Wine with Leslie: Last-minute bottles for gift-giving, and what to have with the big dinner
Pic: Istock
Just a few days left but don’t panic, plenty of time to drop into your local independent off-licence over the next few days.
Supermarkets will have plenty of offers if you are feeling the pinch, but they don’t need your money like the independent sector which relies heavily on Christmas sales to make it through the year.
There is also time for an excursion to The Apple Farm in Cahir to pick up a bottle of Con’s brand new apple brandy, not to mention apples, pears and juices.
Just 500 bottles have been released and so far it is just available at the farm shop.
The other apple wizards are of course Killahora Orchards and you will find their cider and their Rare Apple Ice Wine a proper treat over the break. The ice wine costs €28.50 and will match mince pies or pudding very nicely (widely available in Cork).
O’Driscolls in Ballinlough have some great specials for Christmas including Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) for €25 instead of €28, Bread & Butter wines reduced to €20 and Haut Médoc de Dauzac (2nd wine of Ch. Dauzac) for €25.
Mescan brewery in Westport recently launched a brilliant gift pack of six beers and a branded glass for €37 that would make an excellent gigt, available from No. 21 Midleton, Matsons and CarryOut in Waterford (or at mescanbrewery.com and craftbeersdelivered.com).
A final thought on what to drink with the Christmas bird — red is preferable, juicier reds such as Brunello, Southern Rhône or elegant Burgundy or Pinot Noir work better than Bordeaux — but if you want Bordeaux that’s fine too; it is a day of celebration so you should drink what you want.
Three suggestions below that will see you right... Happy Christmas!
Any ripe red wine will work with turkey but I have had good success with Ribera del Duero — Pesquera, Condado de Haza, Corimbo to name others.
This is Joven E. Moro but is solid quality for the price — 100% Tempranillo, big juicy blackberry fruits, a textured ripe palate with depth and density.
This is Prosecco but not as you know it, a PetNat bottle fermentation that adds a yeasty, leesy creaminess It's a perfect way to welcome guests, or to serve as an aperitif on the day itself. Bruised pear and apple pie aromas, peaches, cream and bone-dry freshness with a pleasing lemony tang.
Made for Kylie by De Bortoli, this is not just another celeb wine. From the cool climate Yarra Valley, arguably the best Pinot region in Oz (and near Kylie’s home town of Melbourn, not to mention Summer Bay!). Earthy red fruits with cherry and damson notes, lithe, fruity and textured, supple and layered. Perfect with turkey or goose.
A brand new collab from two excellent producers: Con Traas (The Apple Farm) and his neighbour Jennifer Nickerson of Tipperary Distillery.
Double distilled from Con’s cider, each bottle contains 80 hand-picked apples.
Ripe candied apple aromas, soft cooked apple on the palate with a hit of pepper and spice, and a caramel finish. Delicious.