Wintertime Wines
Like over a thousand of their followers, we were enthralled by the gorgeous pictures posted by Domaine Guigal on their instagram page, of their steep Côte-Rôtie vineyards covered in a thick layer of snow.
(And not just for the fun of seeing a place called ‘Roasted Slope’ turned into a winter wonderland. Resisting the ‘Côte-Snôwtie’ pun proved beyond our Comms team). It isn’t just aesthetically pleasing. The cold weather performs a vital service at this time of year – vines need a certain number of ‘chill hours’ (as do we all) to recharge from the last season and conserve energy for the next. We might not think of snowscapes when we imagine vineyards, but it’s a vital part of the seasonal cycle.
Drinking seasonal
Whilst we’d be the first to encourage anyone to take things a little easier whatever the time of year, there’s an irony to ‘Dry January’ falling when it does.
Somehow we always find ourselves forgetting, once Christmas has passed, that there are still two months of winter left. It’s dark, it’s cold and we crave the transportive joy of some dark, rich and flavoursome wine from somewhere blessed with more sunshine.
(Not to say of course that, if your greatest January wish is a cold, crisp glass of Riesling, you shouldn’t indulge those wishes as well).
But there is something about the likes of a Guigal Côte-Rôtie or something from Torbreck in Australia’s Barossa Valley or from our new friends Bodega Lagarde in Argentina’s Mendoza, something that balances freshness and precision of fruit with warmth, richness and gentle spice, that can tint even this dreich time of year with a cheering glow.
Not to mention once again, for whoever still needs to hear it, how perfectly suited to January Port is. Let 2026 be the year of reminding everyone: it’s not just for Christmas!
Whatever the rest of winter holds in store, here’s to enjoying our own gentle moments of ‘dormancy’ through it, and to the warming joy of a wintertime wine.
Just over a month to our Portfolio Tasting
Whilst we’re on the subject of wintertime wines, a reminder that (somehow) it’s only just over a month until our Annual Portfolio Tasting at the IET, London, on 17th February.
Your one chance of the year to catch our full Portfolio under one roof … and meet dozens of the makers and families behind the bottle. Phillipe Guigal himself will be in attendance, alongside Marimar Torres, Jean-Frédéric Hugel, Sofia Pescarmona, Eléonore and Florent Latour, Anna Seifried and many, many more.
It’s set to be our biggest and best yet … but places are filling up faster than ever, and are limited in nature.
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