My Festive Season Wine Confessions

It’s the season of wine and food indulgence. If you’re anything like me, then you’re currently wondering how those extra 3kgs managed to wrangle their way onto your body over a 2 week period. Oh no wait, I know exactly how it got there – just check out my Instagram page for that. My Christmas weight gain gave me such a shock this week, that I have tried to be good during the week and no doubt abstaining from wine since last Saturday night will mean that tonight (being Friday night and all) I’ll get out of hand and just want ALL the wine in the world. Ah that’s life huh.

As long as there’s give and take, a little balance and happiness then you can’t get too caught up with who has the biggest thigh gap. My only goal is to fit into my wedding dress which is currently being handmade – therefore I need to try to keep everything consistent seeing as my measurements were taken November last year. And the good news is that I most definitely had wine curves at that stage, so I shouldn’t have to stress too much!

Anyway today I wanted to share with you the wines Mr. Spittoon and I indulged in over the Christmas & New Year period because we really did have some stunning tipples and great food to match…

We picked this bottle up at @stevesnedlands some time ago. It’s a unique French champagne being made from organically grown grapes – in fact it’s the worlds first organically certified champas. I have a weakness for Canard Duchene seeing as the champagne sabre Mr.Spittoon gave me a few years ago is a CD sabre! This was a great addition to our Xmas day with its baby yellow colour on the eye and fine streams of bubbles floating up from the bottom of the glass. On the nose it smells like a big bowl of fruit salad smothered in freshly whipped cream and a sprinkling of baking spice on top. On the palate the bubbles are smooth and silky with a gorgeous mellow oaked fruit flavour that caresses the taste buds with a festive cheer. All opinions are based on my own taste buds. #TCWeekdayWine #canardduchene #champagne #organicwine #organicchampagne #christmaswine #tcxmas2015 #swarovski

A photo posted by Travelling Corkscrew Wine Blog (@travellingcorkscrew) on Dec 25, 2015 at 5:23am PST

We couldn’t have picked a better champagne for Christmas breakfast. The Canard-Duchêne Charles VII Blanc de Blancs is an absolute stunner of a bubbles. We received this earlier in the year through our subscription with the @perthchampagneclub. It’s definitely in my top 5! On the eye it literally radiates with brightness. So vibrant and beautiful, definitely star like quality! The nose is full of toasty nectarine and peach with a citrusy effervescence that wakes up the nostrils. The palate is smooth, delicate and elegant. White peach, vanilla sprinkles and undeniable deliciousness seduce the palate. I need more of this sparkles stat! PS: It’s an amazing match for pork crackling and a BBQ brekkie too!! All opinions are based on my own taste buds #TCWeekdayWine #canardduchene #champagne #blancdeblancs #christmas #christmaswine #tcxmas2015 #champagnebreakfast #champagnesaber #porkcrackling #wearingmemories

A photo posted by Travelling Corkscrew Wine Blog (@travellingcorkscrew) on Dec 25, 2015 at 5:57am PST

‘Tis the season! Yesterday we cracked into a lovely bottle of Veuve from one of my beautiful friends for Xmas. You can’t really go wrong with this yellow labelled French champagne! It’s always interesting to write tasting notes on vinos you’ve had quite a lot as it can show you how your palate develops and it can show you how different situations/circumstances can affect your experience with that wine. On the eye it’s a stunning golden sunrise colour. The nose is creamy and bready with distinct aromas of shortbread, spiced citrus and a whiff of flint. The bubbles are soft and supple on the palate with flavours of barbecued pineapple rings, vanilla pods and a touch of cloves. It’s a full flavoured champagne that is perfect for Christmas celebrations! All opinions are based on my own taste buds #TCWeekdayWine #champagne #veuveclicquot #christmaswine #tcxmas2015 #christmastree @teagand

A photo posted by Travelling Corkscrew Wine Blog (@travellingcorkscrew) on Dec 25, 2015 at 4:45pm PST

No ‘tasting note’ for this gorgeous specimen from Evans & Tate – it was just bloody good! Savoured ever drop ?

A photo posted by Travelling Corkscrew Wine Blog (@travellingcorkscrew) on Dec 28, 2015 at 5:28am PST

We received this as an engagement gift from some lovely friends. While drinking it, it brought back tasty memories of the awesome platter we had at Fairbrossen a couple of years ago -> https://travellingcorkscrew.com.au/lunch-in-the-perth-hills-at-fairbrossen-estate/ What a delicious rose! We both really enjoyed it and the bottle was finished much too soon! Lovely whiffs of rhubarb & apple strudel dusted with icing sugar and garnished with red berries lifted from the glass. On the palate it has a lovely cranberry tartness yet a lovely custard-like character that softens it out and those red berry fruits joined the entertainment too. Fresh and fruity and she’s definitely a looker! (I only remembered to take a pic when the bottle was empty oops) All opinions are based on my own taste buds #TCWeekdayWine #perthhills #experienceperthhills #perthhillswine #perthwine #perth #rosewine #fairbrossenwinery

A photo posted by Travelling Corkscrew Wine Blog (@travellingcorkscrew) on Dec 29, 2015 at 6:49pm PST

What an awesome champagne to kick off 2016! Both Mr.Spittoon and I were literally squeezing the bottle dry to try get every last drop out. I picked up this bottle from @perthchampagneclub last year and couldn’t resist any longer. It’s a trophy golden-yellow colour on the eye with a gorgeous bubbly stream of teeny tiny bubbles. Buttery rich nose with whiffs of vanilla bean, spiced citrus and tropical fruits entwined. Full of flavour yet 100% eloquent on the palate. The lovely honey and lemon notes give this nearly 15-year-old champagne a palate pleasing refreshing quality. Delicious smooth mousse with a lovely citrus tang on the finish. If this is the fruits that 2016 will bear then bring it on! All opinions are based on my own taste buds #TCWeekdayWine #champagne #polroger #polrogerchampagne

A photo posted by Travelling Corkscrew Wine Blog (@travellingcorkscrew) on Jan 4, 2016 at 1:58am PST

2016 is definitely starting off with sparkles! This Tyler’s Vineyard Sparkling Rosé Grenache is an old favourite. We received a beautiful personalised bottle from our friends over at @Hungryforwine to celebrate my impending ‘Mrs. Spittoon’ status (thank-you!!). On the eye it’s a pretty rose gold colour with plentiful bubbles. On the nose whiffs of blood orange, cranberries and fresh watermelon tickle the senses. The palate is smooth and easy drinking with a lovely balance of creamy strawberries and tart cranberries & citrus. An absolute pleasure on the palate. I definitely think they should make this beaut in magnums! All opinions are based on my own taste buds #TCWeekdayWine #swanvalley #tylersvineyard

A photo posted by Travelling Corkscrew Wine Blog (@travellingcorkscrew) on Jan 5, 2016 at 2:00am PST

We’ve been hanging onto this 2010 Myattsfield magnum (disgorged 25-07-14) a few months now and we simply couldn’t resist any longer. The sun was shining and we were in the mood for some good bubbles! It’s a white gold colour on the eye with loooots of bubbles streaming up from the bottom of the glass. On the nose I picked up notes of shortbread and apples. It definitely had an air of elegance to it. Silky mouthfeel with a lovely effervescence that massages the taste buds. Flavours of orchard and citrus fruits stand out for me from apples to pears and lemons. Is it bad to say that a magnum wasn’t enough between 2 of us? We picked this up at the cellar door in the Perth Hills for about $70. All opinions are based on my own taste buds #TCWeekdayWine #perthhills #perthhillswine #myattsfield #sparklingwine #myattsfieldvineyard #bubbles #perthwine

A photo posted by Travelling Corkscrew Wine Blog (@travellingcorkscrew) on Jan 6, 2016 at 4:27am PST

It’s probably no surprise to those who read the blog regularly that the majority of the wines we drank were champagne and sparkling wines! Both the Canard Duchene Blanc de Blancs and Pol Roger 2002 were definite stand-outs. I couldn’t recommend either of them highly enough!

From my glass to yours, happy 2016 everyone! Don’t forget indulgence and balance are key to a happy wino life 🙂

What was your festive season wine highlight? Let us know below!