A Christmas Lunch with Cellr and Friends

To celebrate the festive season we asked our staff and friends to tell us the wines they will have on their table for Christmas lunch, and share their fondest memories from 2021.

Amanda Longworth, Barossa Grape and Wine Association

What are 3 wines that will be on your table for Christmas lunch?

1. Flaxman’s Eden Valley Sparkling Shiraz. This will be served at breakfast – with some eggs, bacon and toast.  My first time spending actual Christmas day in Barossa, and as I understand it this is a tradition, to drink sparkling shiraz with breakfast.  No doubt it will get rid of any Christmas eve cobwebs, and set the day off to a good start.  Thankfully it’s just my daughter and husband on Christmas Day, so we can be pretty relaxed, and so I won’t have to stress about cooking for hundreds!
2. Pierre Peters Champagne. Champagne is one of my favourite wines.  It has traded on the notion of celebration for such a long time, so I think when you hear the pop of the cork, that intrinsic association comes to the fore, and you immediately feel happy, and look forward to the first sip.
3. Bethany Wines First Village Rose. After lunch, Christmas day will be spent by the pool, with a great playlist going and just enjoying the day, And a great dry rose is the perfect beverage to while away the afternoon submerged in the cool water, or floating around on the lilo. When we renovated our house we created a little oasis in the backyard, and it’s our favourite place to be in summer.  Typically Christmas is a fabulous, but a more hectic day with lots more family, so I am looking forward to it just being the three of us for a change. 

What you are most looking forward to for Christmas?

Opening our presents!  We typically are always away on Christmas day, so taking a lot of presents away is always a bit problematic.  So it will be nice to be opening what I plan to be an abundance of gifts (even if some are just tokens)!

What’s one of you favourite memories you’ve captured a photo of this year?

This is one of my favourite photos taken with my daughter Aria.  I was grateful that during such uncertain times, I was able to get to Queensland and attend her end of year 12 celebrations.  Of course, Champagne as always at the ready.

Chris Braine, Cellr

What are 3 wines that will be on your table for Christmas lunch?

1. Sidewood Estate Sparkling. Such a refreshing option to cleanse the palate and get the party started.
2. Castle Rock Riesling.  Zesty, bright and balanced…amazing with a cold starter.
3. Tim Adams Grenache. Robust, earthy style Grenache that I think will be a hit with the Woodfired Turkey I’ll be serving.

What you are most looking forward to for Christmas?

Watching my children in the build up and then the morning of Christmas Day. There happiness is infectious.

What’s one of you favourite memories you’ve captured a photo of this year?

This photo was a moment I caught whilst walking Wrigley. I don’t think it needs much explanation.

Daryl Spencer, Hentley Farm

What are 3 wines that will be on your table for Christmas lunch?

1. Sparkling Shiraz –  Christmas in a bottle.
2. Riesling – An aged bottle to surprise those not attuned to the wonders of the style and a 2021 Eden Valley to freshen the palate.
3. Grenache – A Glorious Grenache or two, made in a modern way that lets the varietal flavours shine.

What you are most looking forward to for Christmas?

Its a day of celebration so looking forward to treating our family with the most valuable resource of all – time! To do as we please and some quality food and booze.

What’s one of you favourite memories you’ve captured a photo of this year?

We welcomed Sellars into our home this year and we are grateful to have him!

Matthew Moate, MatthewMoate.com

What are 3 wines that will be on your table for Christmas lunch?

1. Chaffey Bros. Wine Co. FUNKELPUNKT Sparkling. There’s a few vegans around our xmas table so I need to make sure that at least the sparkling fits the bill. Chaffey Bros is a great label, part of the Artisan of Barossa group and it’s fast become our go to Xmas sparkling. It is definitely batting above its price point.
2. The Islander Estate Vineyards 2005 – The Investigator Cabernet Franc. I really love what Jacques Lurton is doing down on Kangaroo Island. The winery is well worth a visit if you’re down there any time. I am a huge Cabernet Franc fan and it is just such a great lunch time wine that goes with most foods or can hold itself up on its own.
3. Langmeil Winery 2004 – Vintage Port. You can’t have pudding without a good port and I’ve got a few of these beauties in the cellar that I’ve been working through over the past few years. For me, it’s not really Christmas without at least one bottle of Langmeil on the table. They were the first wine brand that really made me feel part of the family. So I like to share their wines with my family.

What you are most looking forward to for Christmas?

I am most looking forward to the break and just winding down, I haven’t taken really any leave this year with so many key client projects on. Besides a working holiday in Pt Neill in August this year with a bit of fishing, it’s been go…go…go… all year. This is a chance to sit back, reflect and celebrate all of the success and set myself up for another cracking 2022.

What’s one of you favourite memories you’ve captured a photo of this year?

At the start of the year I decided I needed to start better looking after myself. I jumped back into a sport I hadn’t studied since my early teens; Taekwondo. My daughter Matilda, then showed interest as did my partner Katharine. So, for the most part of the year, we’ve been a Taekwondo family and have been pushing ourselves. This photo is from our second grading of the year. What’s most important for me this year is the supporting nature of the Ilyo Taekwondo Barossa club. We’ve all created some great friendships this year through the club and we love achieving together as a family.

Sean Jolley, Pirramimma

What are 3 wines that will be on your table for Christmas lunch?

1. Pirramimma Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot. Christmas is never complete without sparkling wine and this Chardonnay Pinot is a great selection for the festive season. The inaugural release of our aperitif style Sparkling Cuveìe is a delicate and complex blend of 60% Adelaide Hills Chardonnay and 40% McLaren Vale Pinot Noir.
2. Pirramimma White Label Old Bush Vine Grenache. The highly awarded Old Bush Vine Grenache is the perfect blend for the Christmas season. A bouquet of exotic, perfumed red cherries, rose petals and raspberry with hints of spice and chocolate. This wine will pair perfectly with red meats throughout your Christmas lunch feast!
3. Pirramimma Stock’s Hill Bone Dry Rose. A new offering from Pirramimma, this wine is not your standard Rose.  We created this Rose to be bone dry and shift from the normal overloading sweetness of the normal Rose. A great addition to what is shaping up to be a warm Christmas day!

What’s one of you favourite memories captured in a photo of this year?

Attached is my favourite photo of the year of our wine dog Fronti (Frontignac Johnston) with a little Christmas touch that we’re using as our Christmas cards this year!

Scott Brady, Cellr

What are 3 wines that will be on your table for Christmas lunch?

1. Mismatch Brewing Session Ale – hard to go past this session ale, a great tasting beer and slightly less alcohol.
2. Long Live the King Coonawarra Cab Sav 2020 – by time I’m finished on the session ales, I just grab the first bottle I see in my wine rack!
3. American Honey Sting (on the rocks) – a great way to finish off, it’s pretty sweet but the ghost pepper is a winner.

What you are most looking forward to for Christmas?

I probably should say watching my two girls open presents, but after planning my drink above, I’m getting pretty thirsty 🙂

What’s one of you favourite memories you’ve captured a photo of this year?

Love a good camp fire. Nothing more relaxing than watching a fire with a few quiet froffies.

Jimmy Pun, Cellr

What are 3 wines that will be on your table for Christmas lunch?

1. Choya – Black Suger Plum Wine. Japanese plum wines are usually a favorite of ladies in my family.
2. Brown Brother Moscato. Sweet and fruity, suitable for everyone.
3. 1664 Blanc. A refreshing wheat beer. Option for the one who don’t want to drink wines.

What you are most looking forward to for Christmas?

Catching up with my friends, and staying with my family.

What’s one of you favourite memories you’ve captured a photo of this year?

One of the closest points to see China directly in Hong Kong. The field in the middle may disappear in the future because of the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy in Hong Kong.

Jimmy Pun, Cellr

What are 3 wines that will be on your table for Christmas lunch?

1. Choya – Black Suger Plum Wine. Japanese plum wines are usually a favorite of ladies in my family.
2. Brown Brother Moscato. Sweet and fruity, suitable for everyone.
3. 1664 Blanc. A refreshing wheat beer. Option for the one who don’t want to drink wines.

What you are most looking forward to for Christmas?

Catching up with my friends, and staying with my family.

What’s one of you favourite memories you’ve captured a photo of this year?

One of the closest points to see China directly in Hong Kong. The field in the middle may disappear in the future because of the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy in Hong Kong.

Angela Oemcke, Cellr

What are 3 wines that will be on your table for Christmas lunch?

1. La Petit Vanguard Vermentino Pet Nat. Or as my partner calls it, Bohemian Champagne. While I have endless room in my heart for Growers Champagne, I also a lot of room in my wallet- having been emptied throughout the holiday season. But fear not, La Petit Vanguard has my back! This is one of my all time favourite sparkling wines made from an SA producer, and one that really evolves in the glass- starting out zesty and playful before opening up into some really rich tropical fruit territory. Perfect for a balmy Australian Christmas.
2. Francois Chidaine – Les Argiles (Chenin Blanc). Forgetting what I said a moment ago about saving the last of my pennies, as this Chenin Blanc will be making an appearance during this years festivities. While it fetches a higher price point, it stands its ground making you say something like “this is what wine is about.” All in all really awesome, keen to show it my dad, a fellow Loire enthusiast.
3. No Wave Skin Contact Riesling. It’s not everyday one of your childhood family friends makes their own wine, so there is no way it wont be making its passes around the table during christmas lunch. I’m huge on skin contacts this year, and it was hard not to include Moorak’s 7 day skin contact Riesling, the VHS Beast 006 8-month skin contact Muscat of Alexandria or Brash Higgins orange Zibibbo- well I guess I sort of just did. But anyway, great work to my mate Noah Ward for killing it with this wine. It’s delicious.

What you are most looking forward to for Christmas?

I feel very fortunate to be able to spend it chilling out with my family at the beach and in the back yard at my family home on Christmas day, followed up with a big seafood Boxing Day lunch!

What’s one of you favourite memories you’ve captured a photo of this year?

My partner and I in the Northern Territory on our way to the Wide Open Spaces Festival. The plastic mug is filled with a red blend by Commune of Buttons that went down a treat after part 2/3 8 hour drives.