J’AIME DECEMBER 2021
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Sauvignon with your matured cheddar. But how<br />
about a more local recommendation?<br />
“Most cheeses pair well with sweet wines, but it’s<br />
hard to make sweet wines in this country - never<br />
mind Staffordshire - because of the cooler climate,”<br />
Bert says.<br />
“What does go well together is a Camembert-style<br />
soft cheese with sparkling wine. That’s because of<br />
the toasty, brioche notes in the wine and the acidity<br />
that cuts through the creamy richness of the cheese<br />
- like a slice of zingy green apple. Halfpenny Green’s<br />
English sparkling wine works really well.”<br />
When it comes to sparkling wines, and Champagne<br />
in particular, Bert believes It’s important to support<br />
smaller growers rather than the big names. One of<br />
the biggest companies in the world, LVMH, owns<br />
Moët & Chandon, Dom Pérignon, Veuve Clicquot<br />
and Krug.<br />
“They’ve very cleverly turned Champagne into a<br />
luxury commodity rather than a wine style, which<br />
I don’t think is right because I think Champagne<br />
should be for everyone,” he argues.<br />
“We call them ‘growers’ because they used to supply<br />
all the grapes for the big houses, but those houses<br />
have priced the growers out of making their own<br />
wine. Now there are a lot of these small wineries<br />
in Champagne. You’ve got to have Champagne at<br />
Christmas really, but supporting these smaller names<br />
is a great way to go.<br />
“Otherwise, I love Cava at Christmas. It’s getting<br />
better and better and you don’t have to spend that<br />
MULLED CIDER IS A DELICIOUS<br />
ALTERNATIVE TO MULLED<br />
WINE, SAYS BERT<br />
much to get a great example. It’s a nice refresh for<br />
your palate, too.”<br />
What about that other most familiar of Christmas<br />
tipples: mulled wine?<br />
“I think making mulled cider is much more<br />
interesting,” says Bert. “You can get really<br />
good organic cider from Dunkertons. It’s<br />
lower ABV than a mulled wine, obviously,<br />
and the traditional spices like cinnamon and<br />
nutmeg go well with baked apple flavours.<br />
It works much better than mulled wine, it’s<br />
cheaper, and also it’s a waste of good wine,<br />
I think - drink the wine instead!”<br />
When it comes to relaxing by the fire of an<br />
evening after all the presents are wrapped,<br />
Bert reckons you can’t go far wrong with<br />
sherry as a nightcap - and don’t forget to<br />
leave one for Santa too.<br />
“It’s really good value for money and there<br />
are so many different styles to explore. It<br />
tends to work with quite rich foods, because<br />
it’s quite nutty and rich. You can get Pedro<br />
Ximenez, which is like liquid Christmas<br />
pudding, or there’s Manzanilla sherry<br />
which is dry and Amontillado with a bit<br />
more richness.”