Wine Club 24 November

I take something of a head-in-the-sand approach to Christmas. Despite the bloody supermarkets and high-street stores trumpeting the forthcoming festivities pretty much from the August bank holiday onwards, I feel that if I ignore it, it might just go away. It never does, of course, but it’s worth a try.

We’re not even into Advent yet, but I guess we have to bite the bullet and prepare ourselves. And so it is that I am delighted to present to you a Christmas-appropriate selection of own-label vino from our sainted friends at Corney & Barrow.

Own-label wines are notoriously tricky to get right and if anyone has cracked it, it’s the C&B gang. The Corney & Barrow Sparkling Blanc de Blancs NV (1) is a perfect example. A fizz of great style and elegance, it’s a commendably complex blend of carefully selected parcels made under the watchful eye of the team at Boisset, based in the heart of Burgundy.