In our final round up of 2013 we were lucky enough to review some wonderful products.
The first was a special treat for Mr B and myself when we were sent a mixed case of 12 bottles of wine from Virgin Wines. This was part of a special wine hamper available as a Bespoke Offer from Barclaycard. The highlight of the reds was most certainly a beautiful Chilean Pinot Noir, Tierra Del Corazon Casablanaca Pinot Noir Reserva 2013. It had wonderful hints of both blackcurrant and cherry and a lovely velvety finish and partnered beautifully with a rack of lamb. From the whites my favourites were most definitely the Florentyne Reserve Margaret River Riesling 2012 which was crisp and dry with a light floral finish, and the Peeling Reel Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2011 which was fresh and zingy but without the tart sharpness of some Sauvignon Blancs and the softer finish was a real pleasure to taste.
Our hamper was a Christmas selection retailing at £49 which I think is incredible value for a nice, varied selection of wine which would have something to suit all tastes. I am also rather tempted by their latest offer, another mixed case for £49 which again appears to contain a good variety of bottles. For those bored of the same old bottles and wishing to expand their wine-horizons I really feel these hampers are a good place to start and to discover your own particular favourites. They would also make a lovely gift. If wine is not your thing there are plenty more Bespoke Offers to choose from ranging from groceries to household appliances and spa days.
The second item was this unique monogram necklace from Onecklace. I decided to have this made with Little Miss’ initials and will keep it as a gift for her when she is a little bigger, although I suspect I will also be wearing it a little myself in the meantime. I love it! It is made of Sterling Silver and currently retails at $39.95, reduced from $59.95, and even includes free shipping.
I am really impressed by the quality of both the chain and the pendant and think, in silver, this would make the perfect christening gift with a difference. The necklaces are also available 24k gold plate.
Our final item is a personalised photo calendar from Albelli. The website was incredibly easy to use and actually took no time at all to upload and arrange my photos in this year’s calendar. There were several styles to choose from, I chose ‘Playful’, and it is very easy to preview your creations prior to placing your final order. These calendars retail at £17.95 but in the final page you are given the option of a glossy finish at an extra 40p per page, making the calendar £23.15 in total.
To be honest, although the process of creating the calendar was very simple and the website easy to navigate I think there are some things that could be done better. Unlike other personalised calendar sites that I have previously used this one does not give you the option to add in specific dates such as birthdays etc prior to printing. It also does not show national holidays etc. I would also advise against the glossy finish. Although initially it appears nice on arrival it then transpired that we are unable to actually write on the calendar in anything other than a permanent marker as biros etc simply do not show up.
I must state though that delivery was super fast and Albelli did keep me up to date with it’s progress at all times.
And there ends our round up for December 2013.
Finally I would like to wish you all a very happy new year and hope that you have lots of fun tonight. Now, where is the rest of that wine….
Disclosure: We were sent the featured products free of charge for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own and 100% honest.
How was the rack of lamb?
Gorgeous!