Opinion

Wines at Xmas #17 – Sorcha Holloway [Guest Post]

For winelovers, Christmas is a time when we look forward to drinking – and even sharing – a special bottle or two.  This might be a classic wine with traditional fare or just something different we’ve wanted to try for a while.  I asked some wine loving friends what they were looking forward to and they have kindly agreed to write a blog post for me.

Sorcha Holloway is the founder and owner of luxury wine tour company Away With Wine and also hosts the Twitter Chat #ukwinehour on Thursday evenings at 19.00 GMT / 20.00 CET


I’m dreaming of a Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona Christmas…
My Christmas Wine will not be a surprise to anyone who knows me and my passion for Sangiovese, Brunello di Montalcino in particular.  I discovered Brunello on my first trip to Montalcino with Mr H in 2007, a destination chosen because of Isabella Dusi’s book “Vanilla Beans and Brodo” (Christmas gift tip for Brunello-lovers!).  I fell under the spell of both this magical medieval town and its magnificent wine.  IMG-4533I have been a regular visitor since and I’m pretty sure I leave another little piece of my heart there every time.  This is where my love affair with fine wine really began, and probably where the seed for Away With Wine was first planted.
When on a wine tour there this summer I returned to this fabulous winery with its ancient and modern cellars, and family of wolves for good measure!  After a comprehensive tasting in the company of the charming owner, Paolo Bianchini, I was tempted, unsurprisingly, to ship some treasures home, including this – a magnum of 2007 Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona single vineyard Pianrosso Brunello di Montalcino.  I promise to share with my family in Ireland on Christmas Day.
It has been snowing in Montalcino this last few days – since I can’t have Christmas there, then this is the next best option.  A presto, Montalcino!
Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona Pianrosso Brunello di Montalcino 2007 (14.5%): not currently available in UK/Ire – bought at the winery, but delighted to report that Mentzendorff have recently started working with Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona so we hope to see more of their wines available in the UK soon.

The full series of Wines at Xmas:

 

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