VieVité Côtes de Provence Rosé and the Faint Aroma of Cinnamon

What makes Christmas, well, Christmas?

Is it the presents? The warm, open fire? Maybe it’s the fine dining with family and friends?

Christmas is all of these things, yes, but also so much more. Christmas is the soft warmth in the pit of your stomach when your brother opens the gift you knew he wanted. It's the electric tingling in your fingers as they're warmed by the fire. It's the sound of your family singing a very out of tune rendition of 'Jingle Bells'.

To me, what truly makes Christmas are the memories we make, enveloped by festive love and joy. For many of us we associate these Christmas memories with a distinct feeling, smell, taste, sound or sight. (Our senses are the primary trigger in recalling memories after all).

So for me, Christmas is the taste of a crisp glass of rosé with the sweet smell of cinnamon wafting through the air.

In December 2018 the air was taught in my house. The year hadn't been kind (much like this one) and money was tight. Food was scarce and we weren't planning anything particularly fancy.

Christmas was going to have to be spent at home instead of at my grandparents where we usually celebrated the holidays; my granddad had fallen ill.

The bills mounted. The heating became an expense we had to cut - the fire in the living room would have to do. As Christmas grew nearer the days felt longer and longer. It was the first year where I was close to dreading Christmas. It all felt like more of a chore than anything.

My dad came home from the shops on December 21st, the Christmas dinner in several bags under his arm. As me and my brother put the shopping away I noticed a pale pink bottle hiding at the bottom of the bag. I didn't think much of it - I'd never been overly gone on alcohol anyway.

Christmas Eve came and went in a lazy haze. Me and my brother were well past going to bed early for Santa but the usual warmth and magic lingering around the holiday still hadn't arrived. It was beginning to look hopeless.

We awoke early on Christmas day. Cold December light invaded our living room as I sat beside my mum, watching 'Home Alone'. The fire raged proudly behind us. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Dad opened the door to a sound I now remember fondly - my grandad laughing his usual booming laugh and my granny saying her hellos in her sing-song manner.

The atmosphere changed for the better in a heart beat. The tender smell of turkey snaked itself around the corridor and I found a smile blooming on my face. My granny and grandad had come to visit.

And so, the best Christmas I've ever had began at half one on Christmas day. Our worries and problems were forgotten almost immediately. We were seated around the the table, when the VieVité by Domaine Sainte Marie was brought out and placed on the table.

A lot of my family doesn't drink so for a while I can remember the bottle sitting forlorn in the centre. Shloer entered the majority of the glasses instead. My granny eventually opened the bottle and commented on its delicious taste.

We exchanged gifts shortly before my grandparents went to bed. A jumper and a CD I've long since lost were placed down my room before I found myself seated in the armchair in front of the ever-roaring fire. A scented candle burned calmly in the corner. My mum said goodnight as my brother lay snoozing on the couch.

Beside me on the coffee table a wine glass sat unused. Beside it, tall and bold, stood the bottle of VieVité I'd completely forgotten about.

(Although far from a Christmas miracle, I still don't know how the glass and bottle came to be where it was, well within arms reach.)

And finally, the memory I associate most with Christmas blossomed. After pouring myself a glass, I sat back, enveloped in warmth and love. I savoured the delicious taste of that wine as the faint aroma of cinnamon danced around the room. The crisp sweetness swam humbly in my mouth and I closed my eyes. The happiness I felt was that of a child; happy and content without a care in the world. It's a memory I can't help but look back on fondly and will happily carry with me forever.

Like this? Wanna read more? Just click the little picture of me below to find loads of content just like this! Feel free to leave a like or even a tip - anything you can give is immensely appreciated. Oh, and Merry Christmas! - Ciarán