Now – roughly halfway between changing the clocks and the shortest day – it is time to switch on our Christmas selections.
As regular MidWeekers will know, this takes the form of a four-part series of themed recommendations every Thursday until our Christmas break begins.
Top Tips will continue to suggest great value “party wines” each Monday over the same period.
As ever, the primary focus is accessible High Street wines but, being Christmas, prices will be nudged up, and I will try to keep each to six options.
Once again the process begins with a look at sweet and fortified wines – good drinking all year but which gets extra attention in this season.
In the usual way, hyperlinks and pictures are used where possible to help you locate the bottle in question.
First a Sherry
Wm Morrison Palo Cortado Sherry (£6.50 – instead of £7 for a half bottle until 1 December with a More Card at Morrisons and 19% abv):
Palo Cortado is a relatively rare style of sherry that, to me, offers the best of fino and of oloroso – and this is a good, tremendous value, example for you to try.
Traditionally, palo cortado is created by the break-up of the flor layer over wine intended to be fino in style.
Once that has happened, the wine is “rescued” by, first, being fortified and then being allowed to age in contact with air – via the solera system of course.
Golden brown in colour and delightfully fresh, this result delivers rich, treacle, saline and liquorice flavours coupled with dried fruit aromas and lively lemon acidity.
Then a “revival” of sorts.
Fernando de Castilla Classic Cream (£19.50 at WoodWinters and 17%):
Cream sherry acquired a poor reputation last century but that was largely down to the quality exported here.
Done well, modern versions can be lovely, especially when combined with ice and with the peel and juice of an orange.
The key is to use an example close to the top of the range like this one.
Cream sherries are a blend that adds a portion (20% in this case) of the ultra-sweet pedro ximénez to a dry sherry
Opening with plum pudding aromas, this one has bold orange, gingerbread and date flavours partnered by controlled orange sweetness and sharper citrus acidity.
Next something I have praised before.
H&H 10 Year Old Sercial Madeira (£21.99 for 50cl at Waitrose and 20%):
As discussed back in October, madeira was originally designed for sailors on long voyages.
Those seafarers discovered that the wine actually improved in hot weather and so heating is now part of the production process for these delightful aperitif wines.
Incidentally madeira cake is so called because it partners certain Madeiras well – not because it originated in that island.
Pale in colour and enticingly aromatic, this guy (one of the best versions around) features peach and zesty orange flavours embellished by firm balancing acidity with a nut and ginger finish.
Heading back to port.
Exhibition Crusted Port, Bottled 2013 (£19.50 at The Wine Society and 20%):
Crusted port is a bit of an oddity but, like its vintage namesake, it is aged in bottle and unfiltered (it is the crusty sediment that gives this wine its name) with a driven – not capped – cork.
However, it is usually blended from several vintages not just one – as, obviously, vintage port must be.
It is cheaper than traditional vintage port, ready sooner, and is often seen as a style fashioned for British tastes.
Nevertheless, sales here have been affected by the rise of LBV port (which, unlike crusted versions, do not need to be decanted).
Minty to the nose, this example displays smooth and skilfully balanced damson, mulberry and anise flavours with a lingering, sophisticated, chocolate based finish.
Over to the “Sweeties” now.
2022 Sichel Sauternes (£11 for a half bottle at the Co-op and 13%):
Let’s start with the traditional, and that special corner of Bordeaux where autumnal morning fogs and sunny afternoons unite to induce a benign form of botrytis.
That “noble rot” draws moisture from ripe grapes to leave higher concentrations of sugar and flavour in the de-hydrated residue.
Help comes from skilled winemaking and from the grape varieties used (dominated by semillon but often with sauvignon blanc and muscadelle too) to create balanced, sweet but not cloying wine.
This is a great example, from an acclaimed Bordeaux wine operation, that is at an entry point price but higher-level quality.
Golden with excellent clarity, it is centred on intense apricot conserve, honey and baked apple flavours but with pithy orange delicacy to add complexity.
Now, something very different
2022 Elysium Black Muscat (from £13.99 for a half bottle at Majestic and 15%):
Although black muscat (muscat hamburg) was developed in the UK, it is particularly suited to California where it sees a lot of use for sweet wines like this one.
While not as complex as some members of the extensive muscat family, its redeeming feature is the powerful fragrances it provides.
That makes it a popular partner for berry based desserts (and the variety itself is a pleasant table grape) and one if something lighter than Christmas pud is on the table.
Light red in colour, this example brings us strawberry, lychee and red cherry flavours accompanied by lively mandarin acidity and concluding hints of cinnamon and ginger.
Tune in again on Monday when value at budget price points is, once more, the theme of my latest Top Tips post.
19 responses
Hi Brian, good to see your recommendations for fortified and sweet wines. They are constantly acknowledged as being great value for such “quality”. How often have we heard that a great sherry revival is about to happen!
I think the issue is really about when to drink these wines and with what food?
For us, they are perfect for a small and casual lunch. As a retired (although very busy and active) couple, we very often go through from breakfast to dinner without anything other than coffee breaks. But occasionally we treat ourselves to a light lunch. Could be a bowl with some avocado sprinkled with a few pickled cockles and a couple of savoury biscuits, or some mozzarella cheese with a dribble of good olive oil and a sprinkle of pink pepper corns. Or a little something from the often enterprising Lidl – octopus carpaccio or smoked duck breasts for example. With this, a glass of sherry is just perfect – one only needs about a 50ml serving each. In summer a fino or manzanilla is just right, in winter it could be a dry Oloroso. The Palo Cortado, and heartily agree with your Morrisons’ recommendation, would be super at any time. I would serve this at about 14 degrees. I keep the bottles or half bottles vacuvin’ed in the fridge.
This little snack lunch, for us, is just pure hedonistic luxury! And a half bottle would do us for 3 lunches – so not expensive, and not that much alcohol consumed either.
Sherry is not just for Christmas!
I was lucky enough recently to taste many Greek wines including some very expensive Santorini Assyrtiko.However there was one stand out wine for me,from one of the oldest Greek co-ops,a sweet wine made from small berried Muscat Blanc.
A delightful,superbly balanced,butterscotch and apricot marmalade stunner.All the online reviews gave it 5 stars.
I highly recommend this sweetie from Waitrose Samos Vin Doux 2022 15% at an unbelievable £9.99.
Good call Paul – so many good vin doux options drop below the radar.
Hi Brian
Like Richard, I heartily recommend the Palo Cortado Sherry (head and shoulders my favourite style) and a sherry occurs by accident, drinks like a more delicate refined Oloroso.
As much as I enjoy Sherries, sweet wines and Port (well, perhaps not so much Port) my problem is not enough people in my family or friends enjoy these wines, and I find a lot of the time we don’t always finish off the bottle (although I give it a good go!). I find people either like these styles or don’t drink them at all, there’s no in-between.
I think that is where those half bottle or half litre options help – especially for wine with longevity like the Madeira. Sadly, Palo Cortado is not one of those with a long shelf life once opened.
Yes Dave, that is my experience too. Good, and otherwise quite discerning, friends will turn their noses up at even a wonderfully complex and fruity, off dry Mosel from a top producers best vineyard in an excellent vintage with a dismissive “Oh, it’s SWEET”. The first job of wine, it seems, is to meet ones expectations. What treats they are missing.
One of my greatest frustrations Edwin. I guess it is a hangover from the days when sweet wine was seen as gauche and one that parents drunk (for a generation brought up in the sixties, everything their parents did was to be avoided).
The game changer is acidity and once that appears in enough quantity to counterbalance any cloying sweetness then, to coin a phrase, we are “cooking on gas”. If Lidl have a £15 Ice-wine this year, that is a great conversion stimulus for sweet wine refuseniks. It is impossible not to enjoy its subtlety and freshness imho.
I like the way sherry often comes in a half bottle size as with the Palo Cortado above. I enjoy a small glass of Manzanilla or Fino all year round as an aperitif with olives/nuts, and think it could also go well with a smoked salmon/prawn starter on Christmas day itself.
Yes, I think the accompaniment is crucial with drier sherries. Be interested in whether the smokiness of that salmon provides the right counterbalance.
Hi Brian …
An enjoyable read about wines I don’t buy a lot of, especially sherry.
But … I was mis-sold some weekend-treat tiger prawns at Morrisons (only 4 in the pack but charged for 6!) and had to make a trip back for a refund and bless ’em didn’t they give me a £10 gift card too, for out of pocket expenses. So I will spend it having a bottle of your recommendation here, and Dave Cronin’s endorsement too, of the Palo Cotardo that looks very interesting and will I think match well with Xmas cake and mince pies.
My wife is the port drinker at chez nous, I’ll help of course but it’s her call and she’s not hard on the pocket with her usual tipple of Coburns Reserve often coming in at £14.50 for a litre bottle. I got her one this week with some Nectar points at Sainsbury’s.
Seems like this festive time of the year especially the supermarket glossy brochures are always determining what we might pair in the way of wine and food, because it IS special and we shouldn’t want to be wrong. Even for less regular wine drinkers lots of folk want appropriate bottles on the table over the festive season to make a match.
I struggle at times even with my amateur enthusiast’s hat on with this pairing thing. Likely it is a red wi’ mince, I’ll do that. But what, Bordeaux or Rhône? I don’t like to be wrong wrong any time of the year!
And Mrs ‘Portwine’ only last week announced what amounts to an unusual thing, insomuch-as she wanted me to get a packet of quality, frozen fish fingers when I was in Lidl! She said definitively cod … not basa! She’s certainly not of an age where a pregnancy craving is involved, she just knows what she likes with her chips and peas, but the wine had me a bit stumped because usually it’s a pot of tea with battered haddock from the chippie! She said for ‘breadcrumbed fingers’ think gujons, that’s different, and so it could be wine. Fair enough, we are working on it.
More superior drinking quality CduR Guigal and Château Camarsan coming at the weekend from TWS. So that’s the mince covered from all angles!
Ciao bella …
Hat’s off to Mrs W for liking port and being appalled by basa. She deserves that crusted version as a reward. I also wonder whether one of the slightly sweeter sherries might be needed for Christmas cake.
Fair comment Brian. I saw the word ”treacle” and thought, mmmm could work, especially as I don’t usually go with pure sugar sweetness. To be honest I’m not an ”alcohol with everything” kind of imbiber. Especially .. after an aperitif .. a white with the fish fingers and a red wi’ tha’ mince, I can easily deselect alcohol when it comes to the dolce!
Xmas cake I better combine with a small wedge of Wallace & Gromit … aka Wensleydale, lucky to be able to have the best of that cheese genre and some of those more special derivations, produced almost on the doorstep, like a lightly smoked Coverdale. All bought at the excellent Campbells Of Leyburn, with a few cans of Semer Water IPA from the local brewery chucked in the trolley.
I bought TWS’s own LBV back in the summer but Mrs Walker said, very nice but happy to stick with her Cockburn’s! Simple tastes. She’s always been easy to please. Not in any way fussy. Which is why I suppose she married me 55 years ago …
PS without going on a crusade I really think basa fish is a no-no. Farmed as they are in the Mekong delta regardless of its cheaper price there are some unnecessary risks going on where possible toxicity lurking is concerned. Gimme a nice bit of haddock any day …
Yes, leftover sherry syndrome… who remembers their ancient granny or auntie producing the same bottle from the sideboard once every Christmas and offering round approximately a large thimbleful each! Yikes! Probably useless advice here for serious midweek folk, but a big glug of leftover sherry added to a big pan of homemade cream of mushroom soup takes said soup to another level!
Had a tinge of guilt reading this – am I now an “ancient granny” figure, pouring out sherry at Christmas!
My abiding memories of Christmas with my in-laws is still raw. In my twenties I was already a real wine enthusiast, and would buy a pretty special magnum of wine for Christmas lunch – in appreciation for them inviting me. I would decant it with great ceremony, and the decanter would sit magnificently on the table. Their wine glasses were rather small, and Father-in-Law (FiL) would pour out the wine, very slowly until half full, I guess about 50ml. The meal then commenced. My FiL would sip the wine and comment “very nice, thank you”. He was a very slow and deliberate eater, after his plate was finished he would have a 2nd sip, and ask if anyone would like second glass? These were formal days, and this was a very traditional household. We might get a further 50ml of wine served with Christmas pudding.
The following Christmas although tempted to bring a more suitable size bottle, i.e. a half bottle, the precedent had been set, so again, a jolly fine magnum was presented and decanted. The trepidation of all dinners, except my FiL, was palpable – as we surveyed the magnificent decanter, and the tiny glasses.
But, dear readers, this story has a happy ending. I nervously coughed and respectfully enquired of my FiL, “Sir, would it be helpful if I served the wine?”. Everyone held their breath ……. “Of course, young man, thank you”. I can still remember the collective sighs.
Never has a Christmas Table had such an attentive Sommelier – I was up and down like a Yo-yo. The following year my in-laws were pleasantly surprised to receive a gift of a set of excellent, large, wine glasses! The old glasses were promoted to the role of holding port, a fine tawny example of which I brought down along with a magnum of claret. It was worth the expense.
Early on, my father-in-law told me he liked claret – so I dutifully took a decent bottle next visit. What I did not realise was that he used it as a lower alcohol version of port and lemon. Every ounce of willpower and restraint was called into action as I watched the lemonade being poured in!
My mum was a post woman and in my early teens I helped out with the Xmas mail .Up at 5 .30 am sorting the letters and then out on an official red push bike with an enormous black front cage.
The problem was that in nearly every house I delivered to ,I was offered a “small” sherry.
Needless to say I remember collapsing on a roundabout with parcels strewn about me.
Grannies are wonderful but they played a major part in (possibly) terminally damaging sherry as brand for exactly the reasons you describe Steve. Although the quality of sherry available in the UK in those days helped the process along too.
My nana when I was still at a rather tender age was always willing to ply me with some of her Mackeson sweet stout topped up with lemonade at Sunday dinner. In my head I can still smell that small Mackey shandy to this day.
Wow,Eddie!
I had exactly the same upbringing. My grandmother ,who was champion arm wrestler of Cefn Mawr village, used to give me one small bottle of Mackey stout once a week- no lemonade in mine.I was told that it contained iron which would help me grow.At six foot seven inches ,there may have been a touch of truth in it!
PS Previous post-I collapsed in the middle of the snow laden roundabout, so there was no damage or risk, only to pride, and I did eventually retrieve all the mail and slowly delivered it.An early lesson to be cautious with alcohol.