Drinkies

Here are some off-beat Christmas wine suggestions.

The Times is running a '100 Winter Wines' series at the moment and rather than try to kill my liver matching that before Christmas, I thought I'd point you in the direction of some of my current favourites. A 'favourite' may, of course, be enjoyed no matter what the season. Or it wouldn't qualify as being a favourite now, would it?

First there are three kinds of wine without details of maker or vintage; go with what you can find. Then I've listed two specific wines that I'll be opening this Christmas. Here we go:

Tokaji Azsú - Hungary - White

Tokaji comes from Hungary and has a long and distinguished history. It's a sweet, golden wine, refreshingly sharp, too, made with Hárslevelu and Furmint grapes some of which been affected by noble rot, caused by a fungus called botryitis cinerea. This reduces the water content of the grape and concentrates its flavour. It also means that it takes considerably more grapes to make a given quantity of wine. The measure of sweetness is given as a number of 'puttonyos'; which will be between 3 and 6. The larger the number, the sweeter the wine. There is a category beyond 6 puttonyos called Aszú-Eszencia, but that's rare stuff indeed.

It is usually sold in 50cl bottles rather than 75cl ones. Expect to pay between ten and twenty quid (or more) per bottle. It's really good with nice cheese, but do put it in the fridge for a couple of hours before you serve it.

Madeira - Portugal - Brown

Hailing from the island of Madeira, surprise, surprise. Almost always a blend of different vintages (vintage Madeira is very unusual and somewhat costly). Originally used as tradeable ships ballast, madeira was transported around the world in the hot holds of ships in days gone by. This caused it to oxidize as completely as a wine can, which is why it is the way it is. These days the same effect is reproduced by storing the wine in heated cellars to mature. A bottle of Blandy's 10 year old Malmsey has always been a popular tipple here at Chateau Wright. We also once had a bottle of Henriques' Malmsey which was pretty good, too.

Drier madeira may be labelled 'Sercial' or 'Verdelho' and the sweeter ones 'Bual' or 'Malmsey'—the classic four varieties of madeira.

Recioto della Valpolicella - Italy - Red

Once upon a time, if you suggested to your friends that a bottle with the word 'Valpolicella' on the label was worth coughing up more than a fiver for, you'd be taken away for a well-earned rest somewhere. Let's get this straight. This is not the same beast at all. It's a rich red wine made from partially dried grapes, so the flavour is quite concentrated. This is not something you're ever likely to find in the bargain bucket - expect to pay around twenty quid or so for a good one.

Masi make a good one (try Oddbins - it'll be around £22 for a 75cl bottle), but the best one I tasted was from a 50cl bottle (at a fairly stiff seventeen quid from a now-defunct wine shop in Lechlade, if I recall correctly) and tasted like liquid blackberries. Gorgeous, and well worth the asking price. I think it was "Recioto della Valpolicella 'Le Arele'" from producer Giuseppe Lonardi - the label, description, bottle size and price are hauntingly familiar on the winedrop.co.uk site, but I'm not 100% sure - it was a few years ago and, like an idiot, I didn't make a note. If they would be so kind as to send me a free bottle - or, preferably, a free case, just to be sure, I'd be delighted to confirm it.

Cune Rioja Reserva 2001 - Red - Spain

I'd been itching to try this. Anne (my wife) worked for a short while in Spain a few years ago and Cune was one of the vineyards we had seen on our travels. I've always wanted to try this one because it has a good reputation, and I finally got the chance to do so last week in Majestic's in Salisbury. I did try an approximately equivalent claret but because I was driving, I couldn't go overboard with the comparisons. The Cune wine beat that particular claret hands down. Eleven quid a bottle and six quid off the pair if you buy two.

At Majestic you buy your wines by the case, i.e. 12 or more bottles at a time. Don't be shy - it's perfectly OK to go in with or without an idea of wines you like, and if the range of the wines gets your head buzzing, then get the chaps there to help you make up a case. It's quite fun from time to time to ask a wine merchant to make up a case for you. You can end up trying and liking wines you had no idea existed.

Villa Maria Reserve, Wairau Valley, Sauvignon Blanc 2006 - White - New Zealand

Anne and I took a friend out to dinner in the truly excellent Green Island Restaurant in Jersey - the most southerly restaurant in the British Isles. The meal was wonderful and we drank this. This is the only time I've ever ordered another bottle of the same wine during a meal. My tastes usually run to big red wines redolent of prunes and toadskin, but this is a gorgeous floral and very tasty white. Chill it well, like the Tokay I mentioned above. For goodness sake don't use it to wash your curry down!

Again, eleven quid a bottle from Majestic, and they drop the price to £8.79 for two or more. I bought four bottles this time because I know I like it a lot and it's a damned sight cheaper than restaurant prices! There are other Villa Maria wines available at Tesco, and they're worth a go. But, if you can run to it, the Wairau Valley is particularly good.

In Conclusion

None of these wine are cheap, but in my opinion they're pretty good and worth your attention. Enjoy, and do let me know what you think.

One thing I've learned over the years is not to combine good port (which I haven't covered this time) and good stilton. I think it's a waste of both. I love both port and stilton, but not at the same time. They're both highly aromatic and very tasty, and I think each destroys the other's strengths.

Perhaps I'll have a crack at some good wines under six quid soon. I can think of a couple that need to be tested again...

Have a good Christmas!

Pete Wright
Portsmouth