their Xmas dinner plate (it’s a no from me). I’ve picked some of the most common answers and come up with alternative ideas. If you’re feeling flush, you could always get both options. Christmas is all about pleasing everyone, isn’t it?
Instead of Champagne
English Sparkling - Roebuck Blanc De Noir 2018 (Carringtons, £50)
On my Manchester Wine Tours we always taste a sparkling wine at the first venue we visit. I recently hosted a private tour for someone who loves fizz, and we arranged a bespoke list of wines to taste including three sparklings. This was by far the favourite, and people couldn't believe it was English.
I have mentioned before that English sparkling is a serious contender on the world stage now. There is so much good stuff out there and I urge you to try it all. But if you’re sceptical, try this. It’s a Blanc De Noir which means it’s made entirely from black grapes (Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier). These wines often have a fruity, redcurrant zing to them, alongside the usual lemon zest and appleiness. This one also has a delicious toasty marzipan aroma, which seems fitting for Xmas.
Instead of Gewurtztraminer
Torrontes - Vallisto Torrontes 2024 (Reserve Wines, £20)
I have a soft spot for Torrontes because my love of it once helped me pass a wine exam, and because it tastes like candied ginger, pot pourri and lychees. This one from Reserve is a favourite of mine. It’s drier and not quite as syrupy rich as Gewurtzraminer but definitely has a floral bouquet to challenge the German wine for a place at your Christmas table. It’s also a bit more affordable.
I would pair a glass of Torrontes with any seafood starter. It would also go really well with your annual Xmas curry - as long as it’s not too spicy - whether that’s on Xmas Eve or Boxing Day, or even New Year’s Day. What do you mean you don’t have curry at Xmas?
Instead of Châteauneuf Du Pape
Gigondas - Château de Saint Cosme Gigondas (Tesco, £42.99)
I was surprised how many people named CNDP as their Xmas red of choice. And many of those who didn’t name the famous Rhone blend mentioned Syrah or Shiraz, which, along with Grenache, Cinsault and Mourvedre, is one of the big boys in this super popular 13-grape red blend. Because most wines in France (and Italy and Spain) are labelled with the region rather than the grape, you’d be forgiven for not knowing what the grapes are.
But now you do, you can go slightly rogue without straying too far. Gigondas is only about 10 miles down the road from CNDP and uses a similar blend of grapes. This excellent one, available at Tesco but also at several independent local wine shops in Greater Manchester, is mostly Grenache with Syrah and Mourvedre making up most of the rest of the blend.
If you want to go even further afield, look out for GSM blends from Australia too - they will be a bit jammier than the French version - lots of people actually prefer that - and they are more pocket-friendly.
Instead of red or tawny port
Aged white port - Ferreira Dona Antonia Reserva White Port (Ad Hoc, £27)
A couple of years ago, I spent a week floating on air in the Douro Valley on a wine press trip. I only knew a little about port, and while I had enjoyed my fair share of big Portuguese reds, as is always the case with these trips, I found that I didn’t know the half of it and came back brimming with new knowledge.
One of the things I fell in love with was aged white port. You might have had white port in a sort of spritzy drink, and you've surely had ruby or even tawny port at Christmas, but nutty, caramelly aged white port never quite gets the attention it deserves.
I highly recommend you add a bottle to your ‘with cheese’ selection. This one from Ad Hoc is a stone-cold classic of the genre with huge marmalade energy, and aromas of aromatic spices like cardamom.
Kelly Bishop is a food and wine writer from Manchester and the owner of Manchester Wine Tours. For more information, visit manchesterwinetours.com or follow @manchesterwinetours on Instagram.
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