An Occasional Tipple: Promises, promises and a perfect Pinot Noir
Recently, I promised not to mention Christmas again in this column until December. I appreciate that I’ve abandoned that commitment in my first sentence but that's the only promise I've broken lately. It won't be broken again, tipplers. Not until next week anyway.
This week I'm celebrating keeping promises. Yesterday, my darling wife, the redoubtable Madame G, and I marked the 30th anniversary of our first meeting and having kept our many vows to stay true to one another for so very, very long.
It all began on a sunny November afternoon in Paris's Luxembourg Gardens when, as a young theology student at the Sorbonne, I first stole a kiss from my Madame. Back then she was a Mademoiselle, almost as beautiful as she is now. When I kiss my love today, I still picture that pretty city and its million flowerbeds. As good an excuse as any for a splash of fizz.
Today's first recommendation, the effervescent, nuanced and ferociously crisp Mionetto Prosecco (generally about £9.99- SuperValu, Centra, Mace and various off-licences) is perfect for parties and special occasions.
Brimful of citrus and green apple flavours alongside hints of lemony biscuits, this extremely well-priced fizz is fresh, fragrant and fabulously fruity and a very welcome mouthful of summer that's guaranteed to brighten up even the bleakest of wintry days. It went wonderfully well with our nibbles of Melba Toast, cream cheese and smoked trout. An ideal aperitif for any celebrations you might have planned for yourselves over the next month or two.
For our main, I served pork carbonnades and a creamy, garlicky mushroom sauce alongside roast potatoes with garlic and rosemary and a beetroot, pea and dill salad. I matched this with today's WINE OF THE WEEK, the easy-drinking, fruity and delightfully tangy 2023 Vin de France Pinot Noir (£4.95, Lidl). This excellently-priced claret has lots of ripe summer berry flavours on its exuberantly juicy palate before a smooth, lingering finish. Serve very slightly chilled, perhaps with your turkey, ham and stuffing sandwiches on December 26 if you can wait that long.
Some prefer to celebrate with steaks or roast beef and those people will want a bigger, bolder, more full-bodied red to wash it down. Step forward today's final recommendation, the powerfully flavoured yet very approachable 2022 Trivento Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (£8.50, Tesco).
An impressive bouquet with lots of red fruit and delicate spicing leads to an opulent palate with cherry and blueberry flavours alongside gentle tannins before a savoury finish with hints of oak and vanilla. One to enjoy at any big social event you might be planning for no particular reason over the next few weeks.
Ta-dah! Column complete without any further mention of Christmas, as promised. You see, with promises, it's not so much about how many you keep but whether you stick to the really important ones.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep but I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep. And miles to go before I sleep. Till next week, tippers, sante!