So here it is, nearly Christmas. Is everybody having fun? Mrs WineFolio tells me it snowed in Wellington today – but I told her it\u2019s just a drop of summer hail\u2026 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\u2019ve not seen in 2023 – in Auckland anyway.<\/p>\n
As much as Christmas brings a brief change of pace to WineFolio Towers, there\u2019s much that stays the same. I do like to know there\u2019s 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\u2026yes, I know.<\/p>\n
One thing that I do tend to do differently in the days before Christmas, is have a think about what I\u2019d like to drink over the next fortnight. I\u2019m 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\u2019m also to be found in the spirits aisles of a local bottle shop looking for \u201csomething new\u201d. I\u2019m not talking Creme de Menthe or Advocaat, but it is really the only time of year when I\u2019ll 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\u2019s often sherry.<\/p>\n
In terms of wine – it\u2019s what we\u2019re here for after all – I\u2019m a fan of \u2018delicious\u2019, and that often follows balance. Not just in any given bottle, but across the week\u2019s 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\u2019m given there (when judging) but let\u2019s 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\u2019s do that too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As far as reds go, I\u2019m loving Grenache from McLaren Vale at the moment. I\u2019d 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\u2019ve found myself returning to \u2018bigger\u2019 wines in 2023. Australia does these so well, but I\u2019ve had some crackers from NZ as well this year. I\u2019m going to go for a Syrah (or a Shiraz) and a Cabernet Franc.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve not mentioned other wines that I\u2019m interested in. I\u2019m all for orange wines, skin-fermented this and that, and P\u00e9t-Nat. I\u2019ve 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\u2019re not as fortunate as me to have wonderful things like dry Chilean Muscat, or Palomino as a dry white wine from Cadiz\u2026 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.<\/p>\n Hopefully you\u2019ll find the reviews, tastings and writings on WineFolio to be of help. I\u2019ve lost count of the number of people who I\u2019ve directed to the \u201cWine Regions\u201d 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\u2019ll 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\u2019re up to this Christmas, I wish you all the best.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" So here it is, nearly Christmas. Is everybody having fun? Mrs WineFolio tells me it snowed in Wellington today – but I told her it\u2019s just a drop of summer … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9931,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9930","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-writing-about-wine"],"yoast_head":"\n