Competitions and offers
Win 6 of 2019's must-try drinks!
If you're one of those people who loves to read 'trends' pieces about what's going to be hot in the coming year here's your chance to win six drinks that are going to be very much on-trend in 2019. THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED.
They're all stocked by spirits specialist The Whisky Exchange which has two London shops in Great Portland Street and Covent Garden in addition to a great online shop.
Here's the run-down on the six bottles in their 'Tryanuary' case:
Non-alcoholic spirits – Ceder’s Classic
It’s been like music to the ears of every designated driver or non-drinker on the planet - something other than Diet Coke to drink! There’s absolutely no doubt that this is a booming trend as more producers look to create interesting and flavoursome ‘spirits’. Ceder's is distilled in the same way as gin, just without the alcohol. This classic version focuses on juniper, coriander and rose geranium botanicals and is delicious served with Mediterranean tonic. Ceder's was created by a husband and wife team who combined their origins of South Africa (botanicals) and Sweden (spring water) to craft unique alcohol-free spirits.
There’s something special happening in rum at the moment. People are paying attention to styles of rum that challenge the pre-conceptions, and misconceptions, of rum. We’re seeing producers create liquid that’ll make any whisky-drinker fall for rum. You could call it ‘pure rum’ – craft styles such as pot still or agricole, with more attention to quality and flavour.
Hampden Estate is created using wild fermentation and packed full of funky fruity flavour. On top of that there's no added sugar, it's all distilled in pot stills and it's fully matured in the tropics: a combination that adds up to rum heaven.
We love gin, we really do, but there comes a point when the madness gets too much and we need something new. Now it is mezcal’s turn to shine. Mezcal is made in the Oaxaca province of Mexico from agave plants, in the same vein as tequila but with different agave species. This delicious Ilegal Joven is superb mixed with tonic or in place of gin in a Negroni.
History lesson alert! Desperate for a good Mezcal to stock at his bar, Café No Sé, John Rexer began smuggling artisanal Mezcal from Oaxaca to Guatemala in 2004. Once in his bar, it didn't take long for word to get out about this smooth and smoky spirit that was only available from the backroom at Café No Sé. Soon, this Mezcal was being carried in the luggage of travellers passing from Guatemala to America and beyond. In late 2009, Ilegal Mezcal became legal.
Whisky – JP Wiser’s Dissertation
It’s not all about Scotland, Japan and the USA. The world is on the whisky train and one nation that’s really booming is Canada, with more variety in flavours and styles. Like Japan they’ve actually been producing whisky for decades but it’s taken some time for people to sit up and pay attention. Well, pay attention people because you’re going to love it.
‘Dissertation’ is the latest release in the Rare Cask series from JP Wisers and the prominence of rye in its mash bill and 46.1% ABV provide this whisky a thick, punchy profile full of sweet cereal flavours, rich toffee, plenty of oak spice and big clouds of airy vanilla floating overhead.
Calvados – Dupont VSOP Calvados
We’re heading for a revived love affair with French alcohol. Perhaps it’s because we know they make great wine so we have confidence in their spirits. Perhaps it’s because we all secretly wish we were hanging out in Parisien left bank cafés. Either way, this elegant VSOP calvados from Dupont will whet your appetite. Aged for a minimum of 4 years in both new and old casks to give a balance of richness and mature spirit flavours.
Pre-mixed cocktails – Ely White Tiger
Pre-mixed cocktails have moved on somewhat in the last few years and there are some excellent quality products launching. It’s the ultimate way to embrace cocktail culture at home if you don’t feel confident or lack time to do it yourself. White Tiger is a lightly sour gin cocktail from Paris's Ély, purveyors of fine bottled cocktails. It takes Tanqueray gin and mixes it with Belvoir elderflower cordial, Marie Brizard crème de poire (pear liqueur) and lime juice. It's a punchy and fresh-tasting cocktail, ready to serve over ice.
If you want to be in with a chance to win it make sure you enter by the closing date for the competition which is 11.59pm GMT on Thursday January 31st 2019. You must live in the UK and be over 18 to enter. For other terms and conditions see below.
ENTER HERE
Terms and Conditions
1. This prize draw is open to all subscribers of 18 or over, other than freelancers or contractors employed by matchingfoodandwine.com, The Whisky Exchange, Speciality Drinks, their respective families and agents or anyone directly connected to the prize draw
2. No purchase is necessary.
3. Entries submitted through third parties or agents will not be eligible.
4. The prize consists of the case of six bottles detailed above and will be drawn at random. The prize is non-transferable, non-refundable and cannot be exchanged for cash alternatives in whole or in part.
5. The closing date for entry to the draw is 11.59pm GMT on Thursday January 31st 2019. The winner will be drawn from the list of entrants by matchingfoodandwine by Monday February 18th and will be notified by e-mail.
6. We ask for your name, email address and postal address in order to conduct the competition. We will delete this data as soon as the competition has concluded and the winner has received their prize.
7. In the event that you decide to subscribe to our monthly newsletter when you enter the competition, we will in addition record your name and email address in order to be able to send it out to you. You will be able to unsubscribe and ask us to delete your personal data at any time.
8. We accept no responsibility for late, incomplete, incorrectly submitted, corrupted or misdirected entries.
9. Our decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
10. Entrants agree to be bound by these terms and conditions.
The winner’s surname and country of residence will be made available by sending an email to comps@matchingfoodandwine.com after February 28th 2019.
Win a case of Louis Roederer champagne and a zzysh® Champagne Preserver
We’ve saved one of the best prizes we’ve had this year till last - a six bottle case of one of my favourite champagnes Louis Roederer from The Finest Bubble PLUS a zzysh® Champagne Preserver, a unique preservation system from Switzerland worth a total of £280. Do we spoil you or what? THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED.
First of all let me tell you about The Finest Bubble which rather nicely describes itself as 'London’s Emergency Champagne service'. It was founded by Nick Baker in September 2014 with the idea of testing the concept of same day delivery of champagne in London. From the initial range of twelve champagnes they now have a choice of over 400 grandes marques and specialist grower champagnes from 75cl bottles to a giant Nebuchadnezzar (the equivalent of 20 bottles). Louis Roederer Premier Brut is just one of the big names it supplies, all available for delivery within 2 hours in London (and the following day outside London)
And however unlikely you think it is that you won’t finish the bottle you’re drinking it’s great to be able to save some until the following day - or even longer in the case of zzysh®’s Wine and Champagne Preservers
According to zzysh® they use a unique Swiss patented technology in their Champagne Preserver which retains the natural aroma and flavour of sparkling wines after opening by sealing and replacing the air inside the bottle with a mixture of Argon and CO2, to guard the liquid from oxidation and loss of flavour and fizz. The Champagne Starter Set consists of one handpiece, one stopper and one cartridge which can be used for up to four applications. "Compact, portable and cost-effective at a recommended retail price of £79.90, the zzysh® Champagne Preserver works with a wide variety of sparkling wine bottles."
The closing date for the competition is 11.59pm GMT on Tuesday January 1st 2019 and you must live in the UK and be over 18 to enter. For other terms and conditions see below.
ENTER HERE
Terms and Conditions
1. This prize draw is open to all subscribers of 18 or over, other than freelancers or contractors employed by matchingfoodandwine.com, The Finest Bubble, zzysh, their respective families and agents or anyone directly connected to the prize draw
2. No purchase is necessary.
3. Entries submitted through third parties or agents will not be eligible.
4. The prize consists of the case of Louis Roederer champagne and zzysh® Champagne preserver detailed above and will be drawn at random. The prize is non-transferable, non-refundable and cannot be exchanged for cash alternatives in whole or in part.
5. The closing date for entry to the draw is 11.59pm GMT on Tuesday January 1st 2019. The winner will be drawn from the list of entrants by matchingfoodandwine by Tuesday January 15th and will be notified by e-mail.
6. We ask for your name, email address and postal address in order to conduct the competition. We will delete this data as soon as the competition has concluded and the winner has received their prize.
7. In the event that you decide to subscribe to our monthly newsletter when you enter the competition, we will in addition record your name and email address in order to be able to send it out to you. You will be able to unsubscribe and ask us to delete your personal data at any time.
8. We accept no responsibility for late, incomplete, incorrectly submitted, corrupted or misdirected entries.
9. Our decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
10. Entrants agree to be bound by these terms and conditions.
The winner’s surname and country of residence will be made available by sending an email to comps@matchingfoodandwine.com after January 31st 2019.
Win one of THREE Booths Christmas wine selections!
We know you love a case of wine so this month we’ve got no less than THREE to give away from the family-owned supermarket Booths.
For those of you who are not familiar with them they’re a small upmarket northern supermarket chain that I always think resembles a traditional grocer more than a Tesco or Sainsbury's - though there’s nothing old-fashioned about them. (Think a northern Waitrose or, as they prefer to put it, Waitrose is a southern Booths!)
They have a really good own label wine range (they were last year’s Decanter supermarket of the year) which you can now buy via the gift section on their website which is a plus for those of us who have envied our northern friends and relatives for years.
The three cases they've offered us are:
Booths Classic Christmas Wine Selection (£60) which includes 2 bottles of Famille Perrin Côtes du Rhône Reserve, 2 Jadot Macon Villages Blanc and 2 bottles of Booths own label prosecco.
E.H.Booth & Co Christmas Wine Selection (worth £65) which again includes 2 bottles of their own label prosecco, 2 of their own label Chablis and 2 of their own Gran Norte Rioja Reserva.
and - best of all - Booths Ultimate Christmas Wine Selection worth £110 which includes 2 bottles of Seresin Marlborough sauvignon blanc from New Zealand, 2 bottles of Le Cloître du Château du Château Prieuré-Lichine Margaux and 2 bottles of Booths own label champagne.
How do you know which you'll end up with? Well you don’t - it’s pot luck I’m afraid - but they're all boxes you'd be pleased to have over the festive season. As usual our winner is drawn by a random number selector and we will allocate the boxes randomly too.
The closing date for the competition is 11.59pm GMT on Sunday December 2nd 2018 and you must live in the UK and be over 18 to enter. For other terms and conditions see below.
ENTER HERE
Terms and Conditions
1. This prize draw is open to all subscribers of 18 or over, other than freelancers or contractors employed by matchingfoodandwine.com, Booths, their respective families and agents or anyone directly connected to the prize draw
2. No purchase is necessary.
3. Entries submitted through third parties or agents will not be eligible.
4. The prize consists of one of the 3 festive wine cases detailed above which will be drawn and allocated at random. The prizes are non-transferable, non-refundable and cannot be exchanged for cash alternatives in whole or in part.
5. The closing date for entry to the draw is 11.59pm GMT on Sunday December 2nd. The winner will be drawn from the list of entrants by matchingfoodandwine by Monday December 10th and will be notified by e-mail.
6. We ask for your name, email address and postal address in order to conduct the competition. We will delete this data as soon as the competition has concluded and the winner has received their prize.
7. In the event that you decide to subscribe to our monthly newsletter when you enter the competition, we will in addition record your name and email address in order to be able to send it out to you. You will be able to unsubscribe and ask us to delete your personal data at any time.
8. We accept no responsibility for late, incomplete, incorrectly submitted, corrupted or misdirected entries.
9. Our decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
10. Entrants agree to be bound by these terms and conditions.
The winner’s surname and country of residence will be made available by sending an email to comps@matchingfoodandwine.com after December 31st 2018.
Win a fabulous case of top Australian wines
We've got a fabulous case of Australian wines as our flagship prize this month from the lovely guys at Great Western Wine. The case of 12 bottles, worth £273, includes wines from some of the best respected winemakers in Australia - an absolute treat for any Aussie wine fan.
The case includes*
Ladies Who Shoot Their Lunch Wild Ferment Chardonnay
A cellar-aged Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon
Chaffey Bros Düfte Punkt Field Blend (Gewurztraminer, Riesling and Kerner)
Henschke Henry’s Seven (Grenache, Mourvedre, Viognier)
Heartland Directors' Cut Cabernet Sauvignon
Howard Park Miamup Cabernet Sauvignon
D’Arenberg Nostalgia Rare Tawny (Australia's answer to port)
(You can read more about them by clicking the above links)
The closing date for the competition is 11.59pm GMT on Wednesday October 31st 2018 and you must be over 18 and live in the UK to enter. For other terms and conditions see below.
ENTER HERE
Terms and Conditions
1. This prize draw is open to all subscribers of 18 or over, other than freelancers or contractors employed by matchingfoodandwine.com, Great Western Wine, their respective families and agents or anyone directly connected to the prize draw
2. No purchase is necessary.
3. Entries submitted through third parties or agents will not be eligible.
4. The prize consists of the case of twelve Australian wines detailed above though the sponsor reserves the right to substitute wines of equal or greater value. The prize is non-transferable, non-refundable and cannot be exchanged for cash alternatives in whole or in part.
5. The closing date for entry to the draw is 11.59pm GMT on Wednesday October 31st 2018. The winner will be drawn at random from the list of entrants by matchingfoodandwine by Thursday November 15th 2018 and will be notified by e-mail.
6. We ask for your name, email address and postal address in order to conduct the draw and notify the winner. We will delete this data as soon as the competition has concluded and the winner has received their prize.
7. In the event that you decide to subscribe to our monthly newsletter when you enter the competition, we will in addition record your name and email address in order to be able to send it out to you. You will be able to unsubscribe and ask us to delete your personal data at any time.
8. We accept no responsibility for late, incomplete, incorrectly submitted, corrupted or misdirected entries.
9. Our decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
10. Entrants agree to be bound by these terms and conditions.
The winner’s surname and country of residence will be made available by sending an email to comps@matchingfoodandwine.com after November 30th 2018.
Win six bottles of super-premium Cava de Paraje
We have a really great prize for all you sparkling wine enthusiasts out there - a six bottle case of super-premium Cava. THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED BUT DON'T WORRY, THERE WILL BE A NEW ONE SOON!
You didn’t know Cava was a serious sparkling wine? You need to think again. Producers in this part of Spain (Cava is made just outside Barcelona) are making wines that compare with vintage Champagne - the Cavas below all sell for between £55 and £100.
These premium single vineyard Cavas are classified Cavas de Paraje Calificado and very few of them are made. They’re the sort of bottles to enjoy with a meal rather than just sip as an aperitif (though, hey, no-one’s stopping you!). Think of drinking them with a lovely crispy roast chicken, some scallops or (better still) a grilled lobster. Oh, and almost anything with truffles.
Here are the six cavas in the case - click the link on each one to find out more about them (there are some videos too)
1. El Tros Nou by Codorniu
2. Can Sala by Freixenet
3. Reserva Familiar by Finca Sabate I Coca
4. Turo d’en Mota by Recaredo
5. Claror by Vins El Cep
6. La Capella by Juve y Camps
The closing date for the competition is 11.59pm GMT on Sunday September 30th 2018 and you must live in the UK to enter. For other terms and conditions see below.
ENTER HERE
Terms and Conditions
1. This prize draw is open to all subscribers of 18 or over, other than freelancers or contractors employed by matchingfoodandwine.com, D.O. Cava, the Cava producers featured, their respective families and agents or anyone directly connected to the prize draw
2. No purchase is necessary.
3. Entries submitted through third parties or agents will not be eligible.
4. The prize consists of the case of six Cavas detailed above. The prize is non-transferable, non-refundable and cannot be exchanged for cash alternatives in whole or in part.
5. The closing date for entry to the draw is 11.59pm GMT on Sunday September 30th. The winner will be drawn at random from the list of entrants by matchingfoodandwine by Monday October 15th and will be notified by e-mail.
6. We ask for your name, email address and postal address in order to conduct the competition. Our lawful basis for collecting and processing this data is legitimate interest. We will delete this data as soon as the competition has concluded and the winner has received their prize.
7. In the event that you decide to subscribe to our newsletter when you enter the competition, we will in addition record your name and email address in order to be able to send you our newsletter. Our lawful basis for collecting and processing this data is consent. You will be able to unsubscribe and ask us to delete your personal data at any time.
8. We accept no responsibility for late, incomplete, incorrectly submitted, corrupted or misdirected entries.
9. Our decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
10. Entrants agree to be bound by these terms and conditions.
The winner’s surname and country of residence will be made available by sending an email to comps@matchingfoodandwine.com after October 31st 2018.
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