Many of us find Christmas extremely stressful, juggling everything that the festive season seems to throw at us - family commitments, buying gifts for impossible to buy for people, grocery shopping, cooking, kids, spouses, weather, work and everything else.

Meanwhile, we want it to be a whirlwind of joyful nights out with your mates drinking cheery cocktails, decorating the tree with Christmas carols blaring in the background, buying perfect gifts, time spent with your kids crafting and making gorgeous Christmas things and producing the all time perfect Christmas Dinner with paired wines. The reality is, life just isn’t like this. Yes, we can strive for it but it never turns out the way we plan it but don’t let that worry you.

Here are a few ways in which to cope with the Christmas Chaos.

1. Follow Suzanne, the BatchLady (Instagram). She will help you breeze into Christmas, prepping gorgeous meals in advance and show you how to take the stress out of Christmas cooking.

2. Follow Claire, alittlebitofclaire (Instragram). She does such fun activities with her kids and really shows us all how to put the fun back into the holidays.

3. Follow Claire, thislittlehouse (Instagram). Claire gets crafting and provides inspiration on how to get your home ready for Christmas.

AND if all this fails, there is always wine! Brits consume as much as 5.7bn units of alcohol over the festive break, so it’s fair to say, most of us end up having a glass or two to see us through.

There are some fantastic wines out there, but recently I joined in an online wine tasting with Wine Events Scotland and South African winemaker, Bruce Jack.

I was blown away by his commitment to the environment, sustainability, and social upliftment through education. This is one winemaker that’s dedicated to giving back; from local beach cleanups to contributing to a local music programme in schools. Bruce is also know for employing a Pipe Major to play the bagpipes to his wine barrels. He believes (and there is a lot of science behind this) that music travels through the molecules in the wine to help them develop resulting in tastier wine! The bagpipes is also a nod to Bruce’s roots - his mum was Scottish hailing from Tiree and he also studied at St Andrews University.

All of the Bruce Jack wines that I have tasted are superb, so here are my 6 Days of Christmas with Bruce Jack wines to get you through the 6 most stressful days this festive season!

SIX DAYS OF CHRISTMAS WITH BRUCE JACK WINES

17TH DECEMBER , THE LAST FRIDAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS (kind of!)

This is when the realisation sinks in that this is most definitely the last weekend before Christmas, and if you are like me, it’ll just dawn on you that you haven’t ordered or bought a darn thing! Take your chance heading out shopping, but be smug about it, cause you know you have a lovely bottle of Bruce Jack Lifestyle Chenin Blanc chilling in the fridge.

South Africa produces fantastic Chenin Blanc and this one is filled with exciting stone fruit aromas. The palate is a delicious medley of summer fruits and citrus. Grab a big wedge of brie or camembert whilst you’re out and enjoy a cheese platter with a glass of this when you get home.

18TH DECEMBER, THE LAST SATURDAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS

If yesterday (Friday) passed you by, you might want to use this last Saturday and notably 7 days before Christmas to brave the shopping malls or High Streets or why not go online. There are plenty wee small business that can still fulfil your pressie requests and you wouldn’t even have to leave the comfort of your home. Get comfy on the couch with your laptop, and enjoy a glass of Bruce Jack Lifestyle Daily Brew Pinotage.

When Pinotage is grown on the foothills of the Breedekloof (Broad Valley) the soil gives the wine a distinct red cherry aroma. By fermenting the wine slowly and at cool temperatures they create a soft, almost creamy mouth feel and lots of cherry, ripe plum with hints of chocolate and a tiny mocha zing on the finish – very balanced and moreish. Why not order in a take-away too - this red goes extremely well with Thai food.

23RD DECEMBER, THE DAY YOU START TO PANIC BUY

It’s Thursday, and if you’ve not bought a single thing, be it grocery shopping or pressie shopping, you best get to it. You’ll no doubt have to brave the crowds, but I reckon by now you’ve narrowed your shopping list down, and you can dive in and out of the shops as quickly as possible.

It’s gonna be a stressful day, so this calls for something a little special, like the Bruce Jack Reserve Sauvignon Blanc.

This beauty is filled with intense fig and cape gooseberry on the nose, typical of South Africa’s cool southern coastal vineyards. The palate is very lively with green apple, fig, nectarine and freshly cut grass. This goes extremely well with seafood, and fish n chips would be an ideal pairing (remember, you are wanting to take the stress out of Christmas, so no big fancy meals)

24TH DECEMBER, CHRISTMAS EVE

Ok, this is you’re very last chance to dash to the shops. Amazon wont deliver on Christmas day and if you leave it any longer, its defo going to be a packet of crisps for Christmas Dinner and a wiper blade as a present for your loved one!

If however, you’re all done, presents wrapped, food bought, tree decorated and all you want to do is sit back and relax with friends and family, then try this bottle of Bruce Jack Reserve Chardonnay.

Intriguing and complex nose with pear, peach, clementine, a touch of cep mushrooms and freshly buttered roosterbrood. On the palate apricot, pear, hint of basil, delicately framed in some vanilla oak. This will go well with Pulled Pork or Roast Chicken.

25TH DECEMBER, CHRISTMAS

Hoorah, you’ve made it to Christmas Day and this is when you drink the best. This calls for Bruce Jack’s Drift Estate Moveable Feast.

There’s alot going on in this bottle and it will leave you wanting more. On the nose there is vanilla, oak and chocolate and on the palate its juicy black berries, coffee, pepper and spices. This would be an absolute winner with Christmas dinner, especially roast lamb with parsnips and potatoes.

26TH DECEMBER, BOXING DAY

When the celebrations are still going but you’re knackered and just want to enjoy it all, this Bruce Jack Drift Estate Over the Moon will be most welcome.

With aromas of black cherry, basil, rosemary and spice and flavours of ripe plum and dark chocolate the wine surprises with its refreshing acidity and softness (due to a lack of tannin). This wine loves anything pickled so its perfect for Boxing Day left overs – try a Turkey sandwich with mature chedder cheese and pickled onions or go for pulled pork with pickled relish.

Whatever you do over this festive season, remember to have fun, take some time out for yourself and delegate all those horrid tasks to someone else. And then just enjoy the wine!

All of these Bruce Jack wines are available via Wine Events Scotland.

LIFESTYLE CHENIN BLANC - £9.50

LIFESTYLE DAILY BREW PINOTAGE - £9.50

RESERVE SAUVIGNON BLANC - £12.00

RESERVE CHARDONNAY - £12.00

DRIFT ESTATE MOVEABLE FEAST - £16.00

DRIFT ESTATE OVER THE MOON - £16.00