DRINK DIFFERENT - A CHRISTMAS PUDDING ALTERNATIVE

Christmas is a time for the sweet-toothed, with mince pies, chocolate reindeer and, of course, the traditional Christmas pudding.  This seasonal dessert has us reaching for the sticky, sweet wines.

For many, that means wines such as Sauternes which have been affected by noble rot, a unique form of fungus which can develop on the grape skins in the right conditions, resulting in a wonderful concentration of fruit and complexity of flavour.  These wines can be wonderful, but they are not necessarily the best foil for the figgy, dense richness of Christmas pudding..

A better bet is the rich, viscous wine from Andalucía called Pedro Ximenez.  The grapes are laid out on mats and dried in the sun before a lengthy ageing process (the Solera system), where the wine is gradually decanted down rows of barrels.  This produces an incredibly rich, sweet wine with flavours of raisins, molasses and figs – the perfect partner for your festive pudding.