Throughout the twelfth month all the wines we pour By-The-Glass will be from our Christmas wine list and every day we’re offering a Christmas wine tasting experience: you don’t even need to buy a ticket – just book a table and arrive thirsty.
If your friends and family can’t make it down, you can put a little bit of KASK underneath the tree with a cracking Christmas wine gift that they definitely won’t regift, or one of our perfect Christmas wine cases, keep on reading for more info.
Or if you’ve forgotten to book somewhere for your office party and need a Christmas fairy to wave their wand and save you from a red face, we just may be able to help. We can also host a corporate wine tasting at your office or another venue – just email us and we can tailor an experience to your budget: hey@kaskwine.co.uk
Give them something they’ll actually be thankful for. The Independent just named our Christmas Wine Tasting Kits in their list of best gifts for wine lovers this Christmas! 5 100ml glasses of wine, each perfect for a different time on Christmas Day, presented in one of our At-Home Wine Tasting kits with wine cards playing the role we’d play if they were tasting with us in the bar.
All if you’re looking for 3 or 6 full bottles, our range of Christmas wine cases all include KASK postcards with tasting notes information about the winemaker + the grape, and suggested food pairings. And all wines are of course vegan, organic and, most importantly, absolute corkers.
All are available for collection from KASK or for UK delivery. But if you want to choose your own selection of wines, here’s some handy tips for what makes a great wine selection throughout Christmas….
If you’re anything like us, Christmas Day is about eating and drinking, from the first chocolate that comes out of the stocking, to the last tired spoon of brandy butter your fatigued mouth sneaks in during a late night trip to the fridge. Throughout the day your tongue is abused with a smorgasbord of flavours, and your stomach becomes a whirligig of consumption.
All of these competing tastes make it very hard to pick a wine to match. The answer is there isn’t one wine that’s going to work. So that’s where we come in.
Christmas Eve
Time to get the party started. For something a little different we love Testalonga’s I Wish I Was A Ninja a Pet Nat from Swartland in South Africa. Fairly low in alcohol, it’s slightly sweet and has one hell of an eye-catching label.
Christmas Morning
You don’t want to go too big too early, which is where what we call Breakfast Wine comes in. Also a Pet Nat, but this time pink, Roc Ambulle is only 9.5% ABV and it’s lovely red fruit + citrus flavours make it a great pre-midday drink and an alternative to a Bellini or Mimosa.
For Aperitifs
You’re going to want something fresh + crisp to reset your palate. If you’re having seafood we’d usually recommend a Muscadet, but this year we’re not looking further than this Chin Chin Vinho Verde. A combination of its slight spritz, fruity notes and saline finish make it a great accompaniment to shellfish + smoked salmon. It’s also incredible value for its price (and it’s another one with a memorable label)
For the Turkey
Let’s face it, Turkey can be pretty bland. But a good wine can help with that. A classic pairing would be a Chenin Blanc like this South African tangy delight by Radford Dale. Or if you want to splash out go for one of our favourite wines of the year, Chateau De Gaure’s Oppidum. A blend of Chardonnay. Chenin Blanc + Mauzac, it’s rich, buttery + decadent.
For a red we always like to drink the last of this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau (pure cherry juice) or usually a Pinot Noir. But this year we’re going rogue and will be opening a bottle of Dandy de Cidro from Portugal. In contrast to our usual experience of Portuguese reds (which tend to be big, bold but smooth), this is light + vibrant, with delicious cherry, raspberry + white flower notes.
Or Forget the Turkey
And focus on the other flavours from your veg to cranberry sauce and of course the gravy. To pair with all those competing flavours we like something a bit sweeter – this off-dry Riesling by Weingut Frey is perfect, or for something slightly dryer but with a big bag of tropical fruit, Cora by Loxarel is a KASK favourite.
Or go for a Fizz. The Viu Pet Nat from Famille Dornier has been a big favourite of our customers all summer and will be a great way of celebrating with friends and family this year.
We normally take a break after the main course, get the washing up sorted, then move on to the dessert (it means we can flop – or crawl – straight to the couch after). So here’s our wine plan for the afternoon
With the Cheeseboard
We go big on cheese at Christmas and we like to have different wines to pair with different cheeses. For a White wine, we love the Sauvignon Blanc from Domaine Bablut; for a Red this amazing value Cabernet Sauvignon from Bodega Cecchin in Mendoza. And there’s no better match than Stilton and Port, and this year we’ve finally found an organic Port in the 10 Year Tawny from Quinta de Val de Figueira. Finally, and for a bit of a talking point, go for an orange wine such as the Ferlat Friulano from the north of Italy – it’s vivid minerality and zesty fruit notes are great accompaniments for cheese, and it’s not too wild that your Great Aunt will wonder what the hell she’s drinking.
For The Nap On The Sofa
Food, done. Now it’s time for the sofa, a movie, and a nap. For this we love a big Red to keep us company. This Primitivo is one of our fav Italian red wines: rich, intense + full bodied packed full of boozy fruit, it will take you all the way through.
For a special reward at some point before New Year
Once you’ve turfed out the in-laws, tidied up the mountains of wrapping paper, and boiled down the Turkey carcass, you deserve a treat. So bag yourselves a bottle of Ombre d’Ambre by Pialli, one of our favourite discoveries of the year. An elegant skin-contact wine from Veneto in Italy, it’s dry, medium bodied and with bags of complexity – one to be savoured and not shared.
