NEW YEAR’S EVE FIZZ & FORTIFIED
IF YOU’RE entertaining tonight, don’t forget to put your sparklers and whites in the fridge this morning, or even the night before, as a full fridge takes a lot longer to chill the bottles down. And don’t save your finest wines for late in the evening, when some guests might be feeling jaded. Welcome them with your best and then temper the selection as the evening progresses with one of my bargain selections.
NV Winemakers’ Selection by Sainsbury’s Prosecco Brut, Italy
£7, Sainsbury’s WHAT I like about this wine is the fact that it is bright, clean, fruity and not too pulpy or sweet. Many proseccos are a bit bubblebathy on the nose and plasticky on the palate, which is not ideal for a party. This one, however, is genuinely grapey and refreshing. Bravo!
NV L’Extra par Langlois Brut, Crémant de Loire, France
£12.99, reduced to £9.99 each in a ‘mix six’ deal, until Jan 30, Majestic DRY, classy, lean and packed with tension, this is a fabulous wine with a smart label and a noticeable air of grandeur. The scent is citrussy and focused, and the palate is long and mouthwatering, making it the perfect wine for your foodie friends. Effortlessly chic — and only a tenner.
NV Balfour, 1503 Foxwood Sparkling, Kent, England
£16.99, Co-op I PREDICTED that smart English fizz would dip below £20 back in September when writing my English wine review for Daily Mail Weekend magazine — but I didn’t expect an estate as famous as Hush Heath to be able to hit £17, though. This wine is a revelation — and is a poke in the eye for the French, so you must load up for patriotic celebrations.
NV Pol Roger, Réserve Brut, Champagne, France
£39.99, reduced to £29.99, until Jan 3, Co-op; reduced to £31.99 from Dec 7 until Jan 3 Waitrose BOTH Co-op and Waitrose have slashed the price of Pol Roger this season and so this is the big-name, elite champagne to follow. I am a life-long fan and even though champagne has become frighteningly expensive of late, thanks to the exchange rate and hefty duty rates, this is still a wonderful deal.