January 25th next week is Burns Night, and conveniently this year for all those who celebrate, falls on a Saturday. This is Robert Burns' birthday and a celebration of his life and poetry, but also of course haggis, so we though we'd put together our top 10 reds to wine and dine with.
Check those out below, but first, given Burns' well-known penchant for Scotch whisky, we thought we'd start with our top picks from the new wave of Scottish craft distilleries to ensure you have a delicious dram at the ready to toast the haggis.
Thompson Bros SRV5 8 Year Old (£39)
Expertly crafted, affordable malt from cult favourites Thompson Brothers in Dornoch made from a blend of single malts from North Highland, Islay and Speyside all with at least 8 years of age. SRV5, AKA 'Station Road Vat 5', is produced in the Solera method, meaning the tank is never emptied to less than a third full when whisky is drawn off for bottling. Expect good body, bright, fresh fruity notes, a mineral waxiness and a balancing backbone of peat.
Lochlea Our Barley Single Malt (£47)
A 'grain to glass' whisky, Lochlea's award winning single malt is made from and inspired by their own barley grown on Lochlea Farm in Kilmarnock. Aged in a combination of first-fill bourbon, Oloroso sherry and STR (shaved, toasted, re-charred) casks, this has wonderful depth and complexity, showing notes of pear syrup, fruit bon bons, warm cut grass, marmalade, rye bread, macadamia nuts and cream soda.
Isle Of Raasay Dùn Cana Sherry Cask (£85)
Made by the only distillery on the stunning Hebridean island of Raasay (population 161), and named for Raasay's highest peak Dùn Cana (pictured top), this is the second release of the top bottling aged in American rye casks with a second maturation in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry quarter casks. A classy, sumptuous whisky that exudes peppery spice, dried sultanas and vanilla with a finish of salty chocolate and a touch of aromatic wood smoke.
Haggis addressed, toasted and served up with your neeps and tatties, it's time to really do it justice with a great bottle to compliment and accentuate its uniquely savoury, spicy and emphatically ovine nature. Thankfully there are loads of great options, especially so in the natural wine world, where many wines with a similarly spicy, meaty - even animal - character proliferate: smoky bacon scented Northern Rhône Syrah from Côte Rotie (literally roasted slope), gently barnyard-y Cru Beaujolais from Chénas, rugged and rustic Umbrian Montefalco, and sweetly spiced Priorat Garnacha to name just a few.
Les Chemins de l'Arskose Les Terrasses (£31)
Les Chemins de l’Arkose is located in Montpeyroux in the ancient Auvergne region of France. Les Terrasses is a pure and racy expression of Syrah which is reminiscent of its Rhône counterparts. It comes from a massale selection of Syrah from Côte-Rotie and ‘Petite Syrah’ (Serine) planted on terraces at an altitude of 400 metres. Fermented and aged in amphora, this has an earthy/red brick quality with juicy red berries, violets and peppery notes to the fore.
Stéphane Otheguy Côte Rôtie 'Les Massales' (£85)
Stéphane Otheguy makes sensational wine from 1.5 hectares of vines planted in the steep and rocky northern Rhône appellations of Côte Rôtie, Saint-Joseph and Condrieu. Vibrant and intense, Les Massales is Stéphane's Côte Rôtie made from 50-60 year old vineyards planted with a historic local variety of Syrah known as Serine. Great power and finesse with concentrated blackberry fruit and plenty of savoury notes including olive, game and pepper.
Domaine du Mont Verrier Beaujolais Pierres Dorées (£18)
Natural, zero added sulphur Beaujolais from Domaine du Mont Verrier, an historic estate built around a magnificent 17th century farmhouse. Pierres Dorées translates as 'golden stones', an apt name for this cuvée that exudes stoney minerality alongside silky stewed cherry and black doris plum fruit with a crack of pepper and fragrant wild herbs.
Domaine Thillardon Chénas Vibrations (£38)
Paul-Henri Thillardon established Domaine Thillardon in Chénas in 2008, working organically since day one and subsequently with biodynamics also. Vibrations is Gamay from 60-90 year old vines growing in granite, quartz and alluvium soils in the commune of La Chapelle-de-Guinchay. Aged in a combination of old barrels, concrete and stainless steel, this is gorgeously supple, with aromas of red fruits, dried flowers, smoke and liquorice. Meaty and generous on the palate, with a lovely purity of fruit.
Fongoli Montefalco Rosso Bicunsio (£27)
Fongoli is an historic Montefalco estate dating from the early 1900s when Decio Fongoli began farming grapes and olives alongside the breeding of pigs and cattle. Bicunsio is a blend of Sangiovese, Sagrantino and Montepulciano harvested by hand, fermented with indigenous yeasts, then aged in Slavonian oak casks for two years. A deep ruby red, it offers incredible intensity and persistence on the nose, with deep, spicy and savoury notes and fruity flavours of cherry and blackberry.
Els Bigotis Del Gat Priorat (£27)
Els Bigotis de Gat is the micro project of Steve Colombe, a friend of the shop who relocated to Porrera, Priorat, in the 2000s. Here he makes a single cuvée from a tiny 0.7 hectare plot of organic vines where the roots struggle through cracks in the granite rock. 100% Garnacha, this is super mineral with smoky, sweet, raspberry and strawberries, leather and tobacco notes. Full bodied but smooth, easy drinking.
Costador Metamorphika Trepat Amfora (£33)
Costador is a unique project in Tarragona working organically to produce an array of single vineyard wines from unique mountain plots. This is made from an indigenous Catalunya variety Trepat from 80 year old bush vines at high altitude. After hand-harvesting and fermentation with native yeasts the wine is aged for 6 months in clay amphora. The result is complex, wild and brambly with a long finish and acidity which balances its length and complexity.
Château Cristi Dóldora (£15.50)
The red version of the Summer smash hit Jumi-Juma, Dóldora is an expressive and juicy low-intervention wine from the ancient winemaking region of Southern Moldova. Made from 100% Saperavi, an ancient grape with a reputation for producing punchy wines, this has black pepper and cloves up front, giving way to ripe cherries and blackberries.
Château Ollieux-Romanis Lo Petit Fantet d’Hippolyte Rouge (£16)
Château Ollieux Romanis is an historic Corbiéres estate with a wine cellar built in the late 19th century. The rouge is a blend of Carignan, Grenache and Syrah, fermented with indigenous yeasts and bottled without fining or filtration. A deep and brooding southern French red with black cherry, cassis, liquorice and the floral and herbal accents of the Corbiéres scrubland.
António Ribeiro and Sara Dionísio of Casa de Mouraz gave up their jobs in Lisbon to pursue their dream of making wine in the Dão where they work biodynamically with 9 of the region's indigenous varieties. Chibu is a field blend of 80% red and 20% white grapes from a 50 year old parcel, hand-picked, foot-trodden and fermented with wild yeasts. Vivid and fresh with perfumed, floral aromas, sweet strawberry fruit and hints of grapefruit zest and herbs.