DELICIOUSLY DIFFERENT WINES TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS

Local WSET Wine Tutor, and Champagne Ambassador finalist, Linda Piggott-Vijeh, of Service Matters, shares her top tips for wines to celebrate the festive season in LE Society style

As a champagne lover I can’t imagine celebrating any occasion without it and, for me, pink fizz says it all – it’s frivolous, fun and festive. 

If money were no object and I was looking to push the boat out, my preference to kick start this year’s festive season in style will delight both Ab Fab and Bond fans alike, a good old bottle of Bollinger.. This special Bollinger Rose NV is their first new wine in over 30 years. Made from a Pinot Noir dominant blend (62%) of the 3 approved champagne grapes, the pink colour and delicate aromas are enhanced by a tiny proportion of (5%) still red wine. Aged on its lees for 3 years, its ‘brut’ style goes absolutely fabulously with smoked salmon, and will stand up to the rest of the meal too.

Not cheap, but I’d rather splurge on one solitary seductive flute of something classy and memorable than guzzle a bottle of plonk.

Bollinger Brut Rose – Waitrose £46.29, and online wine sites.

At the other end of the scale and moving onto the main course, where many of us opt for something other than turkey these days, my choice would be Fleurie. Produced in Burgundy, and not to be confused with the cheap and quaffable Beaujolais Nouveau, there are a number of producers available in all major supermarkets priced at around £10 a bottle. One of the Beaujolais Crus, and several notches above the usual offering, makesFleurie an interesting option. Medium bodied, and made from the yummy Gamay grape, with an enticing floral perfume and ripe strawberry/mulberry flavours. It is smooth, sliky and sophisticated, with a velvety texture and low in tannins. A very accessible wine. It’s affordable, food friendly, being a good match for both light and dark meats, and passes the cranberry sauce test.

M&S Fleurie – 2010  - 13% - produced by Paul Sapin - £10.99

Bouchard Pere et fils 13% - Waitrose - £10.99

Also available at all other major supermarkets

Saving room for the pud or cheese course, I’ll be drinking the little known Tokaji Aszu from Hungary. 

This modern-style Gold medal winning wine is from a fine vintage and an excellent producer, It shows a gorgeous, honeyed richness on the palate, balanced by bright acidity to prevent any cloying sensation. Finishing off sweetly, yet with mouth watering freshness. 

All in all a rich and succulent  world class wine. It has rich complexity with peachy fruit and balanced acidity to prevent it cloying. Half bottle goes a long way

Levels of sweetness are measured by puttonyos, the ones recommended here are 5 puttonyos.

Tokaji Aszu - £19.99 50cl. 5 puttonyos- Waitrose - £26.99

Keeping it local – all wines are sold at County Stores, Taunton - £68.13 for the lot

A word of advice. All wines have pretty similar on costs; tax, packaging, marketing, bottling, labelling etc. so the more you can afford to pay the more of your hard earned money will be down to the quality of the wine. So, unless you just want to quaff, avoid the 3 for £10 bottles on offer. We’re all willing to pay around £5 a glass for mediocre wine in a pub or restaurant, if you multiply that by the number of glasses when buying a bottle for yourself you’d be paying around £20 – just imagine what you’d get for that!

What’s not to love?!

Having said all this – Christmas is a time for a little indulgence and wine is a very personal issue, so drink what pleases you.

New Year's Eve

Celebrating New Year’s Eve can very much depend on whether or not you’ve had a good year; cheering the fact that there have been no major disasters and you’re ended the year on a high, or are glad to see the back of it, looking forward to a better one to follow. Either way, I can always find a reason to raise a glass or two, and if like me, you would rather see your glass half full than half empty, why not let midnight strike with your glass charged something of real quality? Start as you mean to go on is my resolution.

With that in mind, it must of course be champagne; and no better way to indulge than with what is commonly called the ‘king’ of champagnes, Krug. Not the blowsy, showy tipple of celebrities; more a classy, sophisticated, subtle welcome to 2013, with its hand picked grapes, lengthy aging in small oak casks, giving a polished toasty brioche character, a cautious, confident and complex wine. 

As one of the ‘grand marques’ champagnes, Krug has an impeccable pedigree, and rarely disappoints; a champagne with soul. The 1995 vintage recommended here will set you back around £150 a bottle. In its 17^th year and about to come of age, it is still fresh on the palate with lovely tiny bubbles. Now starting to hit its stride, it will be drinking for a long time yet.

Next up, and for a more feminine, but serious take on the evening, Laurent Perrier NV Rose. By comparison a bargain at a mere £40, and considered the benchmark for rose champagnes, always consistent; a champagne with heart. Made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes, this is one of the few rosé Champagnes made by a technique called 'saignee', where the red grape skins are left on the wine for up to 3 days, giving it a unique deep salmon pink colour. The wine is fresh, rounded and supple, with a long finish

Not convinced of the outlay, and wanting to support the home market, you could do worse than indulge in a bottle of the Camel Valley vintage of sparkling wine. Winner of countless awards, including a Gold Medal at this year’s International Wine Awards, and named world’s best sparkling wine producer, this vineyard is now as its peak and giving traditional champagnes a real run for their money. At £25 a bottle, and considered our best value sparkler; a champagne with spirit. It is made from an English hybrid vine, Seyval Blanc; a textbook cold climate fizz with a crisp apple and lemon character, and great value to boot.

For a more frivolous approach, suited to those with a sweeter tooth, whilst keeping the budget in check prior to the January bills, I’d suggest a Ritz Fizz cocktail, developed by the Ritz Carlton in 1934 on the repeal of prohibition. 

In a champagne flute pour 25ml. each of Amaretto di Saronno and Blue Curaçao, top up with your sparkling wine of choice, add a dash of lime juice and marvel at the tacky bright green colour that ensues!

I’d be reluctant to dilute the intense and expensive subtleties of a good champagne, so try making this with a good alternative, such as cava, which can be had for under £8 a bottle from any outlet selling wine.

Hate fizz? Finally then, for that memorable moment, ending the year on a high, with the promise of good things to come, I shall be sniffing the complex, spicy, peppery notes that contribute to harmonious elegant finesse of Hennessy Paradis Cognac. A favourite of rappers and hip-hoppers (not necessarily a recommendation), can there be enough superlatives to describe this ultimate assault on the senses? I had the rare privilege of sampling this at the Hennessy headquarters, and with banks now making the move towards easing up on lending, I’m ready to take out the second mortgage. Better be sitting down, as it will knock you out both in price and memorability. Available locally in limited quantities at just £300 a bottle, it’s a mere snip. Trust me and snap it up while you can. At just £10 a shot, better to be sat at home by the fire sipping this than paying the equivalent for a far inferior tipple elsewhere. Wishing you and yours all the very best imbibing that 2013 as to offer. 

 Recommended tipples

Krug 1995 Vintage

Laurent Perrier NV Rosé

Camel Valley

Hennessy Paradis

Valentine Wines

St. Valentine – the very name conjures up a sense of fear and trepidation in even the most ardent amorist.

By tradition, men with mistresses entertain their concubines to lunch on Valentine’s Day, leaving the evening free for more domestic attentions. A word of caution though, if intending to keep the spouse in tow, ensure she receives the more expensive gift. 

Flowers, chocolate, perfume, lingerie, jewels, or wine; the choice is unlimited. The history of St. Valentine’s Day is a long and complicated one. Initially a Christian festival, it has developed into an exercise in mass marketing and a social minefield.

The link between the scent of wine and arousal is well established and at risk of boring regular LE Society readers, I would plump for champagne as my preferred romantic initiator; what more romantic gift could there be than Perrier Jouët Fleur de Champagne, at around £95. Better still, plump for the rosé if you can, at £130.

This excellent cuvée has class; a delicate richness and soft, approachable style, which is extremely flattering. The Japanese anemones designed by artist Emile Gallé give the clear bottle a graceful element; why not invest in a bunch of anemones to go with it? 

Not enamoured with bubbly, or buying for your main man? There are reputable still wines to be had without resorting to the fake ‘Valentine’ theme.

My top wine for a romantic romp through the wine rack is "Saint-Amour".  Georges Duboeuf makes a Saint-Amour that enhances the romance with flowers on the bottle. This sexy Beaujolais is as romantic in style as its name implies. A powerful wine with the big, red and black fruit flavours of Gamay, it goes well with any grilled meat. Other names to look out for are Jadot and Drouhin. Around £12 a bottle.

 Wines available from good supermarkets and fine wine merchants.

Linda Piggott-Vijeh has been advising the hospitality industry on food and wine for almost three decades and has a 100% pass rating for WSET exam courses.

Make Mother’s Day with Mother’s Ruin

There are many who would argue that we shouldn’t need a dedicated day to celebrate mothers, but it would be a brave son or daughter that failed to rise to the occasion.

Originally a Christian festival, before the advent of commerciality, Mothering Sunday in the UK is celebrated on the fourth Sunday in lent. People traditionally visited the church where they were baptised; mothers were reunited with their children, as those in service were released by their masters for the weekend. Just as we all troop home today. 

How to make it special - flowers, chocolates, a meal ….. how about a bottle of ‘Mother’s Ruin’? Yes, gin, the favourite tipple of our Queen, and her mother, who used to travel with it and her Dubonnet, ‘just in case’.  

My recommendation is the gold medal winning Hendrick’s Gin, which comes in a brown apothecary style bottle, costing under £30.

Top-quality gins are flavoured in a unique manner and Hendrick uses two stills to produce different styles. The distilled spirit base is re-distilled, to allow alcohol vapour to waft over dried juniper berries and botanicals, giving it a unique character by extracting the lighter, sweeter, floral flavours and aromatic compounds. Once blended, cucumber and rose essences are added, giving a complex dry spirit with delicate cucumber, rose, honeyed citrus and floral juniper fruitiness. It is medium-full bodied with a long, elegant and satiny smooth finish. Sensational. 

Not a gin fan? Then treat mum to the fabulous Domaines Ott Clos Mireille Rosé 2011, from Provence. Arguably the finest rosé wine available, this elegant wine has an aroma of apricot and peach, with a hint of spice and red berries. Made from Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault grapes, it has balanced acidity and medium alcohol, and pairs perfectly with salmon. Available for around £27.

FLORAL WINES

 

With temperatures still hovering around freezing, and wearing five layers to keep out the cold, I am writing this in the vain hope that by the time you read it spring will have sprung at long last!

When assessing wine prior to drinking it, one uses one’s nose to identify the key notes that will help to establish not only the grape variety, but also how the wine was made, by whom, where it was made, and its age.

The three key aroma groups are fruity, floral and vegetal; in general, whilst one or two will predominate, wines will have many nuances of aroma, which will be dependent on a wide range of factors.

Certain wines, if well made, have distinct aromatic characteristics, and with spring in mind, my thoughts have turned to wines with a distinct floral characteristic; in this case, violets.

As one would expect, floral notes are most commonly associated with white wines; lavender, ylang ylang, jasmine, orange blossom, iris and honeysuckle being common; while rose and violet are by far the most predominant, and associated with both red and white wines.

There are a number of grape varieties associated with floral nuances, but in narrowing down the choice, my top three recommendations with violets as a characteristic, are one red, made from the Nebbiolo grape, and two whites made from the lesser known Viognier; a nice tie in here is that recent work on DNA analysis has found a genetic relationship between Nebbiolo and Viognier.

Nebbiolo is most dominant in the Piedmont region of Northern Italy, and these wines are reknowned for their powerful intensity. Nebbiolo is made into Barbaresco, but my recommendation here is the more fragrant, powerful and tannic Barolo. Available locally is the Terredavino 2008, 13.5% abv, at £15.99.

There are two famous appellations in Northern Rhone, where the only permitted grape is Viognier; beguiling, musky, and surprisingly masculine for a white grape and if well made, producing very special wines. The all-viognier appellation of Condrieu, and also Chateau Grillet, a single-chateau estate only 9.4 acres in size, are the only appellations in Northern Rhône that are exclusively white wine appellations, so look out for these wines, which are not always easy to find. More easily available are the single variety wines produced in the New World. Here I’m recommending the Australian Yalumba Eden Valley 2011 Viognier, 12.5% abv, costing £12.99. Stay away from the much cheaper Pays D’Oc wines as in general they lack substance and character.

Next month, with Father’s Day on the horizon, we’ll have a look at wines with more masculine characteristics – leather, tar, tobacco, farmyard…… but I’ll leave the cat’s pee for another time!

RED WINES Nebbiolo – violet, dried rose Pinot Noir – violet, rose petal Cabernet Sauvignon – violet Merlot – violet Cabernet Franc – violet Gamay – iris, peonies

WHITE WINES Viognier – violet, iris, ylang ylang, orange blossom Vedelho – honeysuckle Sauvignon Blanc – elderflower Riesling – rose, jasmine, honeysuckle Pinot Gris – rose, violet Gewurtztraminer – rose, lavender Muscat – jasmine, ylang, ylang Colombard – honeysuckle

Wines for Father's Day

Big and powerful, smelling of wood smoke, spice and pepper, leather and tobacco; this description could equally apply to wine as to the macho man in your life.

With Father's Day on the horizon, and with fabulous local lamb now at its peak for a celebratory roast, or grilled on the BBQ if the weather if fine enough, my recommendations this month are for your favourite hunter, gatherer, carnivore.


Top choice for me has to be the renowned Chateau Musar 2004, 13% abv, and available locally for £31.50. Made by the Hochar family in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, vines have been cultivated in the region for over 6,000 years; this remote and unspoilt location, along with the hand-harvesting of the grapes by local Bedouins, ensured these wines achieved ‘organic’ status long before we'd ever coined the term.

Seven years in the making, and aged for one year in French oak barrrels, all of Musar's wines are unfined and unfiltered, and therefore suitable for vegans. Dominated by the black fruit flavours of the Bordeaux grape Cabernet Sauvignon, Rhône grapes Cinsault and Carignan provide a supple spiciness. Variations from vintage to vintage retain the emphatic Lebanese style, and with time the wines become mellow and take on a tawny hue; the resulting wine smooth on the palate with aromas of tobacco, spice and mocha.

Richly-textured, the 'crust’ formed in older wines is a common feature so these wines should be carefully decanted before drinking.

Closer to home, and back in Europe, try the Syrah and Grenache dominated Serabel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2010 14% abv, from the Southern Rhône, at just £18. A complex and distinctive wine, smooth and supple in texture with well integrated tannins. On the palate look for pronounced pepper, spice, black cherry, tar, leather and roasted nut flavours.


An aged Rioja, with its spicy character achieved through extended barrel ageing, Viňa Ardanza produce a fine Rioja Reserva from the La Rioja Alta region. Try the 2004, 13.5% abv, available for around £22, and with an earthy, woody spice complexity.


A preference for white? Then try the award winning Marques de Caceres Rioja Blanco 'Antea' Barrel Fermented 2012 13% abv, at just £11.

It's good to know that feedback from readers of Society indicate that the column is well read, and that on my recommendation, someone did indeed purchase the magnificent Hennessy Paradis Cognac for just £295, a real bargain. 
 
Next month, look out for sparkling alternatives to champagne to celebrate summer picnics and weddings, as we start to enjoy the long awaited sunshine.


Linda Piggott-Vijeh of Service Matters has been advising the hospitality industry on food and wine for almost three decades and, in addition to conducting regular tastings, she has a 100% pass rate for her WSET exam courses.

BBQ wines

It was the raised eyebrows, the Gallic curl of the upper lip .... 'You want sparkling wines to go with BBQ?', Philippe Messy of PM Wines, regarded me with an air of incredulity.

For him, wine is about people – those who make it, and those who enjoy drinking it; despite his views of our strange habits. He expertly guides customers to a broader range of wine experiences; visit with a budget in mind, be prepared to double it, and leave happy and enlightened. I did.

I confess I'm not much one for BBQs myself; meat burnt on the outside and raw within. It's not my style.

However, let's face it, the first sign of fine weather and out they come, any excuse for a party, and a rare opportunity to eat outside. We Brits, mimicking American and Aussie laid back cultures, can't wait to show off our culinary skills; with a beer in one hand, something to prod the meat with in the other, and sporting the obligatory silly apron.

With budgets being tight, informal get-togethers have become 'de rigeur' for many of us with something to celebrate. All the reason to bring out the bubbly then, adding a touch of class to the casual proceedings. 

 

These will provide a fresh contrast to feisty ribs, and a perfect foil for spicy chicken.

Top recommendation this month, and keeping our hard earned money closer to home, is Nyetimber Classic Cuvee – 12% abv - £32.75. For over 20 years Nyetimber has been making English sparkling wine to rival Champagne. Produced from classic champagne grapes, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, the tiny delicate bubbles of this Classic Cuvee are suspended in a pale golden hue, filling the nose with the biscuity aroma of a fresh lemon tart straight from the oven. The palate has a rounded feel in the mouth, and the citrus character gives a prolonged fruity finish. Each bottle is made from 100% estate grown grapes, all hand picked, with the traditional second fermentation in the bottle, hence the high price tag, and well worth it. 

 

Next up is Frassinelli Extra Dry Prosecco – 11% abv - £13.25 from the Veneto region of Italy. The conditions of production have been granted DOCG status, to protect its name, and only Glera grapes are permitted to be used. With a pronounced pear character, the wine is fresh tasting, with a touch of extra sweetness to balance the acidity, making it food-friendly. The perfect contrast to offset the smoky, char-grilled flavours of BBQd food; try it with grilled pears too. 

Finally, for a rose tinted view of life as you try to avoid standing upwind of the BBQ smoke, try Bouvet Rose Excellence - 12.5% abv - £13.50. Produced in the Loire region of France, it has a brilliant, delicate salmon-pink colour and fine, pinpoint bubbles with a fresh, raspberry and blackcurrant fragrance. On the palate it is very dry and crisp, with luscious red fruit flavours offset by subdued earthy notes and a lovely clean, persistent finish.

Linda Piggott-Vijeh of Service Matters has been advising the hospitality industry on food and wine for almost three decades and, in addition to conducting regular tastings, she has a 100% pass rate for her WSET exam courses.