From lively gatherings to quiet fireside rituals, Christmas is shaped by the moments we share. Here are four favourite ways to celebrate the season, with the Gusbourne wines that elevate each one.
Along Appledore’s green lanes, the mud-splattered verges are still lush; the grass is still growing. Turn your face to the midday sun, and it’s warm. It makes for a curious, out-of-kilter end to autumn.
It feels a long way from the snow-filled, icing sugar-dusted magic of Christmas we all try to conjure at this time of year. Of course, the festive shortcuts are there for those who want them – the favourite songs; the cinnamon scents – but beyond these, outside in the vineyards and fields, there’s another answer to what feels seasonal.
It’s an old idea. Perhaps the oldest.
Light in the darkness. A very human need for flame and feasting. An instinctive antidote to those long nights; the lengthening gloam of the afternoons. The need to gather, seek joy, burnish brightly.
And as we draw indoors and kindle the flames of the Christmas season, there are those moments of quiet ritual which we can make richer with good friends, comfort-filled spaces, sumptuous foods and – of course – rewarding wines.
Here are four of our favourite moments of the season, and the wines we’d choose to open alongside them.
For a bustling house and a crowd of friends
If you’re a gatherer of friends (no, of course, bring the dog! Absolutely, kids welcome too!), then winter will be the season of a noisy kitchen, well-trodden footpaths and a dust-free wine rack. When you want to make the atmosphere special (but still relaxed) – and keep hosting as simple as possible – then open a magnum. One bottle will serve 10-12 with ease. Gusbourne Brut Reserve 2019 is the perfect choice – beautifully mature, incredibly generous on the palate and impossible not to love. “It might just be too delicious,” cautions Laura Rhys, Master Sommelier. “If you’re hosting a crowd, you might want a second bottle on hand too.”
Purchase now
For an evening of Christmas wreath making
The kitchen table piled high with foraged fir, holly, moss and mistletoe; bundles of cinnamon and dried orange slices – could there be a more festive scene? If you love to gather friends to “bring in the green” and make your Christmas wreaths and garlands, then you need something suitably seasonal to go alongside. “This, 100% would need to be Gusbourne Rosé 2019,” says Laura. “My instinct here is guided by all the senses, not just taste – picture the colours of the berries, cinnamon and dried oranges alongside that rose-gold wine. Then there's the beautiful perfume on the nose – that red fruit, slightly floral, slightly herbal, warm ginger and orange peel character.” It would be hard to find a better match for the moment.
Purchase now
For savouring by the fire with a fellow wine lover
Let’s set the stage for this one. You’ve wrestled the Christmas tree into its preferred corner and hung your favourite baubles on its sprightly boughs. There’s a hint of pine in the air from just-crushed needles. It’s a moment of genuine peace and threaded through with a skin-tingle of nostalgia that takes you back to all the Christmases before. “I think Blanc de Noirs 2020 is the wine for this moment,” says Laura. “It has that darker, moody, spicy character. As the light’s fading outside, with the tree lights sparkling, and the smell of cool earthy, woody, nature that accompanies the tree when it’s first brought inside – that’s when you want the generosity and intensity of Blanc de Noirs. It’s delicious with a mince pie too.”
Purchase now
For Après-style evenings
Do you fondue? If ever there’s a time of year where the decadence of a meal based around Raclette, Gruyere et al, then it’s Christmas. Pile platters high with crisp salads, cured meats, cornichons, crusty bread and tiny boiled potatoes, then lean in. “I absolutely love a raclette and this relaxed style of dining,” says Laura. “And I think Brut Reserve should be your go-to if raclette’s on the menu. It’s a fresher wine and will cut through the richness of the cheese. The 2022 vintage is a full, ripe-vintage wine which will be stunning, especially with crusty, pillowy freshly-baked baguette too. Just thinking about it is making me hungry…”
Purchase now
We offer free UK delivery on all wines; for more inspiration, go to our Christmas shop.
