Tag: Christmas
Winter in Bavaria, Germany: A Festive Foodie Feast
If your idea of the perfect holiday season escape is like something out of Hansel and Gretel—charming half-timbered cottages and all-you-can eat sweet treats (minus the cannibalistic overtones, obviously)—then buckle up for Bavaria, my friends. Just be prepared to loosen your belt a notch or two, because this trio of festive destinations—Rothenburg, Bayreuth, and Nuremberg—will leave you full to bursting with the Christmas spirit, not to mention gingerbread and glühwein.
A present-laden car and stately nutcracker mark the entrance to the Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas shop and museum in Rothenburg. Copyright Amy Laughinghouse.
Festive Fizz: Champagne for the Holidays
There’s nothing like the Pavlovian pop of a champagne cork to put you in the holiday spirit. It’s like the starting gun for a season of celebration, from the office Christmas party—where you sneak a kiss with your work crush, emerging from the supplies cupboard peeling sticky notes from unlikely places—to New Year’s Eve, when you slip on your glitziest glad rags and reach for the classiest of accessories: a chilled flute of champers.
But with supermarket shelves literally overflowing with fizz at this time of year, you might feel a headache coming on simply deciding on a bottle. This year, old St. Nick himself offers a few inspired solutions to your bubble troubles.
I refer not to Santa Claus—although with those red cheeks, I suspect the jolly old elf knows a thing or two about the subject. No, my friends, I speak of Nicolas Feuillatte, the number one best-selling champagne brand in France and third around the world.
Here are two elegant options from Nicolas Feuillatte’s new 2018 Festive Gift Range. (more…)
Wine & Bubbly: Terrific Tipples for the Holidays
It’s the holiday season, and you know what that means. Parties. Excess. Indulgence. Unsuitable dalliances at the office Christmas bash…and morning-after remorse when you review the photos you posted to Instagram in a state of, shall we say, insalubrious celebratory inebriation.
The very least you can do for yourself is make the almost inevitable hangover worthwhile by cracking into a good bottle. Here are a few suggestions for enticing tinctures that won’t break the bank.
Calvet Crémant de Bordeaux Brut Rosé 2014
With its fruity notes, fine bubbles, and vibrant pink hue, this bubbling rosé is perfect as an aperitif, a cheerful cork-popping kick-off to a festive knees-up. After a flute or two, you’ll be seeing the world through rose-coloured glasses, literally.
It’s also a terrific multi-tasker. You can skip the rouge, because this blushing libation will bring the colour to your cheeks. What’s more, the aroma is so intense, it could almost double as a dab of perfume on your décolletage…although you do run the risk of reeling in a naughty neck-nibbler.
The tasting notes say it will complement “delicate tarts,” so if that sounds like you, then definitely give this a go.
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot
Alcohol content: 11.5%
Normally £11.99, but it’s on sale at Ocado for just £7.99 through 3 January 2017 (more…)