A new Scottish wine designed to specially compliment haggis could replace whisky drama as a toast at Burns Suppers this year.
Burns traditionalists might find "Haggis wine" hard to swallow as an alternative to "bold John Barleycorn" - but Scottish winemakers Cairn O' Mohr believe that they are on a winner.
Using a mixture of brambles and oak leaves, winery owner Ron Gillies says that, after many years of trying for the right blend, "Gings Wi Haggis" is the perfect Burns tipple.
The Perthshire winemaker, based in the Carse of Gowrie, said: "An annual ritual every year at our Burns supper is sampling the range of regular Cairn O' Mohr wines to try and work out which is the best one to go with haggis, neeps and tatties.
"After much experimentation and the recurring mild disappointment we had to conclude that none of them quite did.
"The bramble seemed to have the closest affinity yet was a little too volatile, too cluster bomb in combination, too holding your own in the ring with Batman and Robin.
"So we designed this wine specifically to match the peppery feast by folding some of the calming oak leaf in with the bramble. We're just calling it 'Gings wi Haggis'."
He added: "We released a similar wine last year and it was a runaway success. We were amazed at how many people asked about it."
The winery has won three golds for its Sparkling Strawberry drink at the Great Taste Awards, and Mr Gillies hopes the new blend will also be a prizewinner.
Gings Wi Haggis can be bought at the winery, various supermarkets and wholesalers.
