What does any self-respecting wine lover want for Christmas? Wine, of course, and the prospect of having twelve days of Christmas with which to receive an enviable supply of fine wine makes the gift all the more exciting! So, what would be a fitting selection of wine to receive for Christmas from my true love?
On the first day of Christmas
My true love sent to me
A bottle of Magenta Cuvée Supérieure Brut Champagne
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the second day of Christmas
My true love sent to me
Two bottles of Bellingham The Bernard Series Small Barrel S.M.V.
A Bottle of Magenta Cuvée Supérieure Brut Champagne
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the third day of Christmas
My true love sent to me
Three bottles of Cambridge Cellars Limited Monterey Chardonnay
Two bottles of Bellingham The Bernard Series Small Barrel S.M.V.
A Bottle of Magenta Cuvée Supérieure Brut Champagne
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the fourth day of Christmas
My true love sent to me
Four bottles of Barista South Africa Pinotage
Three bottles of Cambridge Cellars Limited Monterey Chardonnay
Two bottles of Bellingham The Bernard Series Small Barrel S.M.V.
A Bottle of Magenta Cuvée Supérieure Brut Champagne
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the fifth day of Christmas
My true love sent to me
Five bottles of Domaine William Fèvre Champs Royaux Chablis
Four bottles of Barista South Africa Pinotage
Three bottles of Cambridge Cellars Limited Monterey Chardonnay
Two bottles of Bellingham The Bernard Series Small Barrel S.M.V.
A Bottle of Magenta Cuvée Supérieure Brut Champagne
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the sixth day of Christmas
My true love sent to me
Six bottles of Valenciso Rioja Reserva
Five bottles of Domaine William Fèvre Champs Royaux Chablis
Four bottles of Barista South Africa Pinotage
Three bottles of Cambridge Cellars Limited Monterey Chardonnay
Two bottles of Bellingham The Bernard Series Small Barrel S.M.V.
A Bottle of Magenta Cuvée Supérieure Brut Champagne
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the seventh day of Christmas
My true love sent to me
Seven bottles of Chappellet Cervantes Sonoma Coast Chardonnay
Six bottles of Valenciso Rioja Reserva
Five bottles of Domaine William Fèvre Champs Royaux Chablis
Four bottles of Barista South Africa Pinotage
Three bottles of Cambridge Cellars Limited Monterey Chardonnay
Two bottles of Bellingham The Bernard Series Small Barrel S.M.V.
A Bottle of Magenta Cuvée Supérieure Brut Champagne
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the eighth day of Christmas
My true love sent to me
Eight bottles of Domaine de Saint-Guirons Pauillac
Seven bottles of Chappellet Cervantes Sonoma Coast Chardonnay
Six bottles of Valenciso Rioja Reserva
Five bottles of Domaine William Fèvre Champs Royaux Chablis
Four bottles of Barista South Africa Pinotage
Three bottles of Cambridge Cellars Limited Monterey Chardonnay
Two bottles of Bellingham The Bernard Series Small Barrel S.M.V.
A Bottle of Magenta Cuvée Supérieure Brut Champagne
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the ninth day of Christmas
My true love sent to me
Nine bottles of Rosenthal The Malibu Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
Eight bottles of Domaine de Saint-Guirons Pauillac
Seven bottles of Chappellet Cervantes Sonoma Coast Chardonnay
Six bottles of Valenciso Rioja Reserva
Five bottles of Domaine William Fèvre Champs Royaux Chablis
Four bottles of Barista South Africa Pinotage
Three bottles of Cambridge Cellars Limited Monterey Chardonnay
Two bottles of Bellingham The Bernard Series Small Barrel S.M.V.
A Bottle of Magenta Cuvée Supérieure Brut Champagne
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the tenth day of Christmas
My true love sent to me
Ten bottles of Denis Dutron Mâcon-Fuissé
Nine bottles of Rosenthal The Malibu Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
Eight bottles of Domaine de Saint-Guirons Pauillac
Seven bottles of Chappellet Cervantes Sonoma Coast Chardonnay
Six bottles of Valenciso Rioja Reserva
Five bottles of Domaine William Fèvre Champs Royaux Chablis
Four bottles of Barista South Africa Pinotage
Three bottles of Cambridge Cellars Limited Monterey Chardonnay
Two bottles of Bellingham The Bernard Series Small Barrel S.M.V.
A Bottle of Magenta Cuvée Supérieure Brut Champagne
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the eleventh day of Christmas
My true love sent to me
Eleven bottles of Querciola Sori Barolo
Ten bottles of Denis Dutron Mâcon-Fuissé
Nine bottles of Rosenthal The Malibu Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
Eight bottles of Domaine de Saint-Guirons Pauillac
Seven bottles of Chappellet Cervantes Sonoma Coast Chardonnay
Six bottles of Valenciso Rioja Reserva
Five bottles of Domaine William Fèvre Champs Royaux Chablis
Four bottles of Barista South Africa Pinotage
Three bottles of Cambridge Cellars Limited Monterey Chardonnay
Two bottles of Bellingham The Bernard Series Small Barrel S.M.V.
A Bottle of Magenta Cuvée Supérieure Brut Champagne
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree
On the twelfth day of Christmas
My true love sent to me
Twelve bottles of Joseph Perrier Cuvée Royale Brut Champagne (because you can never have enough great Champagne)
Eleven bottles of Querciola Sori Barolo
Ten bottles of Denis Dutron Mâcon-Fuissé
Nine bottles of Rosenthal The Malibu Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
Eight bottles of Domaine de Saint-Guirons Pauillac
Seven bottles of Chappellet Cervantes Sonoma Coast Chardonnay
Six bottles of Valenciso Rioja Reserva
Five bottles of Domaine William Fèvre Champs Royaux Chablis
Four bottles of Barista South Africa Pinotage
Three bottles of Cambridge Cellars Limited Monterey Chardonnay
Two bottles of Bellingham The Bernard Series Small Barrel S.M.V.
A Bottle of Magenta Cuvée Supérieure Brut Champagne
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree
These amazing wines come from my true love, The International Wine of the Month Club™, and I would enjoy these exceptional wines with the partridges and the pears from the pear tree.
True confessions, yes! Remorse, no, I don’t plan to lose any sleep over past transgressions, mine or anyone else’s. So, here it goes. Years ago, I loved Chardonnay, and then I just lost interest. At first, it was benign neglect. But then I found myself loathing quite a few Chardonnays, especially a certain breed of California Chardonnay with its propensity for flabbiness and preponderance of oak. At times, after tasting some of these wines I thought I would have to pick splinters from my mouth from the less than judicious use of raw wood. “Is this wine I’m drinking or oak water,” I asked myself. And honestly, I wasn’t sure. I began to hate such concoctions. Admittedly, there were exceptions and some extraordinary California Chardonnays that were not over-oaked or under-wined depending upon one’s perspective. And there were still many French white Burgundies (the original Chardonnay and my first Chardonnay love) that stood the test of time, but the cost of the finest French Burgundies went through the roof in the 1990s and have kept on soaring to the point where such classics are now the exclusive domain of multi-millionaires and billionaires, which precludes me and nearly the rest of the planet, too. I still get to taste these Burgundian classics on occasion, but purchasing them is out of the question. Too bad, but aside from the ridiculous cost, the payback just isn’t that great . . . most of the time.