Waitrose’s own-label Sauternes is also made by Ch. Suduiraut and it, too, is lovely: Waitrose No 1 Sauternes Château Suduiraut 2013 (Bordeaux, France, 13.5%, Waitrose, £16.99) tastes of crystallised pineapple and coconut.
If you’re interested in other sweet wines then I loved the tang of Adnams Fine Dessert Wine Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh 2016 (France, 12.5%, Adnams, £9.99), which is made in the Gers from local varieties arrufiac, petit and grand corbu and petit manseng.
Also from south-west France and good for those who find sauternes too rich is Domaine de Lasserre Jurançon (12%, Co-op, £7/37.5cl): think poached peaches and apricots with floral quince. Made from gros manseng and petit manseng, this is total heaven.
Dr Loosen Riesling Eiswein NV (Mosel, Germany, 7%, Waitrose (164 shops) , £19.99/18.7cl) is exquisite. Made from grapes that are picked during a cold snap while they are frozen on the vine, it smells of lime blossom and sweet pears and has a refreshing taste.
On to sherry. The first alcohol I ever tasted was cream sherry poured in the classic way from an ancient bottle from my grandmother’s sideboard. I didn’t like it very much. But I do like cream sherry – which is just a blend of other styles of sherry – now, and I like it best when it’s sweet and tastes of raisins and sultanas.
Classics Rich Cream Sherry NV (Spain, 18%, M&S, £8) hit the spot for me. I definitely veer towards the complex, nutty “brown” (more oxidative) styles of sherry at Christmas.
A few good ones: Taste the Difference Oloroso Sherry NV (Spain, 20%, Sainsbury’s, £8/50cl) which is made for Sainsbury’s by Lustau; the glorious Williams & Humbert As You Like It Medium Amontillado NV ( Spain, 20.5%, Waitrose (150 shops), £29.99/50cl); and Gonzalez Byass Apostoles 30 Year Old Palo Cortado Sherry Half Bottle NV (Spain, 20%, Majestic, £22.49/£24.99 mix six/single bottle price) which tastes of hazelnuts and roasted almonds and is wonderfully complex.
Finally, as far as sherry goes, one for those of you who like PX, the fiendishly sweet and viscous sherry that tastes of molasses and is good poured over vanilla ice cream: finest* PX Sherry NV (Spain, 15%, Tesco, £6 for a half bottle).
On to the ports. I wouldn’t be without a bottle of tawny port in the fridge at this time of year. It’s a favourite among my friends and I pour it in lieu of pudding.
Tesco finest* 10 Year Old Tawny Port NV (Portugal, 19%, Tesco, £12) is excellent. And if you want something special go for a colheita (a tawny from a single harvest). Warre’s Colheita Port 2009 (20.5%, The Wine Society, £17) is great and there is a brilliant one from Noval in my wines of the week.
For ports that are a deeper red in colour I recommend Taste the Difference Late Bottled Vintage Port 2016 (Portugal, 20%, Sainsbury’s, £10).
For something more special, Taylor’s Quinta de Vargellas Vintage Port 2012 (Portugal, 20%, Waitrose 201 shops, £25.59 down from £31.99 until January 2; Majestic £25.99/£34.99 mix six/single bottle price) is a vintage port made from vines grown in a single vineyard in the wilds of the Douro and it has notes of licorice and violets.
Warre’s Quinta da Cavadinha 2005 (Portugal, 20%, Waitrose, £25.49 down from £33.99 until January 2) has a little more age on it and is a real beauty.
And finally, a madeira. I love both the smart packaging and the wines of Barbeito Madeira. See my wines of the week, below, for more details on this, along with two excellent ports.
