Winter is the time of hearty roasts and casseroles. It is the traditional territory of some favourite comfort foods and meal are often deisgned to be richer and more filling than other times of year. From a wine point of view this is the season of fuller-bodied wines. For white wines the rich, minerally wines of Burgundy or some subtly oaked New World chardonnays and Semillons go well with fish dishes - particularly those served with a more buttery sauce.
Our red wine choices for the winter months are almost endless but of particular merit would be many Rhône wines, along with a fine claret or a Burgundy, a Cabernet or a Merlot from Australia or South America and perhaps a New Zealand Pinot Noir. The weight of the wine should match the richness of the dish with a more delicate recipe needing a softer wine.
Port and Madeira wines, along with a fine aged Oloroso or Amontillado sherry, must constitute the ultimate comfort liquid (as opposed to food!). When the logs are crackling in the fire and it is grey outside what better way to soothe your senses than with a glass of fine fortified wine. Remember these wines can be enjoyed on their own with some simple accompaniments like walnuts or dried fruits as well as the more traditional pairing with a fine cheese. Any time of day will do - particularly from teatime onwards.
Shiraz, Paddock Edge, 2005 - Excelsior Estate, Robertson, South Africa
Deep brick red on rim of glass, almost black in centre. Smoked meat, mocha, toffee and spicey new wood on nose. Lingering flavours of vanilla and ripe black cherries with a long and smooth finish.
In the South Western Cape there is a great valley encircled by tall, gaunt mountains. A wide river meanders through the valley floor, which, during the millennia, created a fertile flood plain for itself. It is an arid land, for the mountains which shelter the valley also shield it from rainbearing clouds. The lack of rain matters not, for the early settlers soon learned to channel the river to irrigate the fertile plain. Here they planted their vineyards, orchards and pastures whose lush herbage makes a stark contrast to the thorny, stunted vegetation of the veld.
With the simplicity of nomads the first people who trekked through the valley gave places names as they beheld the natural phenomena. The mountains which form the northern border they are called the Langeberg, which in Dutch means Long Mountains, and those to the south they are called the Sonderendberge which are the Mountains which have no end. The river they named the Breede, which in English, would be the River Broad. Shiraz, Paddock Edge.
50cl Bottles Finest 5 Year Old Full Rich Malmsey - Henriques & Henriuques, Madeira - £8.44 per bottle
Probably the most famous name associated with Madeira, Malmsey is the English name for the wines made from the Malvasia Candida grape. A variety which is quite widely planted throughout the Mediterranean. This rich sweet Madeira is laced with a fine tangy fruitiness. It is traditionally served with coffee, nuts or rich, old-fashioned fruit cake. It makes a perfect digestif as well.
The Henriques family were making wine in Madeira in the 15th Century, but it was not until 1850 that Joaquim Henriques established the firm of Henriques & Henriques with his brother. Today it is the largest and most respected independent Madeira ‘house’, with the lion’s share of the grapes coming from vineyards owned by the Henriques family surrounding Camara de Lobos, considered by many to be the best quality vine growing area on the Island.
In order to reinforce their position as the leading producer of quality wine, Henriques have planted 60 hectares of new vines on precarious terraces overlooking their winery at Camara de Lobos, terraces which are hardly viable to work, in terms of pure economics, but which will, in time, produce some terrific quality grapes. The winery itself is brand new, equipped with the most up-to-date stainless steel vats and pneumatic presses. Their Madeiras are outstanding.
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