In 1972, President Pompidou of France gifted Queen Elizabeth II a wine cooler in the shape of a giant grasshopper that, when you rotated its wings, turned into a drinks table. I haven’t seen it in the background of any royal family Christmas photos since. And I know how they feel: ever since I started working in wine, I’ve accrued a trove of so-called “gadgets”. A wine aerator. Several preservation systems. An amount of corkscrews that feels almost illegal to own. You can find all these things, and many others besides, in a dusty drawer in my house.
The gift of a drinks gadget is very well-meaning, I suppose, the assumption being that I drink enough wine on a daily basis that what I really need is a piece of tech to make my consumption of it easier, sexier and slightly more expensive.
But I’d prefer just a bottle of booze, thanks. I know some may disagree, but a bottle received at Christmas, or indeed at any other time of the year, isn’t the unimaginative gift that many think it is.
On the Western Front in 1914, British, French and German forces met in no man’s land for a spontaneous truce on Christmas Day. Not unexpectedly, there was booze involved. There are accounts of French soldiers leaving their trenches with champagne and cigars, but wine, cognac, rum and beer were also exchanged as gifts.
To many, the heavily mythologised story of that Christmas truce is a momentary blip of humanity during one of the darkest periods of our history, but those gifts of booze reveal something more. It hints at a sincere hope for a future where such a gift might be enjoyed. A future that at the time was scarcely fathomable, but one that was still well worth cracking open a bottle for.
I think that’s what I like the most about receiving booze as a gift: there’s no pressure or expectation about when or how you’ll drink it. With an itchy Christmas jumper, say, you are contractually bound via blood oath to pull it over your head within 10 seconds of learning it exists. With a bottle of wine, however, the giver is content with the promise that you’ll enjoy it at some point in the future.
In this sense, a bottle of booze can be a truly selfless gift – giving for giving’s sake. And what’s more Christmassy than that?
Four bottles I’d be happy to unwrap
Vinca Organic Sparkling Wine £21 for six (200ml, or £3.50 a can) Vinca, 10.5%. A nifty little stocking filler: 100% sparkling Sicilian grillo in a can, and a good size for relishing in bed at 8am. Start as you mean to go on.
Waitrose Blanc de Noirs Brut NV £27.99 Waitrose, 12%. Made by the very fancy Maison Bonnet in the Aube, this is an utter bargain for the quality you’re getting. (FYI, Bonnet also makes Fortnums’s own-label, but that’s £45.)
Allora Aperitivo al Limone 70cl £25 Allora Drinks, 8.5%. Limoncello, but not as we know it. A blend of botanicals give this a bitter edge. Drink with tonic. Will keep for a long time.
Nc’nean Organic Single Malt £51.95 The Whisky Exchange, 46%. Stone fruit and bright spice characterise this single malt. At Christmas, savour it with loved ones or pour it on your porridge. Stick a candle in it for the rest of the year.
