Adding some festive sparkle to a quiet Christmas

This year, the build-up to the Christmas holidays seems to be rather muted. I don’t know if it is my imagination, or if it is only the fact that I don’t get to the stores that often. Either way, I am not finding the Christmas excitement of previous years.

Although the holidays around Christmas and New Year will be a quiet time at Towerwater, we decided to stock up on MCC for the festive period. MCC always makes a meal or a cocktail more festive.

We decided to visit a local winery, ‘Silverthorn’, which focuses solely on the production of MCC. On Saturday morning, we had our first outing to a wine cellar since the pandemic started. I visited their website beforehand and thought we might pop in and collect the twelve bottles consisting of two of their MCC’s I had selected.

Driving over the canal towards the charcoal-coloured wine cellar, we felt quite at home. The same canal winds its way through the valley past our front door at Towerwater. To see it among the vineyards gave us a sense of what it must have been like in the early 1900’s before the town of Bonnievale was established.

As we approached the tasting room, further in the distance were a small group tasting MCC under the trees on the welcoming lawns overlooking the river. Entering the tasting rooms, we were greeted by another small group tasting MCC at a large table in the tasting room.

When asked by Karen if we would like a tasting, we decided to stop briefly, relax, and enjoy the experience. We were seated safely distanced from the other groups. After Karen introduced us to a tasting of the freshly bottled must, John the winemaker, continued with the guided tasting. He took us on a journey of celestial constellations, mountain ranges, paleontology, mythical figures and folklore. The universal inspirations for the naming of the four MCC’s that he produces and a revelation of the terroir that feeds and supports the vines.

A ‘quick’ run to a local cellar for some festive MCC, turned into a relaxed and informative afternoon spent with passionate people who make some of the most inspirational MCC. For a moment we could forget about the pandemic. Silverthorn MCC in the Towerwater cellar will undoubtedly add excitement to our festive table.