Dark, cosy winter evenings call for a definitive seasonal drinks guide. As the nights draw in and the temperature drops, our palates naturally shift toward richer, more comforting flavours. Whether you are hosting a festive gathering or simply unwinding by the fire, the expert team at EWWines are always on hand to help you navigate the seasonal transition—bringing you the perfect pours to elevate your winter experience.

What we're suggesting you sip on as we head into November.

Sherry!  Celebrate International Sherry week with us 2^nd-8^th November.  In-store tastings all week: Discover through taste a range of exceptional Sherry from Jerez, Southern Spain.  Styles include a dry fino, nutty amontillado to a sweet and luscious East India cream.  Discuss food pairing suggestions and learn a little about this truly unique wine! Instead of the standard serve you could always try a sherry cocktail:  Fino Negroni - an elegant, lower-ABV riff on the classic Italian cocktail.  Substituting gin with bone-dry, briny Fino Sherry, creating a beautifully complex aperitif.

Visit Sherry Wine for steps on how to make our suggested Fino Sherry cocktail recipe.

 

Port is always an admiral paring to winter.  To tie in with our Kopke Port Tasting with Teresa Brandao (tickets sold out) this month on Friday 27^th November, call in to our wine warehouse and browse our selection.  Extensive, exciting and with something for everyone.  A quick overview of the different Port styles available in store:

Ruby Port

Vibrant and fruit forward and are aged mostly in stainless steel or large concrete vats to prevent oxidation, preserving their deep red colour and vibrant, fruit-forward flavours.

• Standard & Fine Ruby: This is the entry-level style and the most common introduction to Port, aged in large tanks for an average of two to three years before being filtered and bottled. Approachable, and bursting with fresh blackberries and cherries.
• Reserve Ruby: Made from higher-quality grapes and aged slightly longer (typically three to five years) in large vats. Richer, rounder, and more concentrated than standard Ruby, with deeper dark fruit notes and a smoother finish.
• Late Bottled Vintage (LBV): Sourced from a single harvest and aged for 4 to 6 years before bottling. They offer a rich, full-bodied experience that is completely ready to drink the day you buy it. Full-bodied, intense, and deeply fruity, with complex notes of blackcurrant, fig, and dark chocolate.
• Vintage Port: Made only in exceptional, officially "declared" years, these magnificent wines spend just two years in wood before bottling, requiring decades of cellar aging to reach their full, velvety potential. Dark fruits, chocolate, heavy tannins when young developing into a sublime, velvety masterpiece with complex layers of spice, leather, tobacco, and dried dark fruits.

 

Tawny Port

Aged in small wooden casks (pipes). This allows a controlled amount of oxygen to interact with the wine over many years transforming the liquid from a deep red to a beautiful golden-brown "tawny" hue, trading fresh fruit for complex, nutty, dried fruit and oxidative flavours.

• Standard Tawny: Entry-level expression of the wood-aged Port family, celebrated for its accessible, mellow flavour profile and excellent value. It is aged in seasoned oak casks for an average of two to three years before bottling.  Light, sweet, and soft with subtle wood notes.
• Aged Tawny (10, 20): The age on the bottle represents a targeted flavour profile achieved by blending multiple vintages. Expect incredibly complex layers of dried figs, toffee, walnuts, and warm baking spices.
• Colheita: A single harvest Tawny Port. Aged in wood for a minimum of seven years (and often decades) before bottling. A rare luxury and often underrated Port. The bottle will have a vintage date and a bottling date, which lets the customer know how long it's been aging in wood for. Expect notes of toffee, dried fruit, walnuts, vanilla and spice.

 

White Port The Perfect Aperitif

Made exclusively from indigenous white grapes, White Port breaks away from traditional pairings to offer something brilliantly crisp. You could switch up your G&T! Or serve on ice.

• Dry & Extra Dry: Citrusy, bright, and lower in alcohol than red styles. It is traditionally served chilled or mixed 1:2 with premium tonic water over ice for a remarkably refreshing signature cocktail (the Portonic). Visit Kopke White Port & Ice for a classic serve.

Rosé Port Modern & Refreshing

The newest addition to the Port family, Rosé Port is crafted using limited skin contact with red grapes to achieve a beautiful pink hue.

• Entirely fruit-driven, bursting with bright notes of fresh strawberry, raspberry, and floral undertones. It’s a spectacular base for cocktails, sangrias, or simply served over crushed ice.

 

Whisky is the perfect winter blanket  - Sipping by the fire bringing you rich, warming and comforting flavours such as honey and spice to chilly nights. New to EWWines is Nc’Nean Organic Huntress 2026: Malted Teacake Single Malt Scotch Whisky. The fifth release in Nc'Nean's boundary-pushing and experimental Huntress series. The distillers behind this bottle are absolute heroes of fermentation experimentation. Using a yeast strain typically used in the brewing of Belgian-style ales, one that is rarely used in Scotch whisky. Bringing malty, creamy notes - flavours of buttered toast, freshly baked cake and fig marmalade with a touch of minerality. £85 per bottle

 

Alcohol free - If you're really looking for a winter warmer that's intensely comforting with a slow burn then Mother Root Ginger Switchel is for you!  With a potent blend of pressed ginger juice, organic apple cider vinegar, blossom honey, and a hint of chilli heat.  We recommend to add 25mls to boiling water, a splash of cool water, stir and garnish with a slice of organic orange or lemon.  It delivers all the warming fiery complexity of a traditional hot toddy without the alcohol. It's so good, absolutely one to try! Mother Root Ginger Switchel £27.50 per 500ml bottle

We Have Your Winter Sorted! From unfiltered Sherries to experimental Scotch whiskies and complex alcohol-free elixirs, the warehouse is fully stocked and ready for the season. Pop into EWWines this month, say hello, and let us help you find your favourite winter pour.

See you soon!