Open House

Pudding Anyone?

Gusbourne Estate

Bolly, Bolly, Bolly

Festive Rose Selection

Dublin Porter

Haig Club Whisky 

Christmas Day Drinks

It's nearly that time everyone. The family has arrived, some you're more happy to see than others, the big birds in the oven, gran is already asleep and the kids are going mental. Don't worry, the drinks are sorted!

We've been trawling the web for some great Christmas Day drinks that hopefully satisfy all tastes. Firstly we've picked a wonderfully sharpe Prosecco (Centre of image) from the DOC vineyards of Treviso. It's typical fruit and citrus style make it the perfect way to begin the day, even with a bacon sandwich (how shocking). If you'd like to 'jazz it up' then why not drop in a shot of Limoncello or Chambord because it's a lovely, celebratory alternative. View online here.

Next up as a pre and post turkey drink is the Rioja Reserva 2009 Marques de Riscal. We've picked this as it's got plenty of style and as huge Spanish red wine followers we simply love the fruity deepth. A beautiful, deep wine that sets the Christmas tone. View online here.

Finally and more importantly, as the main course wine, we've gone for a Montagny 1er Cru 'Les Millieres' 2010 Cave des Vignerons de Buxy - blimey that's a mouthful. It's a fresh Chardonnay which has been matured in stainless steel tanks to preserve the fruits of peach, pear and acacia aromas. That's enough of the 'wine' talk, it's basically and beautifully rounded drink, smooth and rich. Sharpe and sweet. Perfect for everyone to enjoy whilst overloading on turkey. View online here.

Plonk

Delaire Graff Estate | South Africa

Now we love a drop of plonk and we appreciate producers dedication, determination and creativity but we, like so many, sometimes forget the environment and atmosphere that makes wine what it is.

From soil to temperature and climate to heritage, wine is built on a variety of varying factors. We've just come across the Delaire Graff Estate in South Africa which not only combines a number of historic elements but a range of accommodation to make even the hardest of sceptics weak at the knees.

Designed to highlight the Stellenbosch Valley it's Cape Dutch architecture meets African artefacts make it a stylish, relaxing and beautiful place to rest. To top it off many rooms have views of the vineyard. We bet the bar isn't a bad place to stop off at on the way back to your room.

Hedonism Wines

Based in London's Mayfair, Hendonism Wines is an outlet for fine wines and boutique spirits and yes, it's not for everyone as the price point cuts most average buyers out but it's still worth celebrating.

Not only do they stock a huge range of incredibly tempting drinks including the UK's best buyers sourcing over 5,500 wines and 2,000 spirits from across the globe but the layout and design of the store is what caught our eye.

The team behind the brand have spent the past two years creating a unique shopping experience. One that celebrates their products, one that has a single aim - to create the best atmosphere and environment for their customers.

Open House

We've not said much about ourselves since starting this blog so we thought we'd change that. Myself and my wife both love wine. We are two, relatively normal parents who like nothing more than tasting new flavours, pairing food with our selections and exploring the seemingly endless variations on the market.

We have both had a dream of working together, a profession that's a personal passion and not simply a day-to-day chore. Hence Open House, a name my wife conceived. Two words that perfectly encapsulate everything we'd like to achieve. 

Now there are many stores that sell wine. High-street chains, independent merchants and online retailers but we've never connected with any. We've never had that desire to return for any other reason then they have what we want. We'd like to change that.

As I said above, our dream is to work together, running pop up wine festivals (Slurp is an early concept) and launching exciting stores that combine traditional service with contemporary methods. We want our house to be your house, somewhere you feel welcome, somewhere that connects you with new tastes, experiences and a journey which isn't typical to consumerism. 

We aren't masters of wine but we adore flavour. We are loyal to regions, producers and grape varieties but not in a pretentious manner. We buy wine for many reasons. To drink, to pair, to celebrate and sometimes because of the label (How terrible I hear the sniffers say), we have a pre-conceived budget and we never spit it out!

We understand 90% of buyers consume their purchase with 48 hours and that fine wines are a global industry but one that doesn't connect with most buyers.

The Birth of the Barrel

The Ned Pinot Grigio

As avid red wine fans we are always on the look out for a white that rattles our taste buds, one that lights our imagination. We believe the the red v white debate is slightly irrelevant, they both hold different appeals. The warmth, complexity and depth of red isn't a fair marker for white wines. So, with a new perspective we went hunting and boy weren't we in for a treat.

In one of our earlier posts we discussed the offerings available at Waitrose and within that exploration we came across The Ned. Now this Pinot Grigio which hails from New Zealand, is lighter, more tropical than the European equivalent. A soft, smooth and fruit led taste led to summery sharpness. Instant visions of sun-drenched, sea views came to mind, now who doesn't like that?

Not only is this wine an outstanding drink but it's origin is one to savour. The Karearea is the only falcon found in New Zealand and the producers have a breeding pair who reside at their vineyard. They daily scare away any unwanted birds reducing the need for man-made pest control. Absolutely fantastic.

Yes, cost and price is important when buying wine but the detail, production methods and ethos behind creating outstanding wine is what makes us happy. Thank you Ned.

The good, the bad and Marks and Spencer

So after our enthralling journey through the wonders of Waitrose we took an eagerly anticipated trip to M&S, Leamington Spa and headed straight to their land of wine.

Now to us, the purchasing experience of wine is all about how we're made to feel when in-store. One reason for the lack of bottles plucked from online stockists, we just don't get that touchy experience. That gut feeling that tells you that this is the one from you. We love to be sucked in, we love the bottles tempting nature and without sounding naive we love a good label. One that's been carefully considered and suitably designed.

So here we are in M&S. We are hit with a wall of wine. A wall that's aggressive, unforgiving and terribly conceived. There's an arrogance to this. It's as if we should be grateful to M&S for letting us peruse their offerings. Well we aren't and at an average of £10.00 a bottle there should be much more on offer to tempt us to part with our cash.

Is Christmas a time to give crap wine?

If you're reading this then we guess you don't like crap wine but because you've expressed your love of fermented grapes you'll more than likely be given a vino related gift this Christmas. More than likely it will be crap, unless you've treated yourself.

Christmas seems to be a time that relatively poor alcohol is presented with pride or combined by high-street chains with non-related rubbish like Rose Water flavoured Truffles or Italian bread-sticks. 

Wine which is at best cooking liqueur or slug killer is gratefully received and hidden from view only to be opened when all else is sunk or re-circulated at Christmas 2015. After a number of searches we've found non-specific Burgundy, Pinot and Rioja amongst superstore gift idea aisles labelled as a 'Taste of Spain' or the 'France in a box' because they've been paired with Paella rice or Garlic rings.

Waitrose

So we found ourselves in the Waitrose wine department on Saturday. Our idea was to discover and explore high-street offerings in order to find the best selection of wines that are easily accessible and not bank breaking!

To be honest, Waitrose came highly recommended and we weren't disappointed. There's a fantastic range of highly desirable reds and whites as well as more mass produced products. Not only did we spend the evening with two gorgeous French Medocs but a surprisingly stunning Pinot Grigio from New Zealand - the pick of the bunch.

The Chateau Le Vieux Fort, Medoc Cru was at first a little disappointing but gradually grew and smoothed. It sat perfectly with our rare steak. This is a red with maturity. One that we'd return to and impress with. At £13.99 reduced to £9.99 it was great value. View online here.

Our second Medoc was extremely similar to the one above, slightly more mellow but still packed with old school fruit flavours, it some how perfectly interpreted France and their heritage in wine production.

The third of the trio was a delight. The Ned Pinot Grigio was light, sophisticated, summery and fresh. A great, dry white wine with character and appeal. A sexy number with tons of citrus and at £7.49 from £9.99 it's a must have for any lover of Pinot but scared to venture from the Italian breed. View online here.