In the blink of an eye, Christmas will be upon us. If you want just one wine to complement the yuletide cheeseboard, seek out fortified and sweet white wines. Keeping them cool will delay any deterioration.
Get into the seasonal spirit with this scrumptious selection. Cheers, merry Christmas and happy drinking to everyone!
1) Must-try, strikingly sophisticated supermarket Sauternes
Specially Selected Sauternes 2016 Bordeaux, France 13.5%
Providentially, this golden, luscious, sweet ‘noble rotted’ Bordeaux beauty – a real find at the Aldi Autumn-Winter portfolio tasting in late October – is still available. Think vanilla, lime blossom, poached apricot, honeyed peach, crystallised pineapple, honeycomb and floral quince. Very fine and expressive. Made from 93% Sémillon and 7% Sauvignon Blanc, this is total heaven. One to serve chilled with lobsters in a rich sauce, pan-seared foie gras (if you must), tiramisu, tarte tatin, crème brûlée, apple tart and blue cheeses. Unmistakeably a superior source (it’s made by top-tier Château Suduiraut). Buy one more for next Christmas. A compelling wine for the price. Bargain +++. Yum!
£7.49 Aldi, 37.5cl
2) Superlative, opulently sweet, PX Sherry
Bodegas Hidalgo-La Gitana Pedro Ximénez Triana Sherry, Spain 15%
The value for money of this unctuous, crude-oil black, viscous, honeyed, figgy, treacly, prune-like and raisiny sweet (360 g/l residual sugar) sherry – liquid Christmas pudding itself – that was aged in contact with air and produced with sun-dried, thin-skinned PX grapes, concentrating the sweetness of the must, verges on absurdity. Bowls you over with both its strength of flavour and undeniable quality. Exceptional value, impressive intensity and enthralling length. Enjoy served slightly chilled (12-14°C) in a white wine glass with dark chocolate, mince pies, nuts and intense blue cheeses such as Roquefort and Cabrales. Equally outstanding poured over vanilla or rum and raisin ice cream. One for a soulful Betty Carter cocktail. The definitive Spanish sticky vino. Go on, splash out and celebrate!
£13.99-£17.95 Majestic mix six, Tanners & Jeroboams, 50cl
3) Top Mellow Port
Graham’s 10-Year-Old Tawny Port, Portugal 20%
Port is the classic wine style for Christmas. This refined, aged, soft and silky wood-matured example from the famous Symington-owned Port house is wondrous sipped chilled with a slice of Cheddar/Stilton and a merry treat alongside mince pies, Christmas pud, walnuts, apple pie, almond tart and crème brulée. Expect a warming kaleidoscope of rancio, festive spice, almond, fruitcake, toffee, prune, brandy and chocolate-raisin flavours. Seriously good value and so much better than the average 10-year-old tawny. Irresistible, persistent and neat. Love the odd glass to fuel the Christmas spirit and relish by the fire. Santa Claus will thank you! Try to finish it up over weeks rather than months. Indispensable festive sipping. Superb stuff!
£15 Clubcard price until 1 January 2022, Tesco, 75cl
4) Monumental & heavenly sweet Madeira
Henriques & Henriques 10-year-old Malvasia Madeira, Portugal 20%
Go Madeira! This is one of those ‘everybody must savour’ world-class fortified wines. In a word: epic. In two: life-affirming. Plum pudding wafts beneath grilled walnuts, dried fruits, coffee, burnt toffee, Christmas cake, molasses and caramel; it lingers on and on. Full-bodied, luscious, sweet, delicious and tangy, it’s utterly dazzling stuff – and the well-judged, characteristically high acidity keeps everything in check. Spot-on for mince pies, Christmas pudding, chocolate coffee truffles, rich dark chocolate puddings and cheese. Once opened this will stay in good condition for months. It’s the definitive Christmas potation and a heavenly digestif so stock up now! This is also my desert island wine (and one of the most resilient in the world). Serve cool at around 13-16°C.
£20-£21 The Wine Society & Tanners, 50cl
5) Skilfully blended, delicate & elegant X-factor XO connoisseur cognac
Delamain Pale & Dry Centenaire XO Grande Champagne Cognac, France 42%
Cognac is rightly deemed as perhaps the finest of all the spirits distilled from grapes. Since its unveiling in 1920 Delamain Pale & Dry (‘Extra Old’) XO has become a classic cognac for devotees all over the world. Delicate but complex, delicate and warming, this joyful elixir is the quintessential deluxe Christmas spirit – incredible! Far older than the required six years (in this case aged for an average of 25 years) it’s a cognac of great sophistication with subtle notes of marzipan, grilled nuts, vanilla, liquorice, apricot, raisin, candied citrus and stone fruits. One sip, you’re in! Lovely with rich mushroom dishes (hello wild mushroom risotto). Mature Comté, Roquefort and Parmesan are splendid too; so is the naked sip. Long, detailed, streamlined and oh so refined. No sugar or caramel is added. Raised to 42% ABV to celebrate the centenary. Not cheap but more than worth it.
£74.95-£86.95 Hedonism, Amazon UK & Waitrose & Partners 50cl; £27.95-£29.50 Davy’s & Waitrose Cellar, 20cl
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