So here it is, nearly Christmas. Is everybody having fun? Mrs WineFolio tells me it snowed in Wellington today – but I told her it’s just a drop of summer hail… like we get. I think the school holidays start this week, so I reckon the weather needs to get a bit more sunny any time now. That mysterious glowing orb in the sky that we’ve not seen in 2023 – in Auckland anyway.
As much as Christmas brings a brief change of pace to WineFolio Towers, there’s much that stays the same. I do like to know there’s a regular supply of mince pies in the tins, and much list-writing has been done – to make sure nothing is forgotten. The calendar is looking as full as those biscuit tins – hardly a spare evening between now and the big day to be had. Mind, you October was a full one too – that Vega Sicilia tasting I had to turn down…yes, I know.
One thing that I do tend to do differently in the days before Christmas, is have a think about what I’d like to drink over the next fortnight. I’m not one for hoarding trophy bottles, so it is normal for something out-of-the-ordinary to emerge from the cellar. And I do like a nice Chardonnay. But I’m also to be found in the spirits aisles of a local bottle shop looking for “something new”. I’m not talking Creme de Menthe or Advocaat, but it is really the only time of year when I’ll think about maybe a new bottle of single malt, or a brandy. Last year it was rum, and the year before that it was a flavoured vodka (Cardamom Absolut, I recommend it) And there’s often sherry.
In terms of wine – it’s what we’re here for after all – I’m a fan of ‘delicious’, and that often follows balance. Not just in any given bottle, but across the week’s festivities. It might look like a scattergun approach, but my Christmas drinking list will look a bit like the judging classes at the New Zealand International Wine Show. I get what I’m given there (when judging) but let’s assume it is Sauvignon Blanc, then bubbles, then an aromatic white. I might go crazy and have a Gewurztraminer this year. Then something like an Albarino or Chenin Blanc. Chardonnay (sorry, I know). One of my absolute favourite wines is good quality Alsace Pinot Gris – so let’s do that too.
As far as reds go, I’m loving Grenache from McLaren Vale at the moment. I’d chill it but then let it warm up after the first glass. And a nice bottle of savoury french Pinot Noir with some age on it; and maybe a young one from NZ – bristling with bright, crunchy fruit. I’ve found myself returning to ‘bigger’ wines in 2023. Australia does these so well, but I’ve had some crackers from NZ as well this year. I’m going to go for a Syrah (or a Shiraz) and a Cabernet Franc.
I’ve not mentioned other wines that I’m interested in. I’m all for orange wines, skin-fermented this and that, and Pét-Nat. I’ve tasted really good wines from across the world and myriad spectrums in recent months, and I totally encourage you to get out try them. If you’re not as fortunate as me to have wonderful things like dry Chilean Muscat, or Palomino as a dry white wine from Cadiz… present themselves to you – go seek them out. Lots of specialist retailers will stock a few examples; and wine bars with interesting lists of by-the-glass wines are not as hard to find as they once were.
Hopefully you’ll find the reviews, tastings and writings on WineFolio to be of help. I’ve lost count of the number of people who I’ve directed to the “Wine Regions” section as well this year. Who were going to somewhere like Blenheim or Waiheke and wanted to make sure that they got the most out of their day. The aim of the WineFolio website is to be best resource for wine in New Zealand, and that involves getting out and into the Cellar Doors. I’ll be in the deep South for my summer break, so if you see me in Dunedin or Arrowtown looking lost, maybe you can help me out with a tip? Whatever you’re up to this Christmas, I wish you all the best.
