You might think there was enough sweet stuff on the menu over the holiday period without adding dessert wines to the mix, but apparently not. Christmas is the one time of year when retailers, almost certainly responding to consumer demand, tend to have a good selection: fortified wines such as port and sherry, obviously, but also lighter dessert wines that, despite recent price increases, can still be remarkable value for money.
So when and with what should you drink them? In fact, it’s almost easier to point out what doesn’t work. Lighter wines such as sauternes or their less expensive equivalents (see below) aren’t great with classic festive desserts such as Christmas pudding or a bûche de Noël, and work much better with lighter, fruitier, more citrusy desserts. Port, meanwhile, tends to be too strong even for mince pies, so save that for the stilton. And with some dessert wines, such as ultra-sweet ice wine (Lidl has an elegantly bottled 10.5% Vidal from Canadian producer Pillitteri for £12.99), it’s better to sip them on their own.
Prices of fortified wines, especially port, are more unpredictable. With port, for instance, you need to know what you’re getting for your money. Basic ruby ports that are labelled “vintage character” or “special reserve” may seem cheap, but they can often be quite spirity – that is, you’ll be conscious of the alcohol. If you want more of a mellow character, buy a late-bottled vintage that will generally have been aged for four to six years – at time of writing, Tesco has a good one in its Finest range from the 2014 vintage for £13.50. As a matter of fact, most own-labels are made by the big port houses, so you won’t really be losing out by not buying a well-known brand.
Vintage ports are more expensive because they’ve been aged in bottle for several years (and therefore have to be decanted, because a deposit will have accumulated). Older vintages can be spectacular, but these days they’re far from cheap and, unless your Christmas gathering includes port aficionados, I’m not sure you need to spend so much.
Prices vary hugely on tawny ports, too. Sainsbury’s excellent 10-year-old tawny in its Taste the Difference range was priced at £14.50 at a recent tasting but has since shot up to £21. Aldi’s Fletcher’s 10-year-old, while not quite as good, is only £12.49.
There are also more affordable alternatives such as marsala and cream sherry. Morrisons has a textbook 17% one of the latter for £7.50 a litre, which is an absolute steal. You could afford to pour Santa a tumblerful of that.
Six super-sweet wines to enjoy over Christmas
Domaine de Lasserre Jurançon 2020 £7.25 a half-bottle at larger Co-ops, 12%. Utterly luscious, light sweet wine from south-west France. A cheaper alternative to sauternes.
Château La Rame Gourmandise Sainte-Croix-du-Mont 2021 £13.99 (or £11.99 on mix-six) Majestic, 13%. A great alternative to sauternes, particularly given the full-size bottle.
Sárga Borház Tokaji Kesoi Szuret Late Harvest Hárslevelű 2022 £8.99 (50cl) Lidl, 12.5%. A gloriously lush, light tokaji that tastes of roast pineapple. Absolute bargain.
Campbell’s Rutherglen Muscat £10.99 a half-bottle (on offer) Waitrose, 17.5%. Glorious Aussie sticky with rich, treacle toffee flavours that work brilliantly with Christmas cake or pud.
Pellegrino Marsala Superiore Garibaldi Dolce £12.50 Asda and Sainsbury’s, 18%. A sexier alternative to cream sherry, with the added bonus that you can use it to whip up a zabaglione.
Adnams PX Sopla Poniente Montilla-Moriles £9.99 Adnams, 15%. Classic pedro ximénez, not from Jerez but from neighbouring Montilla-Moriles. Outrageously sweet and raisiny. Perfect for anything rich and chocolatey.
For more by Fiona Beckett, go to fionabeckett.substack.com
