32LimitedEditionEssex
LEwine
flavour
A flourish of
for the festive season
For a personal present nothing beats wine, writesTim Haslam
W
INE is one of the nicest
gifts you can give,
especially at Christmas.
But with so much choice, where
do you start?
Department stores sell
ready-wrapped wine-themed gifts,
but given their pricing structure,
these are usually very poor value.
Additionally, as department stores
are not wine specialists, the quality
of these gifts can be variable.
So, if you want to give a wine gift,
it's better to either buy the trade's
pre-boxed gifts, or buy some wine
separately and wrap it yourself.
A pair of wines that could grace
any Christmas stocking are from the
Washington Hills winery in
ColumbiaValley,Washington state.
People tend to think of
Californian wines, but
Washington is the USA's
second-largest producing
state.
Washington Hills Sauvignon
Blanc is crisp, fresh and
nettley, with hints of
gooseberry and green apple
on the palate, while the
Merlot is soft and lush, with
damson and blueberry fruit.
Both are available at �6.49 from
larger Co-Op stores.
This year, I've really enjoyed
exploring Italian white wines. A
particular favourite is 2007
Verdicchio di Matelica, Monacesa
(�9.99 Adnams &Waitrose), which is
wonderfully full, rich and aromatic
with citrus and apricot flavours.
My red recommendation is the
2008 Roaring Meg Pinot Noir from
Mount Difficulty in Central Otago,
New Zealand (�17.49, Majestic).
Kiwi Pinot is fantastic with turkey,
and Mount Difficulty is one of
Central Otago's top producers, so
expect vibrant raspberry and
redcurrant fruit, backed up by
a long, lush finish.
With the Christmas
pudding, there's only one
wine which ticks all the
boxes, and that's
Gran Barquero
Pedro Ximenez,
from Montilla
in Spain, in a
50cl bottle
(�7.99,
Waitrose).
It's like liquid Christmas pudding,
all treacly and figgy. If you have any
left after the day, pour some on
good vanilla ice cream for a
hedonistic treat!
If you think your loved ones might
prefer a familiar brand, I recommend
the Fish Hoek range from South
Africa.There's a wide range of reds,
whites and ros�s, from familiar
grape varieties.They are widely
available and retail for about �5.99.
Whisky tends to be an even
more popular gift than wine at this
time of year. If you want to give a
blended whisky, then try Grant's
Ale Cask Reserve (�11.49,
Waitrose) or Black Bottle
(�14.16, Sainsbury's).
If you're going to push the boat
out a bit and treat someone to a
single malt, then try Bruichladdich
1994 Recioto Finish
(�35.99, Oddbins), a
13-year-old malt
matured in casks that
contained Recioto di
Valpolicella, an amazing
sweet red wine from
Veneto in Italy. Finally, why
not ring in the NewYear
with a superb example of
English sparkling wine, the
CamelValley Brut 2006 from
Cornwall (�19.99,Waitrose), an
award winning wine � perfect
for a celebration. Cheers!

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