J’AIME DECEMBER 2021

Sauvignon with your matured cheddar. But how
about a more local recommendation?
“Most cheeses pair well with sweet wines, but it’s
hard to make sweet wines in this country - never
mind Staffordshire - because of the cooler climate,”
Bert says.
“What does go well together is a Camembert-style
soft cheese with sparkling wine. That’s because of
the toasty, brioche notes in the wine and the acidity
that cuts through the creamy richness of the cheese
- like a slice of zingy green apple. Halfpenny Green’s
English sparkling wine works really well.”
When it comes to sparkling wines, and Champagne
in particular, Bert believes It’s important to support
smaller growers rather than the big names. One of
the biggest companies in the world, LVMH, owns
Moët & Chandon, Dom Pérignon, Veuve Clicquot
and Krug.
“They’ve very cleverly turned Champagne into a
luxury commodity rather than a wine style, which
I don’t think is right because I think Champagne
should be for everyone,” he argues.
“We call them ‘growers’ because they used to supply
all the grapes for the big houses, but those houses
have priced the growers out of making their own
wine. Now there are a lot of these small wineries
in Champagne. You’ve got to have Champagne at
Christmas really, but supporting these smaller names
is a great way to go.
“Otherwise, I love Cava at Christmas. It’s getting
better and better and you don’t have to spend that
MULLED CIDER IS A DELICIOUS
ALTERNATIVE TO MULLED
WINE, SAYS BERT
much to get a great example. It’s a nice refresh for
your palate, too.”
What about that other most familiar of Christmas
tipples: mulled wine?
“I think making mulled cider is much more
interesting,” says Bert. “You can get really
good organic cider from Dunkertons. It’s
lower ABV than a mulled wine, obviously,
and the traditional spices like cinnamon and
nutmeg go well with baked apple flavours.
It works much better than mulled wine, it’s
cheaper, and also it’s a waste of good wine,
I think - drink the wine instead!”
When it comes to relaxing by the fire of an
evening after all the presents are wrapped,
Bert reckons you can’t go far wrong with
sherry as a nightcap - and don’t forget to
leave one for Santa too.
“It’s really good value for money and there
are so many different styles to explore. It
tends to work with quite rich foods, because
it’s quite nutty and rich. You can get Pedro
Ximenez, which is like liquid Christmas
pudding, or there’s Manzanilla sherry
which is dry and Amontillado with a bit
more richness.”