Christmas. It’s the most wonderful time of the year, a time when (until this year at least!) we come together to celebrate with our family, see old friends and generally get carried away with the romance of the season. Yet the festive period is one of great excess. Many families begin stockpiling a month or two before, filling the house with indulgent items, from creamy Bailey’s to chocolate selection boxes. Over the years we have grown accustomed to being warned by our mothers, on pain of death, not to touch these items until the big day. So naturally, when the festive ribbon is finally cut we tend to go slightly crazy. 

Spice up your Christmas with this Tequila Christmas cake. Don’t forget to sample the quality of the tequila before, during and after baking!

What will be your preferred drink this Christmas? Aiming for the beer fridge or cracking open some bubbly? Whatever floats your slowboat, as they say. History shows that the following liquids are very popular during the Ho-ho-ho time of year.

A charming sweet wine with an intense golden hue is an exceptional treat. Not only can it be a beautiful end to a special meal, it can also be a wonderful and versatile partner to food, especially when it comes to decadent flavours and textures, making it ideal for the festive season!

Unwrap festive goodness with Nederburg’s Christmas Treat Box in collaboration with Pure Boland, delivered straight to your door in Cape Town and surrounding suburbs on 22 December.

Celebrate the festive season with us, with an evening picnic, under a starlit sky, at Jordan Wine Estate. With Christmas trees, Christmas lights & Christmas carols we can all share in the Christmas cheer. 

Fans of the Friends TV series can tuck into a sandwich inspired by the ninth episode of the fifth season, called The One with Ross’s Sandwich. During the episode, Ross accuses his co-workers of eating his Thanksgiving leftover sandwich, calling it the only good thing going on in his life.

GUINNESS is donating hundreds of thousands of kegs to be used to fertilise Christmas trees after much of their stock went unused during lockdown.

Even at its most beautiful, the winter season can take its toll! Whether it is the bite of a December breeze, the ever creeping darkness, or the echos of sniffles signalling the beginning of cold and flu season, sometimes you need that special something to get friends and family in the celebratory mood. There are, of course, countless ways of doing this – food, music, storytelling, a crackling fire, a viewing of your favourite Christmas movie, chocolates or sweets. But if you still find yourself succumbing to the winter blues and need that extra special something, we recommend making this Christmas, an Irish Christmas!

The 2019 General Smuts Trophy Winner for overall SA Champion Young Wine and SA Champion Sauvignon Blanc is now available, as Flagstone’s Free Run Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, in a limited release of 2100 bottles.