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Paisley Bear Wine Club’s 2024 Christmas Gift Red Edition: A Festive Celebration in Every Sip

This Christmas, the Paisley Bear Wine Club invites you to unwrap a holiday surprise bursting with character, charm, and cheer: The 2024 Christmas Gift Red Edition. Designed for festive sipping, merry gifting, or a self-indulgent toast under the twinkling lights, this carefully curated selection of reds is sure to make spirits bright. Whether you’re pairing with a holiday feast or braving family Monopoly marathons, there’s a wine here for every magical moment.

Let’s dive into the whimsical world of these reds, complete with tasting notes, holiday pairings, and even the Christmas family moments they’re made for.

1. Stellenzicht Tristone Cabernet Sauvignon

• Region: Stellenbosch, South Africa
• Winemaker: L’Re Hughes
• Awards: Silver Medal – Decanter World Wine Awards 2023 (previous vintage)
• Tasting Notes: A bold yet elegant Cab that greets you with aromas of blackberry, cassis, and cigar box. The palate is rich with velvety tannins, notes of blackcurrant, and a whisper of dark chocolate. It finishes long, with a savory edge that keeps you coming back for more.
• Christmas Food Pairing: Prime rib roast with rosemary potatoes, or even a hearty mushroom and chestnut Wellington for vegetarians.
• Christmas Family Moment: Perfect for the moment your (potentially high) nephew Kebin starts arguing that Die Hard is the ultimate Christmas movie, and the family divides into “It is” and “It’s not” camps. Pour generously for both sides and let the discourse unfold.

2. Bellingham Bernard Series Basket Press Syrah

• Region: Franschoek Valley, South Africa
• Winemaker: Richard Duckitt
• Awards: Platinum Award – Michelangelo International Wine Awards 2022 (previous vintage)
• Tasting Notes: Deep ruby with fragrant notes of violets, black pepper, and smoked bacon. On the palate, it’s a symphony of dark berries, licorice, and spice with a silky texture that dances into a lingering finish. Much like your diminutive sister-in-law, who manages to get two bottles of wine into her tiny body and still be chatting your ear off at midnight with some verve, clarity and conviction, whilst dancing to a Hall & Oates song.
• Christmas Food Pairing: Glazed ham studded with cloves or a rich duck confit.
• Christmas Family Moment: Uncork this when the family assembles to decorate the tree—and Grandma insists on hanging that one awkward ornament from 1985 that looks like the old South African flag, whilst you convince your new-brother-in-law Thabang that it’s not.

3. Lemberg Pinot Noir

• Region: Tulbagh, South Africa
• Winemaker: Anri Botha
• Awards: Gold – South African Wine Index (previous vintage)
• Tasting Notes: An elegant Pinot Noir with aromas of cranberry, cherry, and soft earthiness. The palate is fresh and bright with silky tannins, showcasing red berries, subtle oak, and a hint of wild herbs.
• Christmas Food Pairing: Goat cheese-stuffed mushrooms, or a pesto pasta salad.
• Christmas Family Moment Pour this for the festive family singalong—especially if your Dad emerges tone-deaf and somewhat delusional singing “It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas”. The Paisley Bear Clubmasters also found this wine completements leftovers on Boxing Day afternoon, if you can wait that long.

4. Swerwer Agterpaaie Touriga Nacional

• Region: Swartland, South Africa
• Winemaker: Jasper Wickens
• Awards: A cult favorite, frequently topping “hidden gem” lists in South African wine publications.
• Tasting Notes This unconventional beauty boasts a bouquet of violets, blueberries, and baking spices. On the palate, it’s juicy yet structured, with layers of plum, mocha, and an earthy minerality.
• Christmas Food Pairing Perfect with slow-cooked lamb shank or a cozy mince pie by the fire.
• Christmas Family Moment Best served during the annual Christmas trivia match, as someone confidently misidentifies Rudolph as “the brown-nosed reindeer.”

5. Spier Creative Block 5

• Region: Stellenbosch, South Africa
• Winemaker: Johan Jordaan
• Awards: Double Gold – Veritas Wine Awards 2022 (previous vintage)
• Tasting Notes A Bordeaux-style blend bursting with black cherries, cedar, and hints of graphite. Full-bodied with ripe tannins, layers of cassis, plum, and a touch of mocha on the finish.
• Christmas Food Pairing: This is a main course wine. Beef Wellington, Roasted Lamb or a Bobotie.
• Christmas Family Moment: If you are past the main course and if the cork is still in this bottle, crack this open as the wrapping paper flies and someone accidentally re-gifts a candle they received last year.

6. Baleia Vinhos Rochas (Tempranillo, Shiraz)

• Region: Cape South Coast, South Africa
• Winemaker: Gunther Schultz
• Awards: 4 Stars – Platter’s Wine Guide (latest vintage)
• Tasting Notes A vibrant and unique blend with red cherry, plum, and a sprinkle of cracked black pepper. The Shiraz adds spice, while the Tempranillo brings earthy warmth and fine tannins.
• Christmas Food Pairing Pork belly with crispy crackling or a spiced Christmas pudding.
• Christmas Family Moment A bottle to share when the kids are finally in bed, and you’re sneaking a midnight mince pie while rewatching Love Actually.

The Christmas Gift Red Edition is your ticket to festive delight, one cork at a time. Whether you’re gifting this to someone special or treating yourself, it’s a surefire way to uncork joy this holiday season. After all, nothing says “Merry Christmas” quite like a glass of Paisley Bear magic. Cheers!