Christmas drinks guide: 12 wines and spirits to light up your Christmas - Christmas Flowers South Africa

It’s not too late to stock up the drinks cabinet for the big day, or hunt down a gift for a wine or cocktail loving friend. Here’s a dozen wines and spirits worth sniffing out this Christmas…

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WINE

Blason de Bourgogne Crémant de Bourgogne Rosé

This dry rosé is a sophisticated alternative to Champagne, and much better value. It shows strawberry and raspberry characters and a hint of creamy brioche. Great with smoked salmon or on its own as a classic celebration drink. £12.99 from Waitrose

Montes Reserva Sauvignon 2010

New world Sauvignon Blanc, such as this bottle from Chile, continues to lead the way and it’s easy to see why. It’s fresh, zingy and mouth filling with enough acidity to make your taste buds sing. Again, great with fish or as an aperitif. £7.99 from Majestic, £8.19 from Morrisons

Laurent Miquel L’Atelier Vermentino 2010

Vermentino isn’t one of the most popular white grape varieties but that’s no reason to dismiss it. This French version from esteemed Languedoc winemaker Laurent Miquel is elegant, austere and exotic with citrus fruit and more complexity than you’d find in similar whites such as Sav Blanc or Pinot Grigio. £9.99 from Waitrose

McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon 2005

As a rule white wines are best enjoyed young, but some like this Semillon benefit from a few years’ bottle aging. The time in bottle gives it a richness and complexity that is bold enough to take on the traditional  christmas flowers south africa turkey. Expect to find passion fruit and honeyed notes in this award-winning wine. £9.99 from Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Majestic and Wine Rack

Laurent Miquel L’Atelier Miquel GSM 2008

GSM is a blend of the traditional southern French varieties of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. This exciting blend works brilliantly with most roast meats - including turkey - as it’s brimming with plum and berry fruit characters and has a rich, peppery finish.  £9.99 from Waitrose

Vergelegen Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot

If you’re looking for a fireside red this season, look no further than this Bordeaux-style blend from South Africa. Made up of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot it’s juicy, fruity (think plums and dark cherries) and has a touch of spice and wood characters due to its oak aging. £9.99 from Morrisons

The Chocolate Block, 2010

This awesome wine from Franschhoek in South Africa is as  christmas flowers south africa blogs as red wine can get without mulling it. It’s rich, full-bodied and jam-packed with ripe black and red fruit, oak and vanilla. Given its name it’s no surprise that it goes down well with dark, bitter chocolate, but works even better with roasted red meats and bold cheeses. £18 from Waitrose

Beachcomber Low ABV Wines

This trio of fruit-driven white, red and rosé wines from Australia carry only 5.5% alcohol so are ideal for those who enjoy wine but not the side effects that come with the hefty ABVs of many of today’s wines. Perfect for all occasions. £5 from Tesco

SPIRITS

Bloodshot Vodka

If there’s one cocktail that’s designed for Boxing Day it’s a Bloody Mary, and with the help of Bloodshot Vodka the whole process just got a lot easier. Crafted in West Sussex from English wheat and distilled seven times to guarantee purity the vodka is then blended with chilli, black pepper, citrus and celery bitters, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce and oak aged ruby port to give it a kick. For the perfect Bloody Mary simply mix one part of Bloodshot with four parts tomato juice and pour over ice. £21.99 from Firebox

Ginger Wine

Technically a wine, hence its name, but more often used in cocktails than enjoyed neat, ginger wine is perfect at this time of year. Mix three parts scotch whisky (nothing fancy, a blended whisky will do) with two parts of ginger wine for a winter warming Whisky Mac. Alternatively add a splash to the bottom of a Champgane flute and top up with sparkling wine for a tasty aperitif. £5-£6 from all major supermarkets

Talisker

Made on the Isle of Skye Talisker is one of the more smoky, earthy single malts and is the perfect gift for a malt loving friend or relative. This year it’s being released in a special edition gift back that includes a 20cl bottle of 10-year-old Talisker, a rocking glass and a hip flask. Perfect for the Boxing Day walk. £19.99 from whisky specialists

Tanqueray

A special edition bottle of Tanqueray gin had been released this Christmas that’s ideal for the cocktail enthusiast in your life. It comes in a high-quality silver shrink sleeve, complete with tasting notes and recipes. The gin itself is packed with classic juniper and citrus characters as well as other botanicals including peppery coriander and aromatic angelica. £19.49 from the Whisky Exchange

Head to Briarwood for Christmas in Warren - Christmas Flowers south africa

There are christmas flowers south africa displays... and then there are magical works of art that are a labor of love. Some might say the incredible arrangement of lights and music at the Briarwood Drive East home of Jack and Teri Klingert is among the latter.

"We decided about a year ago to give it a shot," he said, humbly describing something more akin to hitting a home run in the first at-bat.

His decorations—the result of 12-months of planning, constructing and programming—includes hundreds of LED lights on graceful arches, miniature christmas flowers south africa blogs trees and one 17-foot tree, and angels dancing and illuminating four carefully chosen Christmas sings broadcast on an FM signal for passing motorists to enjoy ("passing" isn't really correct, since few can help by stop and admire).

"It's a way to give back to the community," Klingert said.

Klingert, a former Bell Labs engineer, became enamored of the world of "Blinky Flashy," as aficianados of the elaborate decorations call their hobby, and dove in. An online community growing around the website at doityourselfchristmas.com helped him locate supplies—he needed more than a mile of wire to construct his display—as well as vendors from Nebraska to South Africa and China.

Most amazingly, he devised the entire layout in his head.

"I couldnt believe he could do it that way—I'd need a written plan," Teri said.

But she added when it came time to assemble everything outside, his number- and color-coordinated cables and wires made it a snap.

"We just needed two warm and dry days in November to assemble it," Klingert said.

And everything worked on the first flip of the switch (take that, Clark Griswold!)—although he admits to tweaking some of the lights.

Since each light can be controlled down to one-twentieth of a second, with hundreds of possible brightness settings, he has adjusted some to better fit the music. Each light has been individually programmed, and is operated by a control box operating using software running on a desktop computer inside the house. Amazingly, the whole display uses about 150 watts of electricity—less than three medium-wattage incandescent light bulbs.

How do you synchronize hundreds of lights to music?

"Well, first you have to listen to each song...over and over...and over," he said. Eventually, ideas for synchronizing the lights came to him and he made the necessary settings.

Now as Christmas approaches, the couple watch with joy as drivers pull up and watch the 15-minute presentation.

"We can hear the kids screaming and laughing," Klingert said. "It really makes us happy."

You can see more of the display on their Facebook page.

For the best view of the display, Klingert said to take Briarwood Drive West off of Liberty Corner Road, and tune your radio to 92.7 FM for the music accompaniment. The display is set to automatically shut down at about 10:15 p.m.