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I decided to go for a Cabernet Sauvignon blend and bought a few bottles of Etchart Privado Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon wine since my last experience with the blend Kell’s Edge Cabernet Grenache was a good one.
This year, instead of having Turkey we made a very delicious chicken, sprouts, salmon filled with prawns, potatos and a chocolate filled Christmas pudding which the Etchart Privado went perfectly well with.
The fruityness of the wine complimented the chicken and the pepper flavours of the wine helped to add character to the overall meal.
Well it was on my mind whether or not to open a bottle on Christmas Eve or just on Christmas day. The sight of this Armidal Estatess Unoaked Cabernet Sauvignon Australian red wine in my kitchen just made me open the screw cap to have a smell and the next thing you know I was drinking a glass of it.
Usually I drink wine with a meal but on this occassion decided to drink it on its own and you can really appreciate fruit flavours and eucalyptus notes vividly making it an ideal noobie wine.
For many of us we have not really delved into every single wine style, perhaps just the still wines, sparkling wines and Champagne. However, if you feel a bit adventurous this year and really want to impress your guests by serving fortified wines this Christmas, here are some tips:
The main styles of fortified wines are port wine, sherry wine and Maderia wine all of which are wines that have been distilled with a spirit such as brandy. What distinguishes these wines are their origins, character and grape variety. All three wine types range in style, from dry to sweet, the former great to accompany snacks such as nuts and the latter goes well with desserts or as an apperitif.
So it is quite easy, just pick any fortified wine you might wish to serve, find out what style it is eg dry, semi-dry, sweet and then serve at the relevant stage of your meal. If serving as an apperitif then the wine is usually chilled before serving and the most suitable wine varieties for the are the fortified white wines
Here are some great fortified wine picks that you might want to consider:
1. Fonseca Siroco White Port Wine (Capital Drinks UK)
2. Bodegas Hidalgo Napoleon Amontillado Sherry (Capital Drinks UK)
3. Henriques & Henriques Madeira Finest Dry 5 Year Old (Capital Drinks UK)
Just recently it was my parents wedding anniversary where I decided to take a bottle of white and rose Berri Estates sparkling wine which turned out to be a hit with all the guests.
You simple cannot go wrong with these sparkling wines as they are not only at a great price but also the taste is wonderful making them a definite must try this Christmas!
This is the Australian sparkling white wine, Berri Estates Cuvee Brut, which is dry, crisp and classy
The Australian sparkling rose wine, Berri Estates Rose Brut, has the same quality as the white and will go down well with the ladies due to its gorgeous light pink colour!
You can get both from Capital Drinks sparkling wine section for UK mainland delivery – enjoy!
With this Penfolds Thomas Hyland Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 vintage it went down really well with some rice and chicken at my local resturant but having tasted it the next day I got a chance to see its characteristics by itself.
Compared to the other newer vintage Cabernet Sauvignon wines it lacked the bite and freshness which was not noticed when I had it with a meal. Having said this, I just took a few more sips and that bite appears to have come back into the wine, maybe my taste buds have a delayed response to this wine, or opening the bottle exposed the wine to oxygen changing its chemistry – not sure?
