Californian wine: everything you need to know
What's new style of Californian wine you ask? Wine expert, Kate Hawkings, has got the low down, including bottle suggestions and more
Over-ripe, over-oaked and over here: Californian wines can be hard to love for those of us who like a little finesse and subtlety in our glass. California is the world’s fourth largest wine region, and wines by its big brands, whose bottles flood the shelves of our supermarkets and corner shops, are generally as synthetic as a C-lister’s smile. In contrast, the state’s A-listers are super-charged, super-expensive wines made by hard-hitting producers. These dudes focus on macho fruit-bombs, so grapes are grown to über-ripeness to maximise their sugar and thus alcohol content – it’s not uncommon to find wines at a burly 15% abv. Ageing in oak gives structure to the wines but often masks more interesting flavours. Like Hollywood blockbusters, they’re big, bold, brash, often artificially enhanced and not to everyone’s taste. But a new style of Californian wine is emerging from a generation of maverick winemakers who are taking more of an art-house approach and making fresher, more elegant wines. Grapes grown in cooler parts of the state are picked earlier and are treated more gently, bringing nuance and delicacy to the fore. These wines typically don’t come cheap but many still compare well to the Napa Valley big boys; careful shopping will reap rewards. There’s never been a more exciting time to drink Californian wine; seek advice from a decent wine merchant, roll out the red carpet and get stuck in. Richard Bruno, Santa Lucia Highlands Riesling 2015 (£8.99, nakedwines.com) Full of ripe tropical fruits with a gentle lime-peel zest, this is off-dry and luscious without being cloying. It sings with on-trend Thai flavours and would sit nicely as a not-too-sweet partner with our passion fruit puddings. La Crema, Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2014 (£14.99, robertandspeight.co.uk) Made with a gentle hand on the oak, La Crema is rich and buttery but has a fresh lift, too. Drink it with the roasted cabbage steaks with hazelnut dressing, or a creamy chicken pie. Moobuzz, Monterey Pinot Noir 2013 (£15, robersonwine.com) Ripe red fruit, balanced with a pleasing streak of acidity. Firm up its soft edges by chilling it slightly in the fridge before serving it with our Maryland stuffed ham. Karen Birmingham Lodi Zinfandel 2014 (£13.49, nakedwines.com). For lovers of traditional Californian heft, this is rich and spicy but still has poise. Try it with our slow roast duck with sweet tamarind recipe. Add to the library... Exploring and Tasting Wine by Berry Bros. & Rudd (£20, Pavilion). Britain’s oldest wine merchant runs an award-winning wine school and its excellent Introduction to Wine course is covered in this book. Looking at the world’s classic grapes and key regions, it’s informative but not dreary and has great infographics. Follow the course cover-to-cover, or dip in and out at your leisure.
olive magazine podcast ep33 - edible gifts, Nikkei cuisine and Christmas drinking
This week Janine and Gregor trade inspiring ideas for edible gifts for friends, Alex gets the lowdown on Nikkei food from supper club host Luiz Hara and drinks writer Sarah tells us how to drink (responsibly) from breakfast to bed on Xmas day.
Top five cookery courses for meat-lovers
Make anything from chorizo to chicken liver pate to devilled kidneys while learning how to get the most out of your meat on one of these cookery classes
Butchery and Charcuterie Workshop Run by Sarah and John Mills from their family farm in Upton, Hampshire, the Parsonage Farm cookery school offers a number of hands-on workshops for meat-lovers. On this particular course, you’ll learn how to turn freshly butchered cuts of pork into delicious cured meats, using local ingredients such as Upham Brewery Stakes Beer, Anna Valley Chillies spice mixes, and a very drinkable Twisted Nose Gin from Winchester. After a full day of butchery lessons and charcuterie-making, you’ll come away knowing how to make salamis, saucisson and lomo like a pro. A few weeks later your creations will arrive in the post, perfectly air-dried and ready to eat – buy someone a place on this course and it will truly be a gift that keeps on giving. Read olive's full course review here Next butchery and charcuterie workshop: 29 January 2017, 10am-4pm, £155 (parsonage-farm.co.uk) Argentinan Asado Sign up for this course at the Philleigh Way cookery school in Truro, Cornwall, and you’ll kick off with both an introduction to fire-building and to Argentinian cooking techniques, including parrilla (cooking on a wood grill), horno de barro (cooking in a wood oven) and asador criolla (flanks of beef or whole lambs are fastened to an iron cross and slow-cooked over hot coals). If that sounds like thirsty work there’s the chance to sample some local ales while you cook (it’s all part of an authentic asado experience, apparently). And, at the end of your day, after learning how to prep a classic Argentinian beef flank, grilling the meat and making empanadas and South American chimichurri, you’ll get to sit down and feast on your creations with a glass of Argentine Malbec. Next Argentinan Asado BBQ course: 25 May 2017, 10am-4pm, £150 per person (philleighway.co.uk) Pig in a Day In River Cottage’s converted barn, overlooking the scenic Devon and Dorset border, Steven Lamb and the River Cottage chefs will teach you all you need to know about nose-to-tail butchery. True to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s sustainability ethos, nothing from the pig goes to waste here. Over the course of three sessions (with a two-course lunch full of local and seasonal produce in between) you’ll cover everything from husbandry to dry-curing bacon to devilling kidneys. At the end of the day you’ll trundle off in a tractor, back to your car, with freshly made sausages and chorizo in hand. It’s the ultimate course for the committed carnivore. Next Pig In A Day butchery and cookery course: 21 January 2017, 9:30am-5pm, £240 per person (rivercottage.net) Dude Food You wouldn’t necessarily expect to get a taste of the Deep South in the Surrey Hills. But, if you want to keep up with the latest food trends, then this course, at the Abinger Cookery School, is for you. As the name suggests, this class will teach you how to make ‘dirty’, satisfyingly sticky American diner-style food. Their menu changes month to month but expect the likes of yum buns with pulled pork, sriracha and pickles or cow pie with a boneless marrow, even a walnut and whiskey tart. Next Dude Food course: 12 January 2017, 9:30am-4pm, £140 per person (abingercookeryschool.com) The Ultimate Meat and Poultry On this intensive one-day course, you’ll learn how to whip up a total of eight different dishes, including a boned and stuffed chicken to take home with you. Based in Marylebone, at the Cookery School at Little Portland Street, it covers everything from grilled duck breasts with fresh orange sauce to chicken liver pate to steak with Béarnaise sauce. A large proportion (75 percent) of the ingredients are sourced locally and all the meat you’ll handle is organic. In short, it’s about as sustainably minded a cooking course as the London meat-lover can get. The next Ultimate Meat and Poultry course: 7 January 2017, 9:30am-3pm, £175 per person (cookeryschool.co.uk) Header image credit: Matt Austin
olive pitstop: foodie guide to Pembrokeshire
From artisan cheeses to bug burgers to independent hotels, discover our pick of the 10 best places to eat and drink in and around Pembrokeshire, southwest Wales
CWTCH, St Davids If the name wasn’t enough to remind you you’re in Wales (it means ‘cuddle’ in Welsh), the extensive list of local suppliers on Jackie and John Hatton-Bell’s menu is another giveaway. This welcoming 50-seat restaurant offers seasonal dishes that shine a light on the county’s top producers, without a hint of pretentiousness. Head chef Darren Thomas’ Sunday lunch offering is hard to beat; think rosemary and garlic-studded shoulder of lamb, roast Welsh sirloin of beef or thyme and lemon organic Pembrokeshire poussin with all the trimmings. Book a table (essential), settle down for the afternoon with friends and work your way through the carefully chosen wine menu. cwtchrestaurant.co.uk THE BRASSERIE, Wolfscastle One of two dining options in the recently renovated Wolfscastle Country Hotel, the 2-AA rosette Brasserie may be the more informal of the two but its menu – a tome of Pembrokeshire bounty – fends off any doubt about chef Ian Wilson’s passion for updating the classics. A modern and bright space, with attentive staff on hand, highlights here include starters of seared scallops, black pudding croquette, confit belly pork and compressed watermelon, and a Burford hen’s egg atop a perfectly cooked foraged wild mushroom risotto with Parmesan tuille and fried kale. wolfscastle.com VIC NORTH, Newport Vic North is the latest addition to the culinary collective on Newport’s Market Street with her gorgeous deli-cum-café-cum-cookery school. Find a corner table and watch locals and tourists come and go for great coffee, homemade cakes and a succinct but imaginative menu (Vic pimps up avo on toast with homemade harissa pesto and fresh lebneh – game changer!). The shelves are lined with gourmet continental and local produce to take home and there’s a thriving diary of workshops and supper clubs – can we move in? vicnorth.co.uk GRUB KITCHEN, St Davids Set in a renovated, 18th-century calf shed, this restaurant is based around the beliefs of head chef Andy Holcroft and his partner, entomologist Dr Sarah Beynon, that the Western world could do with a little education on the nutritious and sustainable virtues of entomophagy (that’ll be eating insects). Dishes change frequently depending on season and supply (Sarah’s family farms much of the meat in neighbouring fields) but look out for toasted cumin mealworm hummus, black ant crusted goat’s cheese, cricket flour crepes and Andy’s signature bug burgers. Set on their farm, the restaurant is only one part of the couple’s award-winning tourist attraction; The Bug Farm also plays host to an invertebrate zoo, gallery, academic research centre and guided bug safaris. grubkitchen.co.uk ULTRACOMIDA, Narberth With another branch in Abersytwyth and an outlet in Cardiff opening later this month, Ultracomida has proven its recipe as half deli/half restaurant really works. The company is known for its commitment to sourcing fine Spanish produce, and for its well-executed tapas. Don’t leave this, the original outlet, without ordering the silky morcilla (black pudding), a plato mixto (cheese and cured meats with torta romero, fig and almond wheel) and a serving of authentic patatas bravas. Can’t stop to eat? Fill a hamper with fresh bread, olives and a selection of artisan cheeses large enough to rival the likes of that in Harrods’ food hall. ultracomida.co.uk THE BOAT HOUSE, Saundersfoot Unveiled to the public in July, this is the latest restaurant from husband-and-wife-duo Gemma and Lee Evans (who already own The Harbourmaster in Milford Haven’s Nelson Quay). This one is in a prized spot, in the popular coastal town of Saundersfoot, within Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, and the seaside-y décor suits the location. The cooking is homely with ingredients carefully sourced; look to the specials for the freshest catch of the day. theboathousesaundersfoot.co.uk THE GROVE, Narberth For what is arguably the finest food (and comfiest beds) this side of the Severn Bridge, this small, independently owned hotel (sister to Coast in Saundersfoot and Beach House Oxwich) is the ultimate treat for discerning diners. Executive Chef Allister Barsby, who joined in 2016 having previously worked under Michael Caines at Gidleigh Park, is spoilt with his pick of the property’s landscaped kitchen gardens and the region’s best suppliers. It’s the attention to detail and delicate finesse of pairing flavours that makes Allister’s dishes so memorable; a sirloin of Welsh beef, plaice with wild mushrooms and a pistachio souffle with bitter chocolate proved particular highlights. thegrove-narberth.co.uk WDIG COTTAGE, Whitesands Staying for a while? Set up home in Wdig Cottage on St David’s Peninsula (sleeps 5). This beautifully restored, Grade II-listed Georgian farmhouse (think simple whitewashed walls, original inglenook fireplace, exposed oak timbers and prettily painted stairs) wows with panoramic views of the Preseli Hills. Work up an appetite with a stroll along the sands (it is only a 10-minute walk from the wide stretch of beach at Whitesands Bay). Then retreat to its spacious kitchen/diner (with striking red Aga) to whip up a locally-sourced feast; fill up the larder at nearby deli St David’s Food and Wine and at the county’s thriving farmer’s markets (see below). qualitycottages.co.uk FARMERS’ MARKETS, across Pembrokeshire Whether you’re in Newport (Monday), St Dogmael’s (Tuesday), Haverfordwest (Friday) or Fishguard (Saturday), Pembrokeshire’s farmers’ markets are a thing to behold. Pick up longhorn beef from Carn Edward in the Gwaun Valley, Cothi Valley eggs, Caws Cennarth and Pant Mawr cheeses and organic veggies from Troed Y Rhiw Farm. Look for Pembrokeshire Sea Salt, Shirgar butter, Coedcanlas preserves and honey and craft beer from Bluestone Brewery Co in Cilgwyn. visitpembrokeshire.com THE STACKPOLE INN, Stackpole Few pubs can draw in passersby as swiftly as The Stackpole Inn with its postcard-perfect exterior. Thankfully the charm isn’t just skin-deep, as owners Gary and Becky Evans have crafted a kitchen and bedrooms that match first impressions. This is everything a gastropub should be: homely and familiar with unbelievably good grub. The nearby Pembrokeshire Coast Path brings ramblers in their droves for boards of farm ham, cheese (Caerfai cheddar, Boksburg Blue, Caws Cenarth and Heb Enw), pickles, apple, salad, chutney and home baked bread, while an aged rib of local beef is fit for a sharing with chunky chips, rarebit topped mushrooms and beer-battered onion rings. stackpoleinn.co.uk More information: visitpembrokeshire.com Written by Sophie Rae, November 2016
Foodie tour of Ho Chi Minh City by Vespa: review
If you want to delve into Saigon’s (as the locals still call it) best food spots, the way to do it is on a guided tour by vintage Vespa, a drive-by feast that takes in barbecued mussels, fried crab claws and Vietnamese pancakes
Vietnam’s largest city energetically exudes epicurean appeal. Ho Chi Minh City is a vibrantly old-meets-new place of skyscrapers, markets, malls, temples - and fabulous cuisine, from aromatic street food such as classic pho (noodle soup) to restaurants specialising in piquant cha ca fish dishes. If you want to do like the locals, call the city Saigon (its old name - it officially became Ho Chi Minh City in 1975) and explore it by scooter; most of its 8m population buzz around on two wheels. Several companies operate guided scooter tours, among them Vespa Adventures which adds a distinctive twist by using reconditioned vintage Vespas and offering specialist food-focused trips. See it, taste it, be part of it. That’s the ethos of its Saigon After Dark tour. You’re picked up from your hotel by a scooter driver (fear not, you don’t operate the vehicle yourself) and ride pillion as he skilfully weaves through the traffic to five venues where you meet up with an English-speaking guide. It’s exhilarating, fun and sybaritic too – you eat and drink as much as you like, with the guide on hand to help you order like a local. First you call in at the company’s own Café Zoom, to enjoy an aperitif and discuss the route, which takes you off the tourist radar to the lanes of District 4 then twists through District 1 to lively District 3, passing landmarks such as Notre Dame Basilica and the city’s gracious French colonial post office. The feasting begins at Quan Oc Phat, an open-air seafood café where plastic tables and chairs spill on to District 4’s little Vinh Khanh street. There’s an open kitchen, fronted by tanks of live ingredients; crabs, cockles, giant snails and more. Barbecued mussels are a speciality, pepped up with peanuts and spring onions, and the crab claws dry-fried with salt and chilli are another must-eat (pincer them with your fingers then dip them in little saucers of chilli for an extra kick). Also good are delicate clams with lemon grass, ginger and more chilli. The tour then moves on to Co Ba Vung Tau, an elegant restaurant created from traditional Vietnamese houses and set on Tran Cao Van street in District 3. This is the place to savour Vietnamese pancakes, made with rice flour and coconut water, filled with beansprouts, pork and prawns and eaten in strips that you roll up yourself in mustard and lettuce leaves. Try, too, bahn khot, mini pancakes that look like slightly squishy vol au vents and come topped with prawns. For post-prandial delights you zoom on to Cooku’s Nest café, where you can enjoy live Vietnamese folk music played to a rapt Saigonese audience over a velvety iced coffee. You will be glad of that caffeine; the tour finishes with a blast of live rock at Woodstock bar in District 3. A foodie Vespa tour of Ho Chi Minh City features in Rickshaw Travel’s two-night Scooting through Saigon trip. This costs from £198, including accommodation in a city-centre hotel. Combine it with two or more short trips – to the beach, to the Mekong Delta and more – and add on flights (from £378 return, Heathrow to Ho Chi Minh) to build up a week’s itinerary in Vietnam (rickshawtravel.co.uk). Written by Harriet O’Brien, November 2016
Seoul, South Korea: 5 places to eat and drink
Check out author of Korean Food made Simple, Judy Joo's guide to the South Korean capital's vibrant local food scene focusing on fermented vegetables, barbecued meats and fiery, umami-rich sauces
Read local Back Kimyung's guide to South Korean food here, including street food dishes, banquet-style dining and family traditions. Korean food exhibits a complexity, depth and earthiness unlike any other thanks to its long history of fermentation and use of three key staples: dwenjang (coarse, salty soya bean paste), gochujang (fiery red, slightly sweet chilli paste) and ganjang (soy sauce). At least one of these can be found in almost any Korean dish. It’s also famous for barbecue. Slivers of soy-, garlic- and ginger-infused beef (bulgogi) and pork belly (samgyupsal) cook almost instantly over hot coal grills built into the dining table. Diners then wrap the slices in cool, crisp lettuce leaves and layer on garlic, chilli, kimchi (fermented cabbage) and good smears of ssamjang (a salty, spicy, umani-rich sauce that combines dwenjang and gochujang). These parcels are eaten in one so diners can enjoy a mix of flavours and textures together (a crucial element in Korean cuisine which is centred on balance and satiating all of your taste buds). In addition, typical Korean meals consist of rice and large selections of small dishes called banchan, an array of seasoned vegetables (namul), grilled seafood, tofu, meat, kimchi and pickles, that fill the table with flavours, textures and colours, creating that all-important balance. In the South Korean capital, Seoul, a vibrant restaurant scene showcases both traditional and modern cooking, with edgy Korean Mexican restaurants cosying up to old-school kimbap (rice roll) shops. And while street food trends change rapidly, the locals cherish mealtimes, whether they’re social or business events. Eating is convivial and the night air often carries the smell of sizzling, smoky meats and bursts of loud laughter from those enjoying a glass of soju (surprisingly, the world’s best-selling spirit). Five places to eat and drink: Gwangjang market The stalls are piled with kimbap (seaweed rolls), mandu (steamed dumplings) and soondae (black pudding), plus hundreds of types of kimchi. The bindaetteok is a must-try fried pancake made from ground mung beans and served with a soy vinegar dipping sauce. kwangjangmarket.co.kr Maple Tree House Try an authentic Korean barbecue meal here. It ages its meat, uses prime cuts and serves the best Korean-raised beef and pork. Most diners splurge on Korean hanwoo beef which rivals Japanese wagyu in its buttery texture and marbling. mapletreehouse.co.kr Bicena A modern Korean restaurant that specialises in seasonal cuisine. The dishes are presented beautifully and the flavours are authentically pungent. Menus highlight Korea’s most cherished ingredients such as rare ginseng, aged soy sauce, sweet persimmons and fragrant pine mushrooms. bicena.com Chicken in the Kitchen Korean fried chicken, famed for its extra-crispy crust and moreish sauces, has become a global hit and this place fries up some of the best in Seoul. Look for the long queue to find it, tucked down a small alley, and don’t forget to try the rice cakes drizzled in an addictive sweet sauce. chickeninthekitchen.co.kr Sadong Myeonok This restaurant in Insadong looks homespun but has the best dumplings – you’ll be impressed with its fist-sized mandu. It’s known for its North Korean-style dumpling stew especially – they’re simmered at the table in a rich, spicy stock with beef, noodles and herbs. Insadong 5-gil; 00 82 2735 7393
Expert cheese guide: how to keep, cut and buy it
Hero Hirsh, award-winning manager of Paxton & Whitfield’s flagship London shop, shares her fromage knowledge
A well produced artisan cheese is a fantastic treat. I always find it amazing that a handmade product created using the simplest of ingredients and then carefully matured can create such a variety of different flavours and textures. It's not well known that artisan cheese is a seasonal product. For example fresh, new-season goat's cheeses are produced in the spring when goats graze on new fresh pastures. Although this seasonality does mean that some cheeses can't be enjoyed all year round, such as the delicious mont d'or – only available from October through to March – it does mean that there's a large range of different cheeses to enjoy throughout the year. Cheese tips How to keep How you treat the cheese has an important impact on your enjoyment of it. Once bought, I would recommend always storing the cheese in a cold room or the bottom of the fridge, wrapped in waxed paper, if possible, as this allows the cheese to breathe. Before serving, bring the cheese out to warm to room temperature, 20 minutes should be enough – particularly in a warm house. Letting the cheese warm a little will help improve its flavours when you come to eat it. How to cut Generally, if cutting from a wedge of cheese that has itself been taken from a larger piece, always cut from the middle to the edge where the rind is. By doing this you'll get a variety of the different flavours of the cheese. Where you have smaller individual cheeses, such as a log-shaped cheese, you can cut through for a whole slice. There are also some cheeses that you don't need to slice at all, such as mont d'or. Here you just need to carefully cut off the top rind then spoon out the delicious cheese! Buying My top tip when you’re putting together a cheeseboard is to buy fewer varieties in bigger pieces. You can still have a great selection, it's just that larger cuts of cheese store better than small, meaning they will keep for longer. All you need to create a cracking cheeseboard is a hard cheese, a blue, a soft cheese and a piece of cheese that is slightly different or surprising. What to drink Traditionally, most people drink red wine or port with cheese but there are so many other options. Blue cheese goes very well with sweet wine, like monbazillac. White burgundy is a good wine to serve with a selection of cheeses as it has good flavour/body that won’t dominate the palate. A new-style cheeseboard I've selected five different styles of cheese that come from different regions of the British Isles. Some are relatively new, but they're all brilliant examples of their kind. For the perfect pairing, check out our easy recipe for Barwhey's savoury biscuits. GOAT's: Rachel This is a semi-hard, washed rind cheese made from thermised goats' milk and has a mellow nutty flavour that's not too 'goaty'. Made by Peter Humphries from White Lake Cheese on Bagborough Farm, near Shepton Mallet, Somerset, Rachel sold over the festive season will have been made at the end of the summer, giving the cheese a distinctive floral flavour. This is a great British artisanal cheese and has won many awards since first being produced. SOFT: Tunworth This is a soft camembert-style cheese made from cow’s milk. Made by Hampshire Cheeses in the village of Herriard, it has a delicate white rind and a rich, creamy interior that oozes but doesn't run. With a nutty aroma and a hint of mushroom, the flavour is rich and sweet with some fruity, earthy notes. Tunworth was judged to be the Supreme Champion 2013 at the British Cheese Awards, beating over 900 other entries. HARD: Barwheys This relatively new artisan cheese was first produced in 2005. It is the creation of Alison Bey, who decided to set up a dairy in Maybole, Ayrshire, to help reinvigorate cheesemaking in the area. Barwheys Dairy, where the cheese is made, uses milk from its own herd of pedigree Ayrshire cattle. The milk is very rich and gives the cheese a full bodied, smooth and complex flavour. The cheese is clothbound and aged for between 12 to 14 months and has a slightly crumbly texture with subtle notes of spice, caramel and nuts. WASHED RIND: Golden Cenarth This round, soft, washed-rind cheese has a buttery flavour and supple texture. Made by Carwyn Adams of Caws Cenarth Cheese, a small artisan family cheesemaking business based in West Wales, the cheese came about through his experiments in cheesemaking. All the milk used in Golden Cenarth is GM-free cow's milk sourced from local farms. The rind of the cheese has a light orange colour that comes from the brine wash given early in the maturing process. BLUE: Crozier Blue This award-winning cheese is made by Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers on Beechmount Farm, Tipperary, Ireland. It was first made in the early 1990s as a collaboration between Jane and Louis Grubb from the dairy and the Clifton family, who run the nearby Ballinamona Farm. Today the milk for the cheese comes from Ballinamona Farm’s herd of about 300 Friesland ewes. The ewes graze on limestone rich pasture which helps create a lush, full and sweet milk. Crozier blue has a creamy flavour that isn't overpowering, with a pleasant saltiness and some nutty notes. 3 gifts for cheese lovers Cheese Making Kit All the essential equipment to make hard and soft cheese at home – just add milk! (£45) Glass Bell Dome A recycled glass bell dome offers a stylish and elegant way to store and display cheese. Our glass dome slots neatly into a sustainable mango-wood base. (£90) Cheese Hatchet The hatchet is a cheese knife for harder cheeses such as aged gouda, parmesan or mature cheddar. The handle is made of pakkawood and the blade of stainless steel. (£15) All cheeses and gifts available from paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk cookery writer Adam tells digital intern Amanda about his recent foodie trip to the Tarn region of France and his adventures in cheesemaking olive magazine podcast ep55 - bourbon tasting, cheesemaking in France and what the heck is hyperlocality View oEmbed on the source website
Five of the best places to drink cocktails in LA
Read our round-up of five great cocktail bars in Los Angeles and discover where to find the best drinks. Plus, what to eat with them.
LA is to cocktails as a burger is to a bun. They’re fine on their own, but together they really make sense. So, whether you want an anti-inflammatory Stoney Negroni, a rooftop margarita made with prickly pear or an award-winning Hop Scotch, with carrot, Chivas, Earl Grey and cinnamon brown sugar, read on because Los Angeles's got it all. Gracias Madre The current place to be, Gracias Madre is all about a hippy kind of love. It serves vegan, organic, locally sourced food, such as pozole, a traditional hominy stew (made from maize grain) with ancho-chilli broth and cashew cream, avocado and tortilla strips. The owners were inspired by recipes from their Mexican colleagues’ families, and their love of their mothers. And, holy Mother, do their cocktails pack a punch. Beverage Director Jason Eisner uses small-batch mezcals and tequilas, mixed with organic spirits and house-made syrups, tinctures and bitters. Highlights include a Boozy Popsicle with tequila blanco, roasted pineapple and jalapeño. They also serve cocktails with CBD, a non-psychoactive essential oil from cannabis plants. Good for alleviating anxiety, elevating mood, and for its anti-inflammatory properties, apparently; try the Stoney Negroni. graciasmadreweho.com Peninsula Hotel An old-school favourite, with great service at its heart, the Peninsula Hotel is classic LA. Visit its understated Club Bar for a cigar-club vibe. The bartender knows his stuff – try a Prickly Pear Margarita, with el charro tequila, prickly pear, lime, sage and jalapeño. In summer, the scene moves up to the Roof Garden - and its firepit - where chefs barbecue fresh fish, steaks and speciality burgers, and the Speckled Jalapeño Margaritas flow easy. During the awards season, it’s stars a go-go up there. beverlyhills.peninsula.com Willie Jane This southern soul-food restaurant is also a cocktail motherland. To eat while you sip, try biscuits – somewhere between a savoury scone and an English muffin. They are made to perfection here, served with burnt orange honey butter, bacon jam and pimento cheese. The drink to pick is a mason jar full of Cure-All Tonic, a signature cocktail made with your choice of vodka or gin, combined with a secret selection of tinctures from the Willie Jane garden, plus agave, lime, and house-made tonic water. williejane.com Citizen If you’re travelling with your family, hit up Citizen in Beverly Hills, a buzzing new bar and restaurant serving a trans-global selection of small plates (mussels with saffron, orange, star anise and Thai basil, or soba noodles with honshimeji mushrooms, kimchi and tamari vinaigrette) and stonking cocktails. They offer a Bartender’s Choice cocktail; you tell the waiter your preferred spirit (gin, vodka, whisky or rum) and what sort of mood you’re in, and they’ll come up with something to surprise you. There are also soft cocktails for younger drinkers. citizenbeverlyhills.com The Melrose Umbrella Company The image that marked the momentous abolishment of Prohibition was an umbrella with raindrops falling from the inside, representing the promise of many wet days to come. It was during this period – 1933 - when the building housing the Melrose Umbrella Company was built. The quirky, candle-lit space, with umbrellas on its bare walls, now has great cocktail makers behind the bar, and has recently evolved into a coffee shop, too. Theoretically, you can arrive for coffee at 9am, start on the hard liquor at noon and stay till closing at 2am (Thurs-Sat). But be warned, there’s no proper food so it could get messy. The intriguing signature cocktail, Hop Scotch #2, is a mix of carrot, Chivas 12, Atlantico Reserva, Earl Grey tea, and cinnamon brown sugar syrup, and has won awards. melroseumbrellaco.com Written by Sophie Pither, November 2016 Image credit: Gracias Madre
Wine expert Kate Hawkings tracks down the best bottles of fizz to drink this festive season including the ultimate present for budding wine buffs.
Looking for a sparkling wine to buy? Read our expert guide, then check out our best sweet wines to buy for Christmas, best port to buy and best wine gifts. We also have our guides to the best chardonnay and the best champagne. To make a party go with a bang in the run-up to Christmas, there’s nothing quite as festive as a glass of fizz. Champagne is the default option, while we tend to reach for prosecco and cava if budgets are tight, but there are many other bubbles worth sniffing out that make a welcome change from these usual suspects. The French use the méthode traditionnelle in regions other than Champagne to make admirable fizz that delivers brilliant bubble for your buck – look for the word crémant on the label. This process, whereby the bubbles are produced by a secondary fermentation in the bottle, is now used all over the world and is generally considered to produce the most refined sparkles. Sweetness levels are indicated by brut nature (the driest style) via extra brut, brut, extra sec (extra dry), sec (dry) and demi-sec to doux (the sweetest). Flutes are the most popular glasses to use – their slim shape holds the bubbles in best – although saucer-shaped coupes are making something of a comeback. Standard wine glasses may look less celebratory but are perfectly adequate, and their larger bowl makes the most of the wine’s aromas. Whichever glass you choose to use, make sure it’s immaculately clean and well polished as residues of detergent will make the bubbles disperse quickly. Sparklers for a special occasion: Torres Santa Digna ‘Estelado’ Rosé NV, Chile Made from the pais grape native to Chile, this has a pretty strawberries-and-cream nose but is bone dry and really quite special. Try it with the satsuma sea bass ceviche. (£13.99/75cl, finewinesdirectuk.com) Villa Cialdini Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro 2015, Italy Forget the horrid sweet lambruscos of your youth; this is made in the traditional way and is one to reach for if you want to go off-piste. Ripe but crunchy fruit with a lovely dry finish, drink it on its own or with the rare roast beef with pickled walnuts. (£13.99/75cl, libertywines.co.uk) Montevecchio Moscato 2015 This slightly sweet Australian sparkler is a delight and at only 5.5% abv is gentle on the liver, too. It makes a great aperitif and would also go down well at the end of a meal if you want something lighter than a full-blown sticky. Pineapple upside-down cake would be a perfect match. (£12.50, wineutopia.co.uk, dvinecellars.com) High-street bargain Wine Society’s Saumur Brut NV Chenin Blanc is so at home in the Loire, and here it’s used to make my go-to fizz for a party. Fresh and zippy with an elegant roundness, it’s also good to keep on hand for when the festive spirit is beginning to flag and you need a pocket-friendly lift. (£9.50, thewinesociety.com) Buy this: Honest Grapes Taste Lab This young company of wine merchants and educators is one to keep an eye on. Its entertaining Taste Lab kit at £35 contains phials of 10 wines to smell and taste, designed to focus your mind on the major styles with online interaction to reveal which wines suit you best. A great gift for the budding wine buffs in your life. honestgrapes.co.uk
Fire up your winter travels with fiery chicken curries in the Maldives, fresh off the boat mahi mahi with chilli-peppered mango salsa in the Caribbean or cinnamon-spiked pastéis de nata in Lisbon
The Maldives Over 1,000 islands sprinkled across the aquamarine waters of the Indian Ocean, the Maldives may be spectacular but they’re not known as a gourmet hot spot. Many of the archipelago’s hideaway resorts rely on imported foods and serve those ingredients in dishes that have little relationship with the islands. Recently, however, there’s been a shift towards more local and sustainable cooking. And Gili Lankanfushi, which pioneered sustainable luxury holidays when it opened 15 years ago, is leading the charge. Food isn’t just an afterthought at this island resort, but a real focus. Like many Maldivian retreats, most ingredients have to be imported but, thanks to his upbringing in the Canadian countryside, head chef David Bakker is passionate about local sourcing. Local fish is a highlight of Gili Lankanfushi’s menus and guests are welcome to tour the resort’s organic market garden and witness the impressive range of vegetables, salad leaves and herbs that Bakker and his team have managed to propagate in the island’s recalcitrant sandy ground. SLEEP All of the resort’s 48 bungalows perch on stilts over a gin-clear lagoon. They may be chic but there’s a real Robinson Crusoe feel to them, with lots of wood, breezy lounging spaces, billowing fabrics and open-air showers. You can lounge on your private deck and watch fish dart through the electric-blue water beneath, or plunge into the Indian ocean to go swimming, diving or snorkelling around the reefs. EAT Hotel buffets will never seem the same after you’ve sampled the highlight of the island’s culinary week, the Asian Street Market. Held on the beach every Thursday night, this is a string of authentic food stalls replete with billowing smoke, flaming hobs and a procession of Malaysian skewers, Japanese pancakes, Sri Lankan string hoppers, Vietnamese pho and Peking duck. The Nikkei By the Sea restaurant is another must-visit. Nearly all the fish served is supplied direct from the neighbouring island including high grade, line-caught, ruby red tuna. There’s also an underground wine cellar and chocolate and cheese cave. Plus a variety of secluded dining locations, from the Jungle Cinema to candle-lit barbecues on a tiny neighbouring island. DO Familiarise yourself with Maldivian home cooking during a lesson with one of the resort’s chefs. I learnt from Aafag that the Maldivians like their food hot, as we made a fiery chicken curry heady with a mixture of ginger, lime, chilli and curry leaves. Double rooms at Gili Lankanfushi start at £867 per night, room only (gili-lankanfushi.com). Return flights from London and Manchester to Male cost from £410 (emirates.com). More info visitmaldives.com Portugal Lisbon, the charmingly tile-bejewelled Portuguese capital is fast-becoming one of Europe’s most Instagrammed culinary escapes, as travellers cotton on to its gutsy, internationally-influenced cuisine and exciting restaurant scene. The country’s seafaring past is reflected in delis selling salt cod and spiced sausages, and on menus citywide, from the ubiquitous roadside kiosks serving chilled beer and piri piri-laced bites, to Tasca bars serving petiscos (equivalent to Spanish tapas) and slick restaurants like Loco in the Bairrio Alto, where ambitious chefs put an innovative spin on local flavours (loco.pt). SLEEP Set on the historic Praca do Municipio, where plans for Portugal’s formidable 15th-century maritime exploration were hatched, the 28-bedroom AlmaLusa hotel opened earlier this year. Housed in a building that once stored the city’s arsenal it’s stylish but approachable. It’s also pulsing with a sense of connection to the city, a showcase for the region’s finest producers, from the beds and towels to the coffee. The hotel’s Delfina restaurant capitalises on the bountiful local larder to create dishes such as bacalhau a bras – a mixture of scrambled egg, salt cod strips, onion and moreish crisp fries. The outdoor terrace is an ideal spot to take in the city’s spectacular vistas and local wines (which are brilliantly affordable – wine isn’t taxed as it’s considered part of the lifestyle). EAT The hotel is a cork’s pop from the Tagus river, an ideal spot for morning runs or evening strolls. This comes in handy if you’ve been overdoing the pastéis de nata, which you will once you discover Manteigaria, where more than 4,000 of the custard-filled pastries are made each day (facebook.com/manteigariacamoes). Watch as chefs roll slabs of butter between pastry and inhale the cinnamon-spiked smell. Or, head to By The Wine, a wine bar owned by local wine producer Jose Maria da Fonseca (facebook.com/ByTheWineJoseMariadaFonseca). Order some Domingos Soares Franco sparkling Moscatel Roxo rosé, a fantastic unpasteurised mountain cheese called Azeitao, and the best beef prego in town (a steak sandwich). DO Open your mind to coriander. The Portuguese brought the herb back from Asia, introduced it to Europe and use it liberally in their cooking. Try its gorgeous citric freshness in clam and seafood dishes from the food stalls of the city’s Campo de Ourique market. Return flights from Heathrow to Lisbon cost from £126 (flytap.com). Double rooms at AlmaLusa cost from €145, b&b (almalusahotels.com). More info visitlisboa.com The Caribbean For bygone Caribbean charm – donkeys and goats roaming lazily in the heat, colourful houses against luscious greenery and locals sipping rum on shady porches – Nevis hits the spot. Here, in the shadow of Nevis Peak, Montpelier Plantation was once a sugar estate but, having been lovingly renovated by the Hoffman family, is now a luxury hotel. Its sophisticated take on Caribbean cooking has won it membership of the exclusive Relais & Chateaux hospitality association. SLEEP Rather like an English manor house in steamier climes (Horatio Nelson and Fanny Nisbet were married here), the Great House is home to the communal facilities, including the main restaurant, while the 19 bedrooms are largely in garden cottages. Uncluttered and simple, with whitewashed walls, high ceilings, hardwood floors and huge beds, one of their best features is the rainfall showers in the bathrooms which allow you to imagine you’re caught in a tropical storm. There are no TVs, but watching monkeys play in the trees from your terrace is infinitely more entertaining. EAT Flanked by the tumultuous Atlantic and the Caribbean, Nevis is in prime position to benefit from all manner of fish and seafood, and its fertile soils mean that there’s a rich larder of fresh fruit and vegetables – if you beat the monkeys to it (they’re particularly fond of the nuts from the roadside cashew trees). For the most part, food is simple; grilled fish served with chilli-spiked salsa, fiery jerk chicken, conch fritters and an abundance of sweet, meaty lobster. Restaurant 750 is one of the best on the island thanks to chef Christian Bassi, who brings subtle twists to native produce in dishes such as yellowfin tuna tatare with wasabi mayo and steamed red snapper with veg spaghetti, ginger rice and coconut broth. The hotel also has a poolside restaurant (try the lobster roll), and organises a barbecue every Monday on its private beach, 20 minutes’ drive away. DO Cooking classes at Montpelier use produce from the grounds in dishes such as pan-fried mahi mahi and chilli-spiked mango and papaya salad with coconut lime rice. Private rum tastings are also a popular add-on. Further afield, the island’s beach shacks include Sunshine’s; don’t leave without trying one of its Killer Bee rum punch cocktails (sunshinesnevis.com). Or hop across the water to neighbouring St Kitts to visit Belle Mont Farm, an organic farm, hotel and ‘edible’ golf course (bellemontfarm.com). Whether you dine at its Kitchen restaurant, on the black sand beach at Arthur’s, or at the 30ft communal table on the farm itself, food is seasonal and 90% sourced from the farm. Return flights from Gatwick to St Kitts start from £624 (ba.com). Regular ferries run from St Kitts to Nevis, or the hotel can arrange private water taxis. Double rooms at Montpelier Plantation start from £215, b&b (montpeliernevis.com). More info nevisisland.com Mexico North of the yacht-and-spa circuit of Cabo San Lucas, Todos Santos flourishes like an oasis in the scrubby Baja desert. That’s because this little town is an oasis, its ancient underground aquifer nourishing the surrounding farmland and the Washingtonian palms that sprout over the horizon like a spiky green hairdo. In its centre, farmers sell strawberries door-to-door, and galleries and cafés occupy colonial brick buildings erected by bygone sugar barons. For over a century, sugar cane thrived in Todos Santos, but when the aquifer mysteriously went dry in the 1950s, the sugar bubble burst, the barons left and expats, artists and surfers moved in. Water returned in 1981 and with it, agriculture. Mangoes, papayas, tomatoes, basil, avocados all grow here, but green-black Poblano peppers, a cornerstone of Mexican cooking, have emerged as sugar cane’s heir apparent. Partly drawn by the culinary scene, tourists are starting to discover it. Underway is the Tres Santos development, which includes holiday homes and a boutique hotel as well as a 1.5-acre town farm; managed by local farmer Elizabeth Ibarra, its crops will supply a weekly community market and a restaurant from Tijuana superstar chef Javier Plascencia. SLEEP Rooms at the Todos Santos Inn, a period building with wrought-iron gates, palm-beam ceilings and 1930s murals, are sparsely furnished, with terracotta floors, wooden armoires and writing desks. Some open onto the hotel’s shady courtyard; others are camouflaged behind profusions of bougainvillea, hibiscus, heliconia, palm trees and desert roses in the garden. The pleasures here are age-old and dignified: nightcaps by a gurgling fountain, chess in the library, cocktails in the hotel’s La Copa bar (rum sours infused with vanilla and cinnamon, a sparkling punch sweetened with piloncillo, and the best margaritas in Baja). EAT Almost every restaurant in Todos Santos does a take on stuffed and fried chillies rellenos but the most famous is Miguel’s (Carretera Federal 19). Todos Santeños also take their seafood seriously. At nearby Punta Lobos, fishermen haul in Pacific fish and sell them straight to local restaurants like open-air Boyitacos, where the salsas served with the fish tacos are so electric they could power the town (Calle Juarez 4, 00 52 612 145 0568). At romantic La Casita tapas and wine bar, tuna loins are sliced into delicate sashimi (lacasitatapaswinebar.com). For dessert, nightly paletas at Neveria Rocco are obligatory; peer into the cooler and pick from popsicles stacked like neon blocks: watermelon, pineapple, coconut and dozens more (Calle Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla 8). DO On the main drag, Casa Catalina y Galeria’s owner shares tips for cooking beans in the ollas de barro (clay pots) she sells on behalf of a co-op of potters in the Sierra de la Laguna mountains (facebook.com/CasaCatalinaYGaleria). Pick up a shaker of Tajín, Mexico’s most popular chilli, and adopt the Mexican tradition of sprinkling fruit with chilli, salt and lime. Or just spend your days surfing, mountain biking and fishing. Return flights from Heathrow to San Jose del Cabo cost from £730 (virgin-atlantic.com). Double rooms at the Todos Santos Inn start from £76, b&b (todossantosinn.com). More info todossantos.cc Turkey Turkey may not be an obvious holiday destination at the moment but, beyond the headlines, it’s worth considering. Prices are low, you can enjoy historic sites and attractions – without the crowds – in a way that hasn’t been possible for decades and it remains one of the most rewarding destinations for food-minded travellers. It’s also very much open for business. For a family-friendly trip, Cirali is the place to head for. A small seaside village about 90 minutes’ drive from Antalya airport, it’s backed by tall, pine-covered mountains and is fringed by pomegranate and orange groves and a 2km-long arc of beach, interrupted only by a string of rustic little restaurants. SLEEP The wooden cabins at Hotel Azur are comfortable rather than chic, with modern bathrooms, great beds and rose-shrouded patios. They’re set within large grounds, almost every inch of which is given over to painstakingly tended gardens. Not quite though: there’s also a swimming pool and restaurant (don’t miss the breakfasts, a banquet of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice, figs, melon, local cheeses, honey, homemade breads and omelettes). EAT Simple grilled fish, salads laced with sumac, meatballs peppered with cumin, buttery rice, homemade chips and charcoal-grilled lamb skewers are the order of the day, and available at any of Cirali’s village or beachside restaurants. If you have toddlers in tow, they’ll love the Turkish pizzas and oven-baked-to-order flatbreads, sprinkled with black cumin seeds and served with tomato and yogurt dips. For a sweet fix, head to Hayriye’s, an atmospheric café just back from the beach, where multi-coloured ribbons dangle from shady trees and there are lovely cushioned platforms to lounge on (lavantacottage.com). The owner serves homemade lemonade, delicious cinnamon and sage teas and perfect pancakes with honey or strawberry jam (the jam is made with fruit from her family’s market garden). Or try the manti, a kind of Turkish ravioli stuffed with ground lamb and topped with yogurt, garlic and paprika. Other highlights include Ipek’s Patisserie, where you can listen to jazz and graze your way through mulberry and mastic ice creams, Turkish coffees or the owner’s baklava and Turkish delight (these come in a range of flavours, from banana and cashew to strawberry and pistachio). DO Take a boat trip to quiet coves looking for loggerhead turtles, hire bikes and set off to explore ancient ruins or stroll to Herbisi to buy beautifully packaged herbs, spices and teas (facebook.com/herbisi.com.tr). Return flights from a range of UK airports to Antalya cost from around £150 (thomascookairlines.com). Family rooms at Hotel Azur cost £80 per night, b&b (i-escape.com/azur-hotel). More info gototurkey.co.uk Disclaimer: At the time of going to press it was safe to travel to Turkey but you should remain vigilant in crowded places and check fco.gov.uk for the latest information before you go.
Mushroom types | plus: how to clean and store them
How do you tell your Trompettes from your Chanterelles? Food writer and fungi fanatic Liz O’Keefe guides us through the wonderful world of mushrooms
Mushrooms are astounding when you start looking into them. They literally hold the forest together, growing among tree roots, sharing nutrients with them and composting dead wood and leaves. Forests couldn’t work without mushrooms. Fungi are neither fruit nor vegetables; some look otherworldly, many are inedible. But others are delicious and, some claim, can also have a positive medical impact, from reducing cholesterol (oyster) to anti-HIV activity (maitake), and repairing skin damage (cauliflower mushroom). Is there no end to the sheer wonder of mushrooms? Read about the different types of mushroom below, then get some meal inspiration from our mushroom recipes. Girolles Technically a summer mushroom, this juicy, sturdy, golden morsel is also known as a golden chanterelle and grows from July through to autumn in the UK. Selling at around £6/250g, girolles are wonderfully versatile. Featuring ridged, wrinkly gills travelling up to the concave cap, girolles have got that fruity forest thing going on, and some say they taste like apricots. Chanterelles (pictured below) Pretty and petite, chanterelles are long with a thinner hollow stem than a trompette, and a small trumpet or flower-like flourish for a cap at the top. Found in two different coloured outfits, yellow and grey, they’re a big hit in restaurants in the autumn, draped over steaks and as a topping on creamy soups. They have a subtle taste, and a chewy but light texture. They grow in decent amounts all over Europe, and cost about £10/250g. Ceps/porcini Truffles aside, ceps are the jackpot fungi: their taste is unmistakable and addictive. Sturdy and textured, they look much like the iconic forest mushroom, but have a sweet, caramel-like taste, a full-force hit of umami. They have a large, creamy, solid stem, and a soft chestnut-brown cap with pores rather than gills on their underside. They start to grow in mid-summer, but they’re really at their best as the temperature cools and the flavours develop. They cost around £15/250g depending on the weather, but you can buy cheaper dried porcini throughout the year. Trompettes (pictured below) Ranging from jet black to black-brown, trompettes are striking. Think Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent, but in mushroom form. Popping up around the roots of trees from September until November, they grow amongst moss and twigs and will cost around £12/250g. They often come with a fine layer of mud so will need a quick bath – see cleaning opposite. They’re plentiful once found and come with an intense, nutty flavour. They dry well and you’ll usually find them as the main variety of mushroom in a mixed dried pack. Truffles Nutty, earthy, full of essence and aroma, truffles are the bee’s knees. They have no stem, gills or pores and grow completely underground, only to be found by dogs that sniff them out. Truffles are round, hard balls, differing in size and strength according to their age and type, starting with black truffles in summer, to pungent and expensive white truffles in autumn. Cut open, a truffle reveals a pattern of intricate little mazes and looks great as shavings. You’ll pay around £15 for a good black truffle (around 30g) at the beginning of autumn, and three times as much for an average white truffle. Invest in white truffle oil if you’re looking for a taste without the financial sting. Foraging Wild mushroom foraging sounds very romantic, but a professional forager is essential – this can be a dangerous business! There’s a huge network of them throughout Europe, and beyond, who have years of experience. These foragers know how to identify and pick mushrooms safely, while maintaining the forests and hedgerows. Cleaning I have a set of ‘tools’ as there’s no one cleaning solution that fits all mushrooms: • tweezers • cloth or kitchen paper • a small paring knife or triangle-icing tool • a firm brush like a pastry brush • a delicate, thin paintbrush • a small bowl of lukewarm water More delicate, non-absorbent mushrooms, like chanterelles or trompettes, can handle a quick, lukewarm water bath to massage out any dirt. In contrast, mushrooms like girolles or ceps will take in moisture, and with it any tastes, so they benefit from brushing and wiping with a damp cloth or kitchen roll. The tweezers and small brush are essential for getting any trapped dirt out of nooks and crannies. Storage Use truffles within two days to get the best out of them – keep in the fridge, wrapped in dry kitchen paper and sealed in a plastic bag. Wild mushrooms generally last up to a week in an uncovered container or open paper bag in the fridge, but more robust cultivated types can last up to two weeks or more. Mushrooms are best fresh, though, so no matter the type, eat them as soon as you can. olive magazine podcast ep75 – mushrooms, Pakistani cuisine and crafty table decorations for Christmas This week on the olive magazine podcast, we learn about the thousands of mushroom species with expert and author of The Mushroom Cookbook, Liz O’Keefe. View oEmbed on the source website You might also like... Soba noodle salad with teriyaki mushrooms Quick guide to maitake (hen-of-the-woods) mushrooms Creamy mushrooms and tarragon on garlic sourdough Roast pumpkin and fennel with mushrooms
olive booze pro Sarah Kingsbury and wine expert Kate Hawkings choose the perfect drinks to accompany your Christmas feast
Turkey and trimmings There’ll probably be as many flavours jostling on the plate as people with different tastes at the table at Christmas dinner, so don’t get strung-out over finding the perfect wine. Go for crowd-pleasing styles that won’t fight with the food – a good rule of thumb is to go for whites with some richness but not too much oak, and medium-bodied reds that aren’t too tannic. Domaine les Pallieres Ggigondas les Racines 2013 (£29.95, bbr.com, £28, Harvey Nichols) Rhône wines are hard to resist at Christmas as their peppery spice is great with wintery food. Push the boat out with this fine example. Decant it into a jug then return it to the bottle using a funnel to get the full ‘wow’ factor. Domaine de la Pinte Arbois Chardonnay 2014 (£16, M&S) If you do want to go slightly off-piste, try this chardonnay with a difference. Made biodynamically in the Jura region of north-east France, it’s rich but savoury with really satisfying texture and length. It’s very distinctive but won’t frighten the horses. Meantime Yakima Red (£20.49/12 x 300ml, meantimebrewing.com) The roasted malts in Meantime’s ever popular Yakima Red will work well with crisp, caramelised skin, but a decent whack of five varieties of fruity US hops keeps it light enough not to overpower the meat. Chianti Classico Fontodi Magnum (£34, thewinesociety.com) Magnums always lend a sense of occasion, so what could be more fitting for the festive feast? This is a brilliant wine from one of Tuscany’s most revered estates, full of ripe, satisfying fruit. Smoked salmon Champagne with smoked salmon is a classic Christmas combo. Famous brands fly off the shelves at this time of year but grower champagnes (those made by makers who grow their own grapes) often offer better value for money and more interest in the glass. A heavy smoke on the salmon can be a bit brutal with wine, so choose a lightly smoked fish to let its flavour, and the wine’s, shine through. Laherte Frères Champagne AC NV Brut, Ultradition (£28.95, The Whisky Exchange) Yeasty but with lemony freshness, this elegant fizz is top-quality for the price and would hit the spot any time you want to pop a cork over Christmas and New Year. Jim Barry The Lodge Hill Riesling 2016 (£9.99, Co-op, £13.99, Majestic or £9.99 as a mix six) A whisper of tropical fruit succulence with a clean and lip-smacking finish, this affordable and versatile crowd-pleaser would be good to have in the fridge throughout the festive season. Wild Beer Co Epic Saison (£2.30/330ml, wildbeerco.com) Wheat beer is a classic pairing with seafood and smoked salmon is no exception. The spices and zesty notes of this Belgian beer with American hops will play well against the fish and won’t jar against the smoke. Boxing day ham Cold ham suits light and fruity reds but if you’re serving it hot with a sweetish glaze, choose a wine with more body to carry that off. If you want to drink white, try a weighty Burgundy or an Australian semillon. Lambrusco Reggiano Secco (£9, M&S) This is a bit of a leftfield choice but is bound to raise a smile (as well as some eyebrows). Served chilled, its gentle bubbles will lift palates jaded from the previous day’s excesses, while its brambly fruit and dry finish makes it very food-friendly and great for lunchtime drinking. Pilton 2014 Classic (7.50/75cl, piltoncider.com) Pork and apple were made for each other, so cider with the Christmas ham is a no-brainer. Pilton makes for something a bit more special. The 2014 vintage is a complex medium-dry cider that uses the traditional keeving method and comes in 75cl champagne-style bottles that you won’t mind having on the table. The Society’s Exhibition Côte de Brouilly 2015 (£9.50, thewinesociety.com) This lovely succulent beaujolais has bright red berries and delicate freshness alongside a pleasing mineral lick. Smear a bit of cranberry sauce on your cold ham and you’ve got a match made in heaven. Pudding and cheese This is the one time of year we tend to splash out on sweet and fortified wines to drink with puddings and cheese. Aim for a range that covers a variety of styles and levels of sweetness. Warre’s Quinta da Cavadinha Port 2002 (£30.99, Waitrose) Vintage port is the classic match for stilton but it’s also really good with hard-to-pair chocolate desserts. For the traditionalists at the table, with its gripping complexity and velvety fruit and at the special offer price of £23.23 (from 7 December) it’s really good value for money. Morrison’s Pedro Ximenez (£6/37.5cl, morrisons.com) Syrupy pedro ximenez snuggles up nicely against Christmas pudding and mince pies but is also wonderful slugged over good vanilla ice cream to create an instant pudding. Barbeito Single Harvest 2004 Tinta Negra Maderia (£24.70, theatreofwine.com; £21.99, uncorked.co.uk) This medium-dry madeira is superb by itself or with nuts and cheese (try it with the goat’s cheese and figs on p59). It’ll keep for months once opened in the unlikely event you don’t finish it. Mena Dhu stout (£29/12 x 500ml, St Austell Brewery) Complex flavours of smoked oak, coffee, chocolate and a hint of liquorice to sweeten make this deceptively light Cornish stout a great match with Christmas pud or mince pies. Domaine Jones Muscat 2015 (£15.99, nakedwines.com) Full of fragrant, honeysuckle sweetness, this muscat is made by an English woman in the Languedoc and would be lovely with the trifle on p30.