New Year’s Eve in my 20’s used to mean loud parties, packed rooms, and a sense of forced excitement, until I realised that none of that felt like me.

Long ago, I started skipping the crazy parties in favour of something more valuable and authentic: good food, real conversations, and bottles that carry meaning. Now NYE is a night I curate with intention, choosing wines and spirits that elevate the moment rather than overwhelm it.

Here’s my choices, especially curated for you.

Henri Giraud Esprit — Brut Nature N.V.

Henri Giraud is one of Champagne’s smallest and most artisanal maisons, working almost exclusively with Aÿ Grand Cru fruit and ageing their wines in oak from the historic Argonne forest. Their style is rich, expressive, and unmistakably distinctive, a blend of deep tradition, precision, and a touch of daring craftsmanship.

There is truly no need to spend a fortune to drink beautifully, and Esprit Brut Nature proves it.
Even as the “entry” cuvée, it carries everything that makes Henri Giraud exceptional: purity, energy, minerality, and that unmistakable signature born from their meticulous work with Aÿ Grand Cru fruit and their deep connection to the Argonne oak forests.

It’s the kind of champagne that keeps the night bright, keeps the glasses full, and reminds everyone that luxury isn’t only in the grand cuvées… it’s in the philosophy of the maison itself and I’m sure you had a chance to try it in many Michelin starred restaurants pairing.

Henri Giraud Argonne 2016 — Aÿ Grand Cru

Argonne 2016 is the iconic label of the maison, the definition of a champagne with presence.
Structured, deep, and gastronomic, it brings together Aÿ Grand Cru fruit and ageing in Argonne forest oak. The result is a champagne with serene power: ripe orchard fruits, warm pastry, spice, and that unmistakable Henri Giraud oxidative signature that feels both ancient and modern.

It’s the bottle you open when the night matters, when the table is beautiful and the moment deserves something extraordinary.

Henri Giraud Argonne Rosé 2012 — Aÿ Grand Cru

If Argonne 2016 is power, the Argonne Rosé 2012 is pure seduction (and one step further in every sense, even price speaking). It moves with grace and mystery: wild strawberry, rose petals, blood orange, subtle smoke, and that velvety, sensual texture unique to Giraud. It’s the champagne you open when glamour is part of the plan: expressive, emotional, and unforgettable.

Henri Giraud Ratafia — Solera 90–19

Once the icons have done their part, Ratafia brings warmth and surprise. You may have tried it at Gaa restaurant (2 Michelin** in Bangkok)…

With its solera stretching from 1990 to 2019, this golden, aromatic pleasure carries layers of dried fruits, nuts, honey, citrus peel, and gentle oxidative sweetness. It pairs beautifully with dessert – or becomes dessert itself. A quiet, luxurious indulgence that feels perfect in the soft hours of the night.

Hayman’s Sloe Gin

Not everyone drinks champagne all night, and that’s where sloe gin becomes the festive wildcard. Made by macerating sloe berries (a wild relative of plums) in gin with just a touch of sugar, it receives this deep ruby colour and a naturally aromatic profile: red berries, almond, plum skin, fragrant winter spices, and a soft sweetness balanced by tartness.

It’s charming neat, refreshing on ice, and delicious topped with champagne.
A playful moment between more serious bottles.

Darroze Armagnac — Grands Assemblages 40 ans

If your NYE goes deep into the night (as it should) there’s nothing more elegant than ending with a great Armagnac and a cigar.

Darroze’s Grands Assemblages 40 ans is not only iconic but also slow, contemplative, and beautifully complex: dried apricot, walnut, cocoa, old oak, and that quiet whisper of rancio that comes only with time.

It’s the moment when music softens, conversations deepen, and the new year begins in a gentler, more refined way.

This is my New Year’s Eve: a little iconic, a little playful, a little indulgent, yet and always meaningful.

Because once you choose authenticity, everything else follows naturally.

By Vittoria Dell’Anna