Christmas grants us so many opportunities to showcase the finest food and drink, and one of my favourite moments is putting together a festive cheeseboard and cracking open some wonderful bottles to match (actually, eating and drinking it tops the preparation, obviously, but still, it’s a fun task).
The old debate rumbles on over whether red or white suits cheese best, and my view it’s a case of reds for hard, full-flavoured cheeses (and best of all, a Rioja Reserva or Gran Reserva with Cheddar, Manchego, Comte and a chunk of parmesan) and whites with milder and creamier cheeses (Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume, the two great Loire sauvignons, are unbeatable with goat’s cheese, while Chablis makes a fine match for brie and camembert, as I tipped two weeks ago).
Even better with cheese, though, are those wonderful jewels of the wine world: fortified and dessert wines. The sheer intensity of their aromas and flavours, their gloriously rich textures and even their beautiful colours, from gleaming gold to chestnut-mahogany, make port, sherry, madeira or golden pudding wines a must-do indulgence at this special time of year. Stilton is a Christmas classic, and many know that its salty tang marries beautifully with port. The top style of port to match with it is less well-known though, and it’s tawny. Tawny ports are aged much longer in barrel than red ports, emerging amber-hued, smooth, nutty and raisiny. I love a tawny port with extra mature Cheddar too, all the better if you add some toasted nuts and dried fruit to the cheeseboard.
Red ports win through with milder creamier cheeses, as their lively note of cherry fruitcake cuts through the richness. Back to brie and camembert, then, and I tend to put red grapes and fresh figs out with the cheeses for this match. Try to find a red port with a bit of age on it for a mellow roundness; I’ve got an ace below. Other suggestions for a mixed cheeseboard include madeira (but make sure it’s the sweeter malmsey madeira, not a dry version) and sherry. Much as I adore the pale, bone-dry fino and manzanilla sherries, it’s the darker, richer amontillados and olorosos with their hazelnut or walnut tones and savoury notes that make the cut with cheese (and save the sweet pale cream sherry for a trifle). Cheddar, comte or gruyere with amontillado sherry is heavenly.
And so to the golden dessert wines. Bordeaux’s stellar Sauternes and Barsac absolutely shine with cheese, and particularly creamy blue Roquefort, although do try them with stilton too and any number of milder cheeses. Sipping a small glass of Bordeaux pudding wine (Monbazillac and Loupiac appellations offer more affordable if slightly less complex versions) is a bit like drizzling a mix of marmalade and honey over the cheese, only better of course. Add apple and clementines to the cheeseboard in this instance. Don’t forget a little goes a very long way with these concentrated elixirs, so pour small amounts into normal white wine glasses, swirling them well before drinking to release their fabulous scents. Happy Christmas!
