Christmas Down Under

Christmas in the southern hemisphere is a little different, but the most important things are still there: family, food, and great wine! Coriole "Christmas for our family starts with Carols on Christmas Eve with friends and neighbours. Christmas morning is Champagne, fresh prawns, croissants, new season cherries. We then generally hit the beach before a siesta in the afternoon. The evening sees the extended Lloyd family get together (there’s around 50 of us). We’ll generally have two glazed hams, two roast turkeys (although we always question why we do this as its 35 degrees!) plates of fresh prawns, lots of cherries, roast potatoes, rice and lots of green salad. We also have a cheese factory, so this is also a great opportunity for the family to try new cheeses, some of which are extra-special (made with raw milk!). This is also a great opportunity to raid the Coriole cellars so the whole family can enjoy wines going back to the early 70’s" Peter Lloyd, Coriole Tahbilk "Yes, we host the Purbrick Family for Christmas lunch every two years at the winery and will next host them this Christmas. The Family consists of direct descendants, cousins and many friends who are at a loose end for Christmas. Normally, we have 40-50 people, including children, start the day at around 11.00am with a punch (consisting of peaches soaked in brandy and icing sugar overnight and then with champagne and ice added on the day) that packs a "punch"! Present-opening starts at around 1.00pm depending on how pushy the little ones get, followed by lunch, more drinks and a lazy, hazy afternoon with everyone thoroughly enjoying themselves. Hopefully, we’ll have got rid of the stayers by 8.00pm-9.00pm. The fare is a cross between English and new Australian- turkey, ham and roast wild duck feature as the proteins with an abundance of salads and sauces to whet the appetite followed by traditional Christmas pudding, brandy butter, cream and ice cream made by my Mother." Alistair Purbrick, Tahbilk