Drinks of the Month
Good bottles to celebrate Hallowe'en
If you’re looking for a bottle to celebrate Hallowe’en on Tuesday here’s couple that hit the spot perfectly.
Philip Shaw Edinburgh Sparkling
This one wins the prize for the best label - it comes as a bit of a surprise to find it’s a sparkling wine. with the bright green skull it’s hard to see when else you would drink it. Certainly not to accompany a proposal!
It’s made by Philip Shaw in Orange in New South Wales Australia and is a classic Champagne blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Perhaps not quite the depth and complexity you’d expect for £22.99 (at Waitrose) so it’s a shame they haven’t got one of their 25% off discounts but it’s original and perfect for the occasion. Maybe pair with a packet of Monster Munch?
Chronic Cellars Suite Petite
There’s also a range of skeleton themed wines from Chronic Cellars in Pasa Robles, California, Try the 2014 Suite Petite, an exuberant blueberry scented Petite Sirah for £17.99 or £15.99 on their ‘mix six’ deal. Most British retailers have at least one from the range - Tesco has a 25% off six bottles deal at the moment which brings their suitably blood red Chronic Cellars La Muneca down from £13 to £9.75 so if you’re buying them online you’ll have to get them delivered by tomorrow (October 30th). They'd all be good with a chilli con carne
Chronic Cellars Sofa King Bueno 2013
I’m surprised there aren’t more wine brands and labels dedicated to Hallowe’en but yesterday I found a perfect one at the Majestic press tasting.
It’s called Sofa King Bueno from a zany winery called Chronic Cellars* in Paso Robles in Calfornia - a big (14.8%!) juicy exuberant blend of petite sirah, syrah, grenache and mourvedre which has a skeleton on the label
It would be great with something like an authentic south-west American - or even a Tex-Mex - chile or with barbecued brisket and obviously would be equally suitable for the Mexican Day of the Dead celebrations the next day
The only downside is that at £14.99 (on multibuy at Majestic) it’s not quite cheap enough for a party but I’ll be posting some better value Hallowe’en and bonfire night reds next week. Apparently it’s in 107 of the Majestic branches which is roughly half the estate and is supposed to be available online though I can’t currently find it on the site. There’s still time for them to order if for you though if you want it.
Availability - and price - is better in the US.
*Which is run by a family called Beckett. No relation but an added bonus so far as I'm concerned!
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