Top 10 Wines For The Festive Season In The Tropics
Toast your way through the festive holidays with an extraordinary collection of wines. We love introducing you to artisan wines and bringing you great finds, particularly during the festive season. This year, we have a beautifully curated collection to help you celebrate. At Wine To Share, we have the largest selection of the finest South African wines in Singapore. We have an exquisite tasting room in a pre-war shophouse in the trendy Kampong Glam, where you can sample the inimitable wines in a stylish and intimate setting.
METHODE CAP CLASSIQUE SPARKLING WINE
Gabrielskloof Madame Lucy's Brut Sparkling Methode Cap Classique 2020
Created in the traditional Methode Cap Classique way, Madam Lucy is a cheeky little bubbly ideal for starting your Christmas celebrations. The Methode Cap Classique, MCC, denotes a recognised South African wine made according to traditional Champagne methods where the second fermentation takes place in the bottle. The Madame Lucy MCC is a perfectly blended Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with fine bubbles and a deliciously delicate mousse. When chilled, its palate has a fresh nose bursting with fresh strawberries and, crunchy red apple skins, raspberry sherbert and tart, unripe plums. Madam Lucy is the perfect aperitif to whet your appetite.
CHARDONNAY
Eikendal Janina Unwooded Chardonnay 2021
Exuding rich honey flavours with distinctive notes of sweet apples, orange peel and lemon zest, the Eikendal Janina Unwooded Chardonnay pairs perfectly with festive Caesar salads, ripe brie and seared tuna. A delicate floral richness will surprise your palate with a delightfully fresh, flinty, lingering finish. If you love Chablis, Eikendal Janina Chardonnay will be a delight. The Eikendal grapes are grown 170 metres above sea level on the south-facing western slopes of Helderberg in the Cape region of South Africa. The maritime microclimate has cold, wet winters and scorching summers cooled by the Atlantic Ocean, the perfect conditions to produce premium Chardonnay.
La Brune The Valley Chardonnay 2021
With flavours of citrus, apples, and pears, La Brune's The Valley Chardonnay is a refreshing wine with a mineral core coated with some beautiful Elgin fruit ending in a long clean finish. Matured in untoasted oak barrels, the wine is bright, pure and clean with no trace of the buttery vanilla notes commonly associated with Chardonnay. Elgin Valley is renowned for its range of fruit-driven wines that are light and accessible and provides an international stage for their unique and varied profiles. The valley has a cool climate on a high inland plateau enveloped by mountains. Pair the chilled wine with crispy spring rolls, vegetable fritters, brie and fresh seafood salads. The wine received an impressive 92 points from James Suckling Wine Central.
CHENIN BLANC
Spier Signature Chenin Blanc 2022
From the famed Stellenbosch Winelands, Spier is one of South Africa's oldest and most awarded wine farms, with a heritage that dates back to the 1700s. The family-owned farm crafts innovative wines that are richly expressive of their terroir. The Spier Signature Chenin Blanc is no different, with its crisp and intense fruity flavours of gooseberries, passionfruit and green fig, with a green bell pepper undertone. This extraordinary wine recently won a gold in the Vinous Wine Awards. It's perfect for lazy Christmas days or pairing with succulent grilled prawns, tangy feta, summer salads and creamy guacamole. You'll enjoy the well-balanced palate with its mouthwateringly balanced acidity.
Mullineux Old Vines White 2021
With a nose of ripe, green citrus fruits, shortcrust pastry, enchanting Christmas spices, juniper berries and roasted hazelnuts, the pale straw-coloured Mullineux Old Vines white wine from Swartland offers a palate of ripe pears, almonds and peaches with a clove-like finish. Mullineux was recently cited as one of the top 10 best fine wine producers in the Southern Hemisphere and the Middle East giving buyers a great insight into their top-of-the-range wines. Swartland is a sizeable wine-producing area north of Cape Town with a hot and dry climate yielding concentrated fruit. You'll find hardy, drought-resistant bush vines in the hottest parts of the region. The wine pairs beautifully with Boxing Day dishes such as roasted cod, Manchego cheese and vegetable tarts.
PINOT NOIR
Crystallum Peter Max Pinot Noir 2020
The small Crystallum winery produces sensual wines of impeccable quality. Founded by brothers Peter-Allan and Andrew Finlayson in 2007 in the Hemel-En-Aarde region, the wines continue to go from strength to strength with each new vintage. The wine is named in honour of Peter and Max, the growers who supplied grapes for the first Crystallum Peter Max Pinot Noir vintage. The elegant, complex wine beautifully integrates savoury and fruity notes, ideal for pairing with camembert, poultry and game. The wine is a delicate ruby colour packed with the fruity aromas of bruised strawberries, rose, pomegranate, cranberries, and rosemary layered with earthy tones from the forest floor. The famous drinking wine is perfect for Christmas and will continue to improve until 2030.
MERLOT
The soft and approachable red blend is a testament to artfully reared vines. The Right-Bank Bordeaux-style blend, De Toren Z, comprises a harmonious blend of five varietals showcasing various aromas of red fruits, mulberries and blueberries. The wine is tantalisingly soft and juicy on the palate, revealing an intense red fruit profile. Its well-integrated oak and finely knit tannins create a complex and velvety finish. This Merlot-dominant blend is vibrant, expressive, and elegant in its youth and becomes complex and earthy with age. Enjoy the wine at its optimal temperature between 15 and 18°C. Comte cheese, barbeque spare ribs or fresh tomato pasta pair perfectly with this wine.
International wine critic and Master of Wine Tim Atkin calls Shannon Mount Bullet the only world-class example of a Merlot from South Africa. This award-winning wine's good acidity lends outstanding freshness. Elgin Valley in the Cape south coast region has unusual geography making it suited for high-quality wine grapes. The wine has an appealing fragrance of ripe red fruits like plums and dark cherries and an earthy complexity and minerality. Its well-integrated, ripe and seductive tannin structure ensures that this wine will continue to develop in years to come, with an optimal drinking window of Christmas 2022 to 2030. Pair this perfect festive wine with barbeque pork ribs, roast beef and cheese tortellini.
PINOTAGE
A South African Gem, this bold Pinotage has moody flavours of caramelised black cherries, spices and hints of dark chocolate. Spier 21 Gables Pinotage is a beautiful deep, ruby red. The nose exudes violet aromas blended with Black Forest cake and sun-ripened blackberries with a tinge of graphite. The full-bodied wine is beautifully balanced and intensely complex with deliciously smooth tannins. It’s barrel matured to absolute perfection and shows off good energy and food versatility with structure and grace. Carefully pair with smoked gouda, gently roasted lamb shank and grilled vegetables to complement this wine.
DESSERT WINE
No festive meal is complete without sweet endings or the time to linger over cheese and more wine. Mullineux Straw Wine 2021 is the perfect accompaniment to tangy lemon-based desserts, as well as a cheese board of blue stilton, pecorino or aged gouda. Made with Chenin Blanc grapes that have been left on straw mats for weeks to concentrate their sugars, this viscous, golden-coloured wine has notes of gooseberry compote, dried apricots, marmalade, marzipan and honey aromas. The complex layers of the intense mouthfeel are balanced by a Granitic freshness, as one would expect from wines grown in ancient Swartland soils. On the dessert wine scale it sits somewhere between a Sauternes and a Tokaji.
