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'Tis the season
to try something new
Published: 20/11/2025
The festive season is just around the corner! Whether your calendar is filling up with dinners and get-togethers, or you’re looking forward to some relaxing downtime at home, a good bottle of wine or two should definitely be on the shopping list. We’re guilty-as-charged when it comes to relying on old favourites, be that producers, regions, or specific wines. So we’re shaking it up this holiday season with some unexpected choices. The wonderful thing about the wine world is that there is always something new to discover, and you’ll never run out of new things to taste and fall in love with. Here are some bottles we hope will capture your hearts. Mistletoe at the ready!
Sparkling
Casa Valduga Premivm Espumante Nature, €25,50, Bodeboca
Celebrations need bubbles! The classic regions of Champagne, Cava, Prosecco or Franciacorta might spring to mind. But how about Brazil? According to one wine expert, it’s the country producing the best sparkling wines in the Southern Hemisphere. Put this statement to the test with this delicious Chardonnay-dominant traditional method sparkler. It spends two years on its lees to give it wonderful toasty notes and a rounded mouthfeel. Casa Valduga have been producing wines since 1875, making it the oldest winery in Brazil still in production.
Enjoy with: oily fish like smoked salmon or a mackerel pâté.
White
Pheasant’s Tears Mtsvane, €26,60, Vinissimus
This single varietal Mtsvane from Georgia’s Kakheti region is sure to get your guests talking this year. Georgia is a country with one of the longest histories of winemaking, yet their wines are rarely seen internationally. Standout winery Pheasant’s Tears uses the traditional practice of fermenting the wines in clay qveri vessels buried in the ground, and uses skin contact with their white wines to give texture and phenolic character. The result is a complex, aromatic style with notes of sweet almonds, dried herbs and stone fruit. A wine fit for a feast!
Enjoy with: spicy dishes, cheese platters and cured meats.
Red
Domaine Pignier Poulsard, €32,80, Decantalo
Any dish you might think to pair a Pinot Noir, may we suggest a Poulsard? One of the Jura region’s most important black grapes, it produces pale coloured, light bodied wines with rich earthy tones and raspberry fruit. These refreshing styles waken up a tired palate and get your juices flowing again. The Jura region has gained popularity in recent years for the uniqueness of styles produced there, the fact they pair so well with food, and the minimal intervention approach used by many producers.
Enjoy with: mushroom risotto, lentil dishes, or game.
Red
Tandem, €17,90, Bodeboca
At WCB, one of our all-time favourite black grapes is Syrah. It’s spicy profile makes it a perfect winter choice for chilly nights, and the best expressions (in our opinion!) come from the steep slopes of the Northern Rhône valley. Or do they? Alain Graillot produces some of the best Crozes-Hermitage around, and also produces this 100% Syrah, Tandem, at the Ouled Taleb estate in Morocco’s Benslimane region. Loaded with black pepper and clove notes, along with silky blueberry and blackberry fruit, it’s exotic, comforting, and a superb food wine.
Enjoy with: roast lamb, curries, or aubergine-based dishes
Fortified
Villa Oeiras Carcavelos 15 años Superior, €44,61, Portugal Vineyards
Move over, Port. There’s a new Portuguese fortified wine on our wish list! The region of Carcavelos to the West of Lisbon has been producing fortified wines since the 12th Century, though production levels have been in steady decline. Let’s reverse that! These wines are delicious! Oxidative and characterful, Villa Oeiras’ top wine has complex notes of caramel, citrus peel, spice and coffee, and lifted acidity that keeps it from ever feeling cloying. Sure to be a crowd pleaser this Christmas.
Enjoy with: cows’ cheeses like Mao and Comté, blue cheeses like Roquefort, or roasted chestnuts.
We hope you enjoy branching out with these five news wines this festive season. This is the perfect time of year to discover new things and a wine tasting night sounds like the perfect excuse to get together with your loved ones. Equally, any of these bottles would make great company by the fireside with a good book. Whatever your plans this holiday season, we hope you won’t go thirsty. Cheers to one and all!
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