What will you drink for Christmas 2024? This is where I’ll start

Drink your good stuff; don’t let it sit in the cellar oxidising.

This is the Christmas mantra. Let’s drink better things during the festive season because when else will you do it? Especially in this house, where 11 months of the year, the diet is largely beer and samples (outside of special days).

So now it’s important to go long. To go fancy.

So what will it be? What better wine, beer, cocktails, spirits, etc will you drink this Christmas 2024?

There is only one constant for a Christmas drink in this house – there will be a bottle of Primo Estate Joseph Sparkling Red. I like this description of this unique sparkling best: ‘It’s a master stock of a wine that couples the punch and power of young McLaren Vale Cabernet, Merlot and Shiraz with a treasure-trove solera of old Aussie wine things.’

Some bloke called Andrew Graham wrote that.

This year, the Joseph Sparkling Red comes with controversy, as Primo has changed the iconic bottle. Like it?

What else? There’s a stack of Bollinger magnums that need opening, plus a cellar full of classic, slightly old-school faves in the ideal Christmas drinking zone. 2004 Wynns John Riddoch, 2009 Tyrrell’s Vat 1, 2010 Roda I Riserva, 2017 Raymond Lafon Sauternes, that sort of thing. Then, there are a few entertaining recently acquired drinks – 2014 Tissot Vin Jaune, 2021 d’Meure Chardonnay, 2021 Bindi Block 5, and some of the Azores Verdelho I was banging on about a little while back.

Otherwise, there is also a spread of non-wine things that need trying this Christmas, too – 12yo balsamic, some 2022 Hawkers Imperial Stout and a smorgasbord of Muscat of varying ages from a fortified project I’m involved with.

What about you? What will you drink this Christmas?