Hey, can I tell you something?
Do you know about a hidden gem in our little shop… the booze cabinet?
This well-guarded treasure of the shop is under lock and key, so you will need to ask us to open it.
Inside is a treasure of organic, vegan and all-veggie plonk, fizz, beers and general alcoholic stuff to make your festivities merrily on high.
These carefully chosen beverages are all so good we’d be surprised if you don’t enjoy any bottle you choose.
But here are the chosen ones we think will make your Christmas infinitely better.
Pet-nat roc’ambulle chateau le roc – The fizzy one!
At only 9% abv this lovely pink fizz is dangerously easy to drink – fresh light, barely dry with a hint of grapefruit bitters – mmmmm
Pet-nat or method ancestral to both the newest and most fashionable sparkling wine and the ancestor of all bubbles – it predates the champaign method by centuries.
Tasting notes:
It uses an exceptional Negrette grape-based Pet-Nat Rose. It tastes of sweet and tart red fruit from the ancient and indigenous Negrete grape. It has a subtle sanguine flavour from the iron ore-rich land on which they are grown.
Bodegas Tempore Generacion 73 Garnacha – The full-bodied oaky red one
Is A deliciously different limited-edition wine from a family-run vineyard.
On the organic vineyards of Finca Masatrigos in Lecera, Bajo Argon at an altitude of 550m pure Garnacha is grown for Generation 73.
Tasting notes
With a brilliantly lively red and purple colour rich in high intensities aromas of blackberry, vanilla and sweet caramel and floral notes such as violets and jasmine this full-bodied wine has a fruity ripe beginning giving way to hints of sweet caramel and light taste of toasted oak.
Chateau Tour Des Gendres La Vigne D’albert 2021 – The easy-drinking red
Staple red for those who are looking for something a little darker and full ….
Bergerac rouge could be the answer.
It’s a blend of familiar grapes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot & Malbec, but with the obscure Bergerac varietals Fer Perigord and Abouriou in the mix too.
Tasting notes
The fruit is down that dark plummy spicy route with a fine-grained line of graphite-tasting notes. A real crowd-pleaser.
Grand Cerdo: – oh this one is a great red you must try!
Gran Cerdo Tempranillo 2022
Organic and biodynamic non-filtered, no stabilization and min sulphur.
This hugely enjoyable red is made by cult winemaker Gonzalo Grijalba, the ‘enfant terrible’ of the Rioja region.
The ‘Grand Cerdo’ or ‘large pig’ is 100% Tempranillo and, true to form, Gonzalo Grijalba includes no information on the label other than a rant aimed at the bank managers who have refused to lend him money to develop his business. (You really should read the back label!).
This red is actually from 4.5 hectares of 35-year-old de-classified Rioja vines, declassified as Gonzalo Grijalba cropped over the permitted 6 tonnes/hectare. As a result, there is no vintage on the label.
Tasting notes
A clear cherry red in the glass. On the nose, aromas of red fruits and cassis with earthy notes. On the palate, light and juicy with great acidity with plenty of sweet red fruit flavours. The finish is fresh and medium in length.
Chateau Mourgues du Grès – the white wine Les Galets Dorés
A fruity and mineral gourmet white wine
The ‘Galets’ are reminiscent of our terroir of rounded stones known as ‘grès’. Sculpted by the moraine of the Rhône glacier in the Quaternary Period, they characterise the Costières de Nîmes in the south of the Rhône Valley.
Tasting notes
Fruity (citrus and white-fleshed fruit), floral (broom shrub) and mineral (flint) notes.
A quick attack with citric notes with a beautiful aromatic persistence. A silky and cool texture.
A salty note, reminiscent of the sea breeze, makes up part of its finesse.
Serve at about 10°C.
Cheers!
What will you get for your table?
