Celebrate New Year in Style – It’s party time with Great Western Wine

Celebrate New Year in Style – It’s party time with Great Western Wine

by Angela Mount

When it comes to buying wine for Christmas and New Year, there’s a clear divide between those who get very organised and buy for both, and those, like me, who deal with Christmas requirements first, and then start to think about New Year’s Eve on Boxing Day.

Whilst Christmas Day is all about feasting and celebrating with family, New Year is definitely about parties and friends. What you buy and serve in terms of wine does depend on the style of the occasion – wines that suit an intimate dinner for 2, or a small , but elegant dinner party for 8, are different from those you need to entertain a large gathering.

Large Gatherings

If you’re catering for large numbers, you need great quality, but well-priced wines, which aren’t going to break the budget – wines that work effortlessly within the party mix, and add to the ambiance and atmosphere of the evening, rather than taking the starring roles. Kick off the evening with Ruggeri Prosecco Brut Quartese NV, from one of the oldest and most respected Prosecco producers in the region – one of the best Proseccos to drink on its own. If you throwing cocktails into the mix, then a recent, newly discovered favourite,  is to mix it with a slug of Winter Pimms No 3, decorated with slices of lemon, orange and fresh ginger.

Next up, white wines – keep them fresh, lively, and vibrant. One of the most popular Great Western Wine whites is also a perfect, crowd-pleasing party wine – The Frost Pocket Sauvignon Blanc 2012, delightfully welcoming, effortlessly friendly, and able to cope with all manner of canapés and party food.  Another favourite would be the Decanter silver medal award winning Vina Leyda Chardonnay 2012. For party reds, I’d opt for soft, juicy, vibrantly fruity styles, with lowish tannins, which don’t need a hearty stew to soften them up, yet have sufficient warmth and snugness for a winter’s evening. Why not ring the changes and try the smooth velvety, cherry and plum-scented Biferno Rosso Riserva 2010, Camillo de Lellis, or the richly textured Vina Leyda Reserva Syrah 2011.

Dinner Parties

For more intimate dinner parties, and to welcome the New Year, it has to be Champagne, and by far the best deal around is for the utterly delightful Champagne Gobillard, Brut Grande Reserve, Premier Cru NV,  or splash out and  indulge in the rich, gloriously ripe Champagne Jacquart Blanc de Blancs 2006, as you muse over your New Year Resolutions for 2014.

The wines you choose do depend on what you are cooking, but keep to warm, smooth wines, to sink into effortlessly, as you share special moments with friends. The wines should enhance the evening, not dominate it.  My whites of choice would be the ever-intriguing Ailala Treixadura, Ribeiros Do Avia 2012, a perfect winter white, or ring the changes with the new vintage of award winning New Zealand winery Yealands Black Label Pinot Gris 2013, spicy and full, but edgily dry and vibrant. For reds, indulge in the elegant Castello di Fonterutoli Chianti Classico 2010, equally at home with rib eye beef, or roast pheasant, Marques de Riscal, Rioja Reserva 2008, if lamb is on the menu, or truly celebrate a great evening with the majestic, Decanter Trophy winner, Argentina’s Santa Ana Unanime 2007, a heady, sumptuous, glorious red, which needs no further introduction.

Whichever you choose, enjoy and have a Happy New Year.