The English Wine Christmas Half Dozen
With Christmas fast approaching we thought we'd put together 6 bottles of English wine to see you through the key dates of the Festive Season. These would be perfect for corporate gifting with personalised messages and next day delivery.
Christmas Eve – Wiston Estate Rosé 2014 £35.00
All the shopping is done, the presents are all wrapped, those who need to be are tucked up safely in bed. It's time to take the weight off for a few minutes and relax with a bottle of Wiston Estate Rosé 2014. These beautifully smooth, pink bubbles will set the tone for the days ahead. Produced in West Sussex by English wine supremo Dermot Sugrue, the vivacious red fruit of the nose is perfectly balance by a dry crisp finish with wonderful length. Some might leave a glass for Santa but I'd be inclined to finish it myself!
Christmas Morning – Ambriel Classic Cuvée £28.00 
For me Christmas has to start with Scotch smoked salmon, soft scrambled eggs and a glass of something decadently bubbly. Nothing fits the bill better than Ambriel's Classic Cuvée, a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier wines from 2013 and 2014 with a huge amount of lees ageing to give it that classy, mouth-filling presence and just enough acidity to cope with the smoked salmon. Made without compromise by Charles and Wendy Outhwaite in West Sussex, this has long been a Hawkins Bros favourite. If you can, save a little for the Queen's Speech
Christmas Lunch – Hoffmann & Rathbone Pinot Noir NV £21.00 
Whilst a roast turkey can often verge on the bland I'm a big fan of pairing it with a Pinot Noir. Where better to settle than this wonderfully medium bodied Pinot Noir from Hoffmann & Rathbone in East Sussex. A non-vintage blend of wines from 2019, 2018 and 2017.this is a complex wine that keeps delivering. Delicate red colour, a characterful nose with aromas of cranberry crunch and soft red fruits. The palate bursts with cherry and raspberry flavours, fully fruit driven with only the slightest hint of oak. Served at just under room temperature it's a match made in heaven.
Boxing Day Lunch – Litmus Orange Bacchus 2014 £15.00 
Cold turkey, glazed ham, home-made pickles and Auntie Ethel snoring gently in the corner. You need a fairly robust wine to cope with all of this so we've gone for Litmus Orange Bacchus 2014. For those of you not sure what an Orange Wine is, it's a white wine made in a similar way to a red with lots of contact between the juice and the skins giving depth and tannic grip to the finished wine. This delightful example from Litmus in Dorking, Surrey has even been topped up with a bit of botrytic wine to give added oomph. Made by Aussie John Worontschak this is a triumph.
New Year's Eve – Hawkins Bros Brut Reserve 2014 £26.00 
New Year's Eve should be about frivolity, letting your hair down, putting a disastrous year behind you and looking forward to a much better one. I can't think of any other way than by cracking open a bottle of our own Hawkins Bros Brut Reserve 2014. A gold medal winner in 2019 this has enough lees ageing to stand up with the big boys, yet its Chardonnay backbone gives it a crisp, flirtatious edge much needed as the clocks roll over at midnight. Grown and made on the Hogs Back in Surrey we're immensely proud of this crowd-pleaser (also available in magnums!).
New Years Day Lunch – Stopham Estate Pinot Gris £16.00 
A brisk walk to blow away the cobwebs followed by a long, late, leisurely lunch. At this point in the proceedings your tastebuds probably need nothing more than a big hug and this is delivered in spades by this multi-award-winning Pinot Gris from The Stopham Estate in West Sussex. Winemaker Simon Woodhead's previous career was at McLaren Formula 1 and you can almost feel the engineering precision of this beautifully made wine. But don't be deceived into thinking that this is a cold hearted, meccano set wine. This will wrap you up and cuddle you all the way through to the James Bond film.
These six wines would make a perfect gift to yourself, but we can also discuss corporate gifting with personalised messages and next day delivery. Do contact us at simon@hawkinsbros.co.uk