An Occasional Tipple: Wonderful wine to warm the soul

That was last weekend's drama. It would have been enough to drive a weaker man to despair. As for myself, I only needed a few stiff brandies to cope with the horrendous ordeal. Happily, heat has been restored to our lovely home, Rose Cottage, and I’m able to enjoy a glass of vino again (it really isn’t a drink that is conducive to subzero temperatures).

You’ll be overjoyed to hear that I’ve managed to source a few delightful bottles at affordable prices- a couple for the Christmas table and one to enjoy on a cold Winter’s night in front of a roaring fire or, at least, in the vicinity of a warm radiator.

What goes nicely with turkey? Well you can go white, red or even pink. As a general rule you're looking for something soft, fruity, light-bodied and not too dry. M&S have just launched an exciting new range of wines called Expressions, designed to introduce customers to grapes they may not be familiar with at affordable prices. Today’s WINE OF THE WEEK, the elegant, zesty and reassuringly complex 2022 M&S Expressions Ribolla Gialla (£7) is a perfect match to seafood or poultry, including turkey. This easy-drinking, Italian wine is yellowish (gialla means yellow in Italian) in colour and full of citrus and peach flavours alongside floral aromatics before a lingering, deeply satisfying finish.

An option for lovers of red is the light-bodied, youthful and exuberantly juicy 2021 Mark West Pinot Noir (currently £12, Sainsbury's). A luscious, tangy palate is dominated by ripe, fleshy cherry and summer berry flavours which are nicely balanced by gentle tannins and backnotes of cinnamon and clove. This bright, crisp and complex Californian red will benefit from being served lightly chilled and can be paired equally well with poultry or game and will go very nicely with either goose or turkey.

That’s enough Christmas for now. Let’s conclude with the superbly balanced, exuberantly juicy and delicately spiced M&S Expressions Carmenere (£8). Well-defined, ripe blackcurrant and plum flavours, a lean, muscular body and an intensely expressive deep garnet hue combine to create a memorably elegant and mellow drop.

Throw some beef, onions, carrots and spuds in the slow cooker with a good home-made stock and serve with this exquisite Chilean red. Finish the rest of the bottle lounging in front of either the fire gazing into your loved one’s eyes or, better still, the TV and a good detective show.

And that’s where we finish for today. Till next week, tipplers, sante!