Neil Phillips, The Wine Tipster, gives his take on the best Cotswold wine and bubbles to enjoy this Christmas
‘Tis the season to be jolly, and although things may be different this year, I’m keen that we still celebrate this festive time with a great selection of wine, bubbly and soft drinks. While we may not be able to always shop local in person, many of my favourite bottles can still be purchased online. Why not spread the love this Christmas and support local to maintain the top quality producers and wine merchants we have in the Cotswolds. Here, I’ve shared his top Christmas recommendations for a Cotswold Christmas.
Cotswold wine producers
English Wines have come a long way and buying directly from producers is a great way to support local and small businesses this year. I especially like the First Release 2020 White Wine from Three Choirs Vineyard in Gloucestershire which is a fab bottle. You can buy from their online shop – look out for their discounts too! Woodchester Valley Vineyard in Stroud is another top Cotswold vineyard that has some really belting wines available to order from their online shop or from their Cellar Door Shop. They’ve recently released their non-vintage Reserve Cuvée – a classic sparkling wine made from champagne varieties of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier – perfect to celebrate Christmas. The excellent team at Poulton Hill Estate also offer wonderful sparkling wines, or ‘Bulari’ (Latin for bubbles) as they call it, which goes down a treat whether it’s their Rosé, White or award-winning Brut.
Cotswold wine merchants
If you’re looking to stock up on drinks for the holidays or buy presents for loved ones, what better way to do it than supporting the wonderful independent wine merchants of the Cotswolds? I particularly enjoyed visiting the new Moreton in Marsh Wine Merchants with a great selection of bottles for everyone. The Stroud Wine Company is another one not to miss with great delivery and discount options, and as I have previously mentioned, Slurp in Banbury has a fantastic range of wines from around the world which can be ordered online in time for Christmas and picked up In Store or via Drive-Through!
Cheltenham also boasts Tivoli Wines, which has some great wine events, recommendations and discounts, and Cheltenham Wine Company has everything in their online shop and make sure you visit their Sixways Wine Bar. Tetbury Wines is similarly well stocked and has a great team to offer the personalised shopping experience, including free delivery 30 miles around Tetbury! Having opened in February 2020, it is definitely worth supporting them through this tough year. Then there is also Phoenix Wines Cirencester which is open and offers local delivery too. Similarly, The Oxford Wine Company has all stores open for business – perfect for stocking up for Christmas. Grape Minds, also in Oxford, have an excellent range too.
I love all of these Cotswold wine merchants and encourage you to support your local high streets through this hard time whilst also getting some top quality wines for your Christmas spread!
I hope you can celebrate the festive season with a great selection of locally purchased wines. Look out for my accompanying Christmas column – a festive guide to the Cotswolds for non-wine lovers featuring beers, ciders, spirits and soft drinks. Cheers!
