Bring a Bottle Podcast: Episode 104

We are together for Episode 104 and the season finale of the Bring a Bottle podcast! This will be the last episode for a while, so it’s a time for reflecting on the trends and value monsters of the year just passed and predict the trends for 2023. Top cocktails of the year, Mezcal, Martini, Dry January tips, a Buy it or Bin it that misses the mark and much more! Happy New Year drinkers!

What’s In Our Glass?

The perfect party wine, we’re loving the Graffigna Malbec Genuine Collection in this episode. Malbec is probably the greatest all-rounder red there is, and for an Uco Valley bottle, this is amazing value; concentrated with ripe berries and bursting with flavour.
Helena brings DeRosier raspberry chocolates along which go perfectly with it, and Aidy suggests pigs in blankets or aged gouda as another perfect match. To be honest, whether main or dessert, this elegant easy-drinking Malbec loves most dishes!

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13.5%
Find here: £9 Sainsbury’s (often on offer so keep your eyes peeled!)

Drinks News

We look back at the most popular cocktails of the year and what do you think number one was? Dirty Shirly was a surprising 3rd, and Espresso Martin 2nd... what would your top be? Listen to find out!
Also, the Duke of Sussex pub has dipped into the Royal controversy by realising a, ‘Harry’s Bitter’ brew... some love it, some think it’s going too far, what about you?

What will be a big drinks trend next year?

We’d love to see Mezcal trending in 2023, and with Margarita and Picante so popular, tequila is getting there but we’re predicting more short serves. Helena’s crystal ball also fancies Vermouth to pick up more of the spotlight so we shall see!

Bang for Buck

A big shout out to Crémant de Loire from Lidl, a Chenin-based Champagne alternative that punches well above its pricepoint. Lees aging, a splash of Chardonnay, and weight and waxiness from Chenin – the balance is impeccable, and it would sing if served up beside something like salmon mousse.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Find here: £8.99 Lidl

Martini

If you love a Martini then you don’t want to miss this segment. Opposing the most famous Martini drinker of them all, Aidy says to never shake them! He likes to stir his Savoia vermouth in, whilst Helena prefers Cocchi vermouth. Sweet vermouth can overpower the vodka or gin in your glass, so consider trying a ‘vermouth rinse’ if you find this problematic!

Dry January

We’ve been singing the praises of Franklin and Sons tonic and soda for a while, and they’re perfect for a Dry January stand alone. Also, consider Wednesday’s Domaine for a great value non-alcoholic wine. It’s creative, fun and tasty to boot!

New Year’s Eve

What is our favourite cocktail for the big night? For a sparkling option, French 75 is hard to beat. For something with oomph, Death in the Afternoon! Or... what about Aidy’s homemade experiment? Grand Marnier, honeycomb syrup, bitters all shaken and topped up with Cava! Who knows, maybe that will be the top cocktail of 2023?

Buy it or Bin it

It looks like a dark Irn Bru, hits you with aniseed and sambuca... but there’s chocolate in there too? It’s Chocolate Absinthe Liqueur, by Devil’s Botany. The bottle is beautiful, but the drink inside doesn’t quite hit the mark with us when trying it neat. However, to bring balance to a savoury cocktail, it may well be ideal!

Listen in to our final podcast episode for all this and more!

What Should You Do With Leftover Wine?

Humble brag, but we like to think that if you’ve followed our guidance and recommendations then leftover wine won’t be much of an issue because they’ll simply be too delicious to forget about… but if you do find yourself with some leftover wine that you don’t want to drink for whatever reason, here are some ideas before pouring it away. Waste not want not!

Basic Preservation

Let’s start with the fundamentals to preserve what’s left of the wine in the best way possible. Air is the main thing that kills wine off, so re-cork if rather than leaving it exposed! Having a reusable cork ready to use that fits most bottles will be handy, and we’ve got some other tips for you too. Perhaps the celebrations have stopped early and there’s still bubbly to spare? Get yourself a Champagne stopper on hand to keep the bubbles and freshness for as long as possible. Also, oxidation is slower at colder temperatures so make sure your re-corked wine is refrigerated. After that, ensure that it’s upright to limit the surface area of wine exposed to oxygen.

If you regularly find yourself with half a bottle leftover, then consider purchasing some empty half bottles to pour it into. This way, there’ll be considerably less air getting at the wine and it will stay fresher for longer!

Cooking Wine

Different wines last for different amounts of time once opened, and even then, it can be down to personal preference whether a wine is still good to use or not. Generally, wine starts oxidising considerably after 24 hours and beyond that, the infamous vinegary quality will build and build.

Red wines can sometimes take on an acrid quality even quicker than whites, but generally, the shelf life of whites to be used in cooking is slightly less. Here at The Three Drinkers we’ve used wines that were opened a couple of months ago in cooking with no issues, so judge it on a case-by-case basis. Some oxidation is fine, but if it’s noticeably vinegary and acidic then leave it out.

Also, it may sound obvious but if you’re just using a small splash of wine, the quality of the bottle doesn’t matter too much. After all, it’s being heated to a high temperature and reduced to the fundamental essence of the flavouring. However, if you’re cooking something that relies on the wine – Bolognese or Bourguignon for example, then you don’t want to put your whole meal at risk by using a dodgy leftover wine.

And it’s not just adding wine into a pot that can create something delicious. There are all kinds of fantastic sauces, butters, glazes, and marinades that make great use of wine, especially red wine, so experiment away.

DIY vinegar

If you really aren’t too keen on the bottle, then you probably won’t want to risk spoiling a hard-cooked meal with it either, so how about DIY vinegar? Nature will take its course with this once you leave the wine in a covered container (you can get specialist containers if you’re regularly doing this), and you can nudge it along with symbiotic bacteria and yeast cultures if required, turning alcohol into acetic acid. Honestly, it sounds a lot more complicated than it is and it’s a really interesting experiment to have on the go!

The time taken can range between two weeks to two months, and if you’re using a particularly strong wine, it’s worth diluting slightly because the bacteria struggle with too much alcohol.  The same goes for excessive sulfites. Keep it in a warm place, check on it every so often and voila! Your own red or white wine vinegar, ready to use in salad dressings, sauces, marinades, reductions, and pickling.

Vacuum Pumps

This is a slightly more extreme measure to take sure, but vacuum pumps aren’t too expensive and work really well to preserve open wines by clicking when the air has been removed from the bottle. There are plenty of these devices, often called, ‘Wine Saver’s but Vacu-Vin are a reliable brand if you want to take that extra step to preserve your wine.

Inert Gas Preservation

Now, this is worth it if you’re a real wine enthusiast, these machines pierce the cork with a needle to extract the wine you want to drink, replacing it with argon gas simultaneously for ultimate freshness preservation. The Coravin Model is most enthusiasts’ go-to machine, allowing you to pour any amount of any wine, without removing the cork at all!

Sangria

There’s a chance your wine may be too far gone for this, or perhaps you really haven’t enjoyed the bottle, in which case maybe ignore this one. But, if you still enjoyed your red wine and just have some leftovers that are on the turn, try Sangria. With so many different fruits, loads of ice and a generous sloshing of brandy, your wine will have new life breathed into it. Let the fruit rest with sugar and a little cinnamon for a while before using, and any unpleasantness from the wine should be tapered off by the bolder flavours and gorgeous sweetness of the mix. Sangria saves the day and not for the first time!

Mulled wine

From summer to winter; mulled wine is one of the best ways to get the most out of leftover wine in the chilly months. Simmering your wine slowly with brandy and warming spices (star anise, cloves, cinnamon) is incredibly satisfying to watch over, and there’s no set-in-stone recipe, so you can add in various fruits, lemon zest, sugar etc. to your personal taste. The key to mulled wine is low heat, giving time for everything to infuse whilst it cools down. Ideally for you, we have an entire episode of our Bring a Bottle podcast dedicated to walking you through it!

Episode 71: How to Do Mulled Wine Properly

Wine ice cubes

If there’s any food and drink in the kitchen that needs preserving, it isn’t long before we turn to the freezer let’s face it. So, can wine be frozen? Well, if you’re freezing a substantial amount with the expectation of returning to it and sipping it from a glass in the usual way, you’ll probably be disappointed. The wine won’t be the same once it’s thawed, but wine ice cubes are great for adding intensity to sangria, and still work perfectly in cooking. Just make sure you don’t freeze the whole bottle because that could get messy.

Moisturiser

A less conventional usage this one, but why not give it a go? It’s becoming more well known in recent years that the antioxidant high polyphenols in red wine can be beneficial for the skin, protecting it from free radicals, which are basically unstable atoms that can damage cells and speed up aging). Some research shows that the polyphenols also nourish and exfoliate the skin, and whilst the science isn’t of concrete certainty, numerous luxury brands have popped up using this idea. Brad Pitt’s Le Domaine, Caudalie, Westwell and Pelegrims to name a few. Apply it to your skin in any way you like, but why not try a splash of leftover wine in the bath? It might sound strange, but some people are chuffed with the results!

Compost

If there’s really no other use for your wine, then this has got to be better than pouring it down the plughole. Leftover wine and beer can really kickstart a compost into getting moving, with the yeast presence helping considerably. It’s an easy way to add liquid to the heap, the nitrogen helps too, and red wine in particular can activate good bacteria to enhance plant growth should you eventually use your compost for that. Don’t add too much though, because this can actually have the opposite effect and harm the bacteria that are key to a successful compost.

Apparently, the average British household throws away two glasses of wine a week, and as you can see, there’s really no excuse. If you want to take a look at some wines that you’ll almost certainly finish before you even have to worry about leftovers, then check out our very best Reds and Whites here!

One Drink, Three Ways: Mirabeau Gin

One Drink, Three Ways is the signature feature by The Three Drinkers. Join The Three Drinkers’ Helena, Aidy and Colin as they take one bottle and create a trio of phenomenal serves which you can enjoy anytime, anywhere. From rums and whiskies to gins and wine styles, the three help you get the most out of your glass. It’s time to get liquid on lips.

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Mirabeau is always one of our top choices for quality and value when it comes to rosé, so when they announced their journey into juniper a couple of years ago, we had high expectations! We were not disappointed. 

In this gin, there are the familiar base botanicals of juniper, citrus, orris root, angelica root and coriander, but inspired by the surroundings of the Saint Tropez estate, it’s the Riviera twist of herbs like bay, thyme and rosemary alongside the neutral grape spirit and base distillate of Mirabeau Classic Rosé that really grabs your attention. The result is a fantastically fruity and well-rounded gin with fresh citrus character that’s bursting with floral notes, rose petals and lavender. Those herbs add an extra kick at the end too for an extremely satisfying and complete drink with all the glamour of the Côte d’Azur.

There really is plenty here to enjoy neat, but with so many appealing notes, it only makes sense to get some stunning cocktails going eventually...

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Helena’s Choice: Mirabeau Pink Gimlet

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Mirabeau gin is perfect for a characterful, gin sour style cocktail. The lime and grapefruit play up to the citrus in the gin and are pitched perfectly against the sweet syrup. Everything tastes incredibly fresh and balanced while showing off the beautiful, fruity gin. Simply pour all the ingredients into an ice filled cocktail shaker and shake together, then strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with half a wheel of lime and that’s it. You’re transported to the French Riviera!

Mirabeau Pink Gimlet

Recipe

50ml Mirabeau Dry Rosé Gin

25ml Simple Syrup

50ml Lime Juice (1 lime)

75ml Pink Grapefruit Juice (1/2 a Grapefruit)

Crushed Ice

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Aidy’s Choice: Mirabeau Rosé Negroni

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Negronis are, by their nature, one of the most adaptable cocktails and I adore this rosé led version. All three work together to elevate the fresh floral and citrus notes, and the underlining herbs add a tonne of depth from the background to round it off. Immensely refreshing and a lip-smacker alright. Simply add the Mirabeau Dry Rosé Gin, Lillet Rosé and Luxardo Bitter Bianco into a tumbler filled with plenty of ice and stir gently until the ice starts to melt. Take the zest of a grapefruit and wipe it around the rim of the glass. Pinch the zest to express a little oil, add it as a garnish and enjoy!

Mirabeau Rosé Negroni

Recipe

25ml Mirabeau Dry Rosé Gin

25ml Lillet Rosé

25ml Luxardo Bitter Bianco

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Colin’s Choice: Mirabeau Rosé G&T

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There are cans of Mirabeau Dry Rosé Gin & Tonic in Waitrose, but this cocktail version is a notch above if I can be so bold. The floral Mediterranean tonic with its herbal notes complements similar notes in the gin and provides a really light and refreshing base. The Angostura bitters emphasise the citrus fruitiness and embolden the cocktail to become more than just a refresher. 

Place some ice in a large wine glass and gently wipe the rim of the glass with the zest of grapefruit. Pour in the Mirabeau Riviera Dry Rosé Gin, the tonic, and add the drops of angostura. Stir gently with the sprig of rosemary which also makes the perfect garnish once you’re finished. Perfection.

Mirabeau Rosé G&T

Recipe

50ml Mirabeau Dry Rosé Gin

150ml Fever Tree Mediterranean Tonic

4 drops Angostura Bitters

Zest of Grapefruit

A sprig of fresh Rosemary

ABV: 43%
Size: 700ml
Find here: £35

We’re always mixing up new cocktails at Three Drinkers HQ, so make sure to check out the rest of our recommendations here!

House of Hazelwood Whisky

Occasionally in the world of Scotch, something comes along which is new. They tend to be innovations using younger liquid or unusual barrel finishes, or out-of-the-norm production methods. All are within the rules. However, this year something new arrived that opposed all the above. Old, sorry, very old Scotch whiskies in traditional casks, that were made many, many years ago, using traditional methods.

What types of whisky does House of Hazelwood produce?

House of Hazelwood for the last few years has been producing blends with some age to them. Starting at 18 and rising to 25, they were premium blends. However, the brand has now been re-invented and reimagined. They have taken this initial idea and gone way beyond creating premium blends.

House of Hazelwood has been re-born. As part of the William Grant and Sons portfolio, they have access to some of the rarest Scotch whisky casks in Scotland laid down by the Gordon family over a period of nearly 100 years. However, although they are a part of the William Grant and Sons portfolio, they are a separate entity and do not answer to the whisky team there. In being “independent” they can be creative and they can also be nimble as a new, smaller business. And oh my what they are creating is magnificent.

Which Whisky is Used in the House of Hazelwood Blends?

They are still blending, but with a difference. The youngest blend created to date is 33 years old, with many over 40 and 50 years old. The whiskies by nature of their age are very rare, and the blends created from these old and rare casks are one-off blends, never to be repeated. Two of my favourites were a blend from 1963, called ‘A Singular Blend’ created from both grain and malt whisky distilled in the same year and at the same highland distillery in 1963. The other is a blend from 1965 called ‘Blended at Birth’. Now forbidden by the SWA, this whisky was created by blending different new make spirits straight off the stills that were then placed in casks together to age. There is precious little liquid left in some of the casks leading to very small numbers of bottles being created for each blend. For example, ‘A Singular Blend’ had only 74 bottles in existence. Of which there must be less now as one was opened for us at Hazelwood House when we visited the Gordon family home after which the brand is named. Even though the whiskies are of such age and rarity, they surprisingly don’t cost the earth. Unlike many other whiskies, House of Hazelwood has whiskies from a little under £1000 and even the rarest of them all is under £5000. Although a lot of money for a bottle of whisky, these are no mere bottles of whisky.

The brand itself talks about these whiskies being a family of individuals, each whisky being unique within the overall collection. It seems very apt with the idea coming from the Gordon family. With such individuality in the whiskies, there is no precedent for them to release whiskies at a particular age or adhere to a particular formular. They can bottle the spirit when they feel it is ready, not feeling forced to push whiskies to an age beyond their natural conclusion. And once drunk, these one-of-a-kind snapshots of whisky history are truly gone forever. You can see more about this beautiful whisky here.

If you’ve enjoyed this feature, why not have a read of what Master Blender Billy Walker shared when we caught up with him to talk all about the GlenAllachie range?

Words by Colin Hampden-White

One Drink, Three Ways: Glen Grant 15-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch

One Drink, Three Ways is the signature feature by The Three Drinkers. Join The Three Drinkers’ Helena, Aidy and Colin as they take one bottle and create a trio of phenomenal serves which you can enjoy anytime, anywhere. From rums and whiskies to gins and wine styles, the three help you get the most out of your glass. It’s time to get liquid on lips.

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We’ve been working our way through different ages of Glen Grant Scotch whisky lately and loving every sip. Their 15-year-old spirit is matured in a balanced combination of ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry casks before eventually being bottled at 50% abv. Oomph! Behind that inviting gold colouring is a superbly well-rounded bold and fruity flavour profile, with rich vanilla oak char laced throughout. If you like Speyside whisky, you’ll love this.

You might have seen our Glen Grant 10-year-old cocktails, but these are a lot simpler with fewer ingredients. Put simply, all the hard work has already been done for you at the distillery and in this case, less is more. Enjoy!

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Helena’s Choice: Classic Highball

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With more and more drinkers looking to take their first steps on the whisky road, highballs are a great, accessible way to start the whisky journey before hitting the stuff neat. With such a flavoursome, well-rounded Scotch, a classic highball is the perfect way to enjoy a delicious 15-year single malt at its peak! Simply pour the whisky into a highball glass with ice and top it up with soda. Sublime.

Classic Highball

Recipe

50ml Glen Grant 15 YO

Soda

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Aidy’s Choice: Bobby Burns

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Here’s a classic Scotch cocktail if ever I saw one. Made in the same vein as a Rob Roy but superior (if I do say so myself), this is a deliciously boozy cocktail. The three liquids balance out really well to create a rich and subtly spicy concoction that is dangerously sippable. You can mix up the ratios to your taste, but all you’ve got to do is stir everything with ice, strain into a glass and serve with a nice orange twist! 

Bobby Burns

Recipe

40ml Glen Grant 15 YO

20ml sweet Vermouth

10ml Benedictine

Orange twist

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Colin’s Choice: On the Rocks

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A big lump of ice and a generous pour of beautiful whisky – sometimes you can’t beat simplicity. This Scotch certainly isn’t one to wilt in the limelight, so it performs well on the rocks where you can experience all of its layers. Just sip and enjoy as the ice melts.

On the Rocks

Recipe

50ml Glen Grant 15 YO

Big piece of ice

ABV: 50%
Size: UK 700ml // US 750ml
Find here: UK £59.95 // US $80.99

For a slight change of pace, check out our options for the younger 10-year-old Scotch!

8 Sparkling Wine Cocktails To Serve This Festive Season

You can’t beat adding some fizz and sparkle to festive proceedings with sparkling wine cocktails. They’re super simple to make, refreshing, delicious and they’re amazingly versatile when it comes with food pairings. From classics to more unusual concoctions, these are 8 of the best cocktails using various sparkling wines!

Negroni Sbagliato

Don’t be surprised if younger family members bring this cocktail up, because it went viral on TikTok recently after House of the Dragon star Emma D’Arcy announced her love for it. In short, it’s a Prosecco Negroni. This makes for a lighter Negroni, perfect if you’re not a big fan of the usual bitterness Negronis can have. An extra dry Prosecco like Giusti Rosalia works perfectly because the slight sweetness counteracts the spirits’ bitterness.

Ingredients
25ml Prosecco
25ml Campari
25ml sweet vermouth
orange slice (to garnish)

 Method
Pour the Campari and vermouth into a rocks glass and fill it with ice. Top up with Prosecco. Stir gently to chill and garnish with the orange slice. Voilà!

Mimosa

Any sparkling wine of your choice will do for a Mimosa, but we’ve gone for Cava. It’s the light and fresh option that’s perfect for pretty much any special occasion, and Christmas is no different! Just sparkling wine and orange juice here, so it’s perfect to ratio to your liking. If you’ve got a sparkling wine that you particularly love, go heavy on that! But if Nan’s on her 3rd Baileys before the turkey’s even out of the oven? Maybe it’s a good idea to up that OJ before handing her one.

Ingredients
100ml Cava
100ml orange juice 

Method
It’s just a case of combining the two in flutes here, so make sure you’ve got a sparkling wine that you love, and a good quality orange juice! It couldn’t be simpler.

Top Tip: Remember, chill everything to avoid using ice as this will kill off the bubbles!

Bellini

Famously easy to make, this a reliably refreshing Italian cocktail with only two ingredients – Prosecco and peach. It was supposedly named after Renaissance painter Giovanni Bellini because the drink’s gorgeous colour reminded the Venetian bartender of Bellini’s warm colour palette!

Ingredients
60ml peach purée
160ml Prosecco
Peach slice (garnish)

Method
You can buy peach purée but unless you’re a Bellini lover, you probably won’t have it in the cupboard. All you have to do is blend some peeled peaches until smooth and refrigerate. When it’s time to serve, strain into a flute, top up with Prosecco and gently stir. If you’ve got a peach left, of course a slice as garnish tops it all off!

Kir Real

Crème de Cassis is a gorgeous blackcurrant liqueur from Dijon in France and topping it up with a sparkling white gives you the Kir cocktail, created in 19th century France. Using Champagne instead creates the Kir Royale, but we’ve gone for Spanish Cava to create a much better value Kir Real. It requires the same time-consuming method as Champagne, there’s just more of it about! But it’s far closer a Champagne than something like a Prosecco so works great for this. Bubbly bite with juicy fruity sweetness! Fit for a royal indeed.

Ingredients
1 tbsp crème de cassis
Cava
Blackberry (optional garnish) 

Method
Nice and simple. Pour your crème de cassis into a Champagne flute and top up with Cava! A fresh or frozen blackberry or lemon twist makes a great garnish.

Rosé Aperol Spritz

Aperol Spritz was created in Italy and is now officially Germany’s favourite cocktail. If you want to inject some summery feeling into your festive season, or maybe you’re somewhere sunny for Christmas, then this Rosé version is there for you. The passion fruit juice is ideal for bridging the gap between the subtle bitterness of the Aperol and the fruity wine. The result is a fruitier, more refined Spritz that’s a very drinkable switch up. Who says it's just for summer?

Ingredients
50ml Aperol
75ml rosé
30ml soda
30ml passion fruit juice
Lime wedge (garnish)

 Method
Pop one ice cube in your glass and combine the Aperol with rosé. Top up with soda and juice, stirring gently to avoid breaking up the fizz, and then garnish with a lime wedge! Enjoy!  

The Golden Dram

Scotch cocktails can often be thought to be dark and moody affairs, but this unusual pairing with sparkling wine changes that. Combined with an Angostura-soaked sugar cube, you create a unique and refreshing cocktail that’s probably not quite like anything you’ve tasted before.

Ingredients
Angostura bitters-soaked sugar cube
25ml Scotch
100ml Prosecco

 Method

Drop a single sugar cube into your Champagne flute and soak with a couple of dashes of Angostura bitters. Let it sit for a few minutes, and then add Scotch before topping up to the top with Prosecco! Stir lightly to slowly dissolve the sugar and you’re all set.

Top Tip: If you like your cocktails sweeter, soak the sugar cube in a teaspoon of honey too!

Black Velvet

Legend goes that the Black Velvet was thought up by a London steward as Britain mourned the death of Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert in 1861. Whether that’s true or not, it certainly looks the part. Traditionally, it uses Champagne, but we’re using this opportunity to shout out Crémant. It’s a sparkling wine made using the same method as Champagne, and although it was once looked down upon, the current crop of Crémant producers have upped their game and it massively punches above its price point! You can find decent bottles for under £10, and still pull together a delightful Black Velvet that blends the bitter richness of Guinness, with the fizzing lightness of the wine.

Ingredients
100ml Guinness
100ml Crémant

 Method
Super simple apart from a drop of bartending technique. Fill half a Champagne flute with your crémant, and top up the rest with Guinness, pouring over the back of a spoon to achieve beautiful layering.

Rosé Bowler

This is an adaption of the Champagne bowler that dates back to the 1930s, but we’re going all out on the strawberries using rosé instead. The trio of grapes with brandy, dry white, and rosé provide a really interesting foundation for the muddled strawberries, and the good thing about this is, if you’ve picked up some berries that aren’t as sweet as you’d like, the rosé picks up the slack.

Ingredients
3 chopped strawberries
20ml brandy (preferably Cognac)
30ml dry white wine (like Chardonnay)
60ml rosé
Dash of syrup (optional)

 Method
Chop 3 strawberries and muddle them well in a shaker. Add your brandy, white wine and ice and shake well. Pour into your glass (without straining) and top up with Rosé.

Top Tip: We know winter strawberries can be a bit hit and miss, so if it’s still not sweet enough just re-introduce the syrup from the original Champagne recipe!

If you’re in the process of planning your Christmas offerings, then make sure to complete your set up with some Boozy Crackers that look stunning and taste delicious inside (the drinks inside that is, not the cracker itself).

And if you’re looking for the perfect Prosecco to make the above, take a look at our Best Proseccos for Under £15 here!

Words by Calum Ecroyd

Bring a Bottle Podcast: Episode 103

We’ve got the best case of déjà vu, because for Episode 103 of the Bring a Bottle podcast, we’re joined by cheese & wine sage Jessica Summer again! We further explore the beautiful Graffigna Malbec and Jessica walks us through an example cheese and wine tasting session, featuring some absolute must hear tips. We also try a delightful hazelnut liqueur you’ll want to try and get our sommelier on with some rather challenging pairings!

Our Guest Drinker

If you missed last week, then Jessica owns the Mouse and Grape, a luxury cheese and wine business that not only sells amazing hampers, but also does private tastings, corporate events, and hen parties. Jessica is fully armed with WSET Level 3 and Cheese Academy Level 2, so what she doesn’t know isn’t really worth knowing.

What’s In Our Glass?

We’re still loving the Graffigna Genuine Collection Reserve Malbec, 2020, with its lovely light quality that’s surprising for a Malbec. From the prestigious Uco Valley in Mendoza, the high altitude creates a concentrated wine bursting with flavour. Think ripe blueberry and chocolate-coated raspberries. There’s a comforting oakiness from the aging that lends itself to pairing with grilled dishes, and a subtle chocolatey nose that would be lovely alongside, surprise surprise, some dark chocolate. So, it’s reliably by your side for main and dessert! It’s elegant, easy-drinking food wine that’s unbelievable for the price.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13.5%
Find here: £9 Sainsbury’s

Cheese and Wine Tasting

Jessica is back with more eye-opening cheese and wine wisdom. We try Saint Nectaire French Cow’s Milk Cheese, a delicate and earthy cheese with velvety rind to match the oaked Malbec being sipped. The combination is beautifully savoury and it’s more than the sum of its parts, accentuating the tertiary flavours wonderfully. Listen for more great tips to get the most out of your cheeses – you’ll never eat it in the same way again.

Drinkers Discovery

Wafer biscuits on the nose, the appearance of an oaked Chardonnay…it’s Frangelico – an Italian hazelnut liqueur. It’s pleasantly light, and not too sweet like some Amaretto can suffer from. Serve it over ice and enjoy with some indulgent nutty chocolate like Ferrero Rocher.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 20%
Find here: £15.99

Instant Somelleier

Any rich ragu, roasted lamb, cauliflower cheese or anything like that, then this Graffigna would work super well, being such a distinctly light and fruity Malbec. But what about other pairings?

Let Jess take you through perfect pairings for Christmas Dinner, Fish & Chips, Steak, Blue cheese, fruit cake and more! As a rule of thumb, you need a wine that is as sweet or sweeter than your food!

Mailbag

This week’s question is, ‘How do you let someone know they’ve been given a really expensive wine without saying it?’

Helena as some perfect tips to let someone know they’ve been given something special so if you struggle with this, tune in till the end of the podcast!

The Best Drinks to Pair with Christmas Dinner

We’ve covered the perfect sparkling wine for you Mimosas/Bucks Fizz and some tasty treats to indulge in as you cook but now it’s time for the main event, the festive meal. This is where we tend to eat far too much over a good few hours and to do this we will need various drinks to compliment the courses!

Let’s start with the first course. Canapes and the first course are usually lighter than the main meal and often involve fish, like smoked salmon, or terrine with various types of salad. White wines are usually best here, however, Champagne can be very good with food too, and there are some alternatives which also work really well.

White Wine

There are some white Burgundies which are lighter in style than others, and for a first course, these two lighter Burgundies would be very good. There are wines made in and around Macon which use much less oak in the maturation than most Burgundy wines, and in the north of Burgundy, Petit Chablis and Chablis are mostly fermented in steel rather than oak as well. These wines give lots of fresh fruit flavours and are not too heavy. My two favourites are Chablis by Nathalie and Gilles Fevre, and a Macon by Dominic Lafon.

Nathalie and Gilles Fevre Chablis

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12.5%
Find it Here: £20

Les Heritiers du Comte Lafon

Size: 750ml
ABV: 14%
Find it Here: £29

Beyond the heights of Burgundy, there are some very good fresh white wines for well under £10 that would be fine gracing any table for a Christmas meal. Sancerre is a great place to start if Sauvignon Blanc is your thing, or for a fruity Italian, this Gavi di Gavi is stunning.

Broglia Gavi di Gavi

A great Gavi di Gavi which is good value at £15.99 from Waitrose, but is now on Special offer. Selected by the talented wine buyer Victoria Mason, and from the Broglia family estate, this is fruity with a persistent finish and lots of texture created by aging the wine on lees.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13.5%
Find it Here: £10

Lucien Crochet Sancerre 2020

A lovely and crisp Sancerre from the upper Loire Valley in France. It’s a floral and zesty refined wine with lots of fruity complexity and will go well with fish or poultry and will even stand up to a game terrine well. A good starter for Christmas dinner.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 14.5%
Find it Here: £20.95

Champagne and Sparkling wine

Veuve Monsigny by Philizot

Created by the Philizot family in the north of Champagne, this is made with all their own grapes and has some cellar aging giving further balance. Fruity without being too zesty, this is a fabulous value Champagne from a well-known maker in France. Their vintage Champagnes can be seen in Michelin restaurants in France, and this wine is a chip off that block.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Find it Here: £13.99

Veuve Clicquot

A well-known name in the world of Champagne and with good reason. It is rich and biscuity with plenty of fruit and a long finish. It’s one of the best grand mark non-vintage Champagnes to match with food. Well balanced with lots of finesse, this is a super Champagne for all occasions. It’s also easy to find in most supermarkets and online and worth looking out for deals on.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Find it Here: £45

Gusbourne 2013 Late Disgorgement

This wine has spent an impressive 90 months on lees making it super luxurious with great texture and depth of flavour. There are flavours of toasted oak, brioche, tart tartin and digestive biscuits. It is also very fruity at its core with apples and pears and some apple blossom with a touch of honey. On the finish, a little lemon and ginger comes through. It’s a thoroughly impressive wine which stands up to the great Champagnes and although it’s a little pricey, you still get a big bang for your buck.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Find it Here: £99

Alternatives to Wine

Not everyone likes to drink wine. And although I do like beer, the decadent beers which might go with the festive season often don’t mix so well with food. I’m thinking of big alcohol stouts here. There are alternatives to wine and regular beers though. And even some non-alcohol drinks which work well with food too. Many Sake rice wines go with food, especially young, non-aged Sake which is fresh. I have a favourite which I think most people will like. I’ve also got a couple of favourite, slightly decadent and definitely festive non-alcoholic alternatives.

Akashi-Tai Junmai Tokubetsu

This is quite a rich, full bodied Sake that will go well with food, you’ll find some tropical fruit flavours like pineapple and some fine honey notes too. Made with 100% Yamada nishiki rice grown in the Hyogo prefecture, it has a polish of 60%. It is refined and traditional and best served chilled as you would a white wine. 

Size: 720ml
ABV: 15%
Find it Here: £27.48

Wild Idol 

A great alternative to sparkling wine. Both the white and rosé options are very good, and you can choose whichever, but I particularly like the white. There is tons of complexity with wild flowers, honey and zesty citrus. There is enough acidity to give the drink bite, so you don’t miss the alcohol. In fact, I wouldn’t treat this as an alternative to wine, I’d have it instead of wine. The best sparkling alternative out there.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 0%
Find it Here: £25.49

Æcorn Bitter

Now a stalwart of the non-alcoholic drinks world, Æcorn has been around for a while and is still the best and most versatile drink out there. It mixes so well with a great many mixers, with tonic or ginger ale being my favourite. With lots of deep dried fruit flavours and very well balanced bitters, this is a great choice for Christmas.

Size: 500ml
ABV: 0%
Find it Here: £17.95

Now that we’ve covered your canapes and starters, if you’re looking for that perfect bottle for your mains, make sure to check out our recommended bottles of red, white and sparkling wine guides.

Words by Colin Hampden-White