Wine with Leslie: Bottles and tipples to tide you over through winter
Pic: Istock
I hate picking favourites, whether that be books, films, restaurants or wines.
But I can envision myself on a desert island and if I had to pick one style of wine to be my comfort while I await rescue I think I might pick sherry.
Or perhaps, if I’m allowed a type of wine, I would pick dessert and fortified wines which would allow me to have the odd glass of Madeira or Port after dinner - assuming I’m mainly living on raw fish (sashimi).
One of my favourite drinks with sashimi is dry sherry, either Fino from Jerez or Manzanilla from the coastal village of Sanlucar de Barrameda.
We tend to think of sherry as a sweet wine, and it is certainly true that that is what is most widely available but these two wines are among the driest in existence thanks to their time spent ageing under flor yeast which reduces glycerin as well as removing sugars.
Fino and manzanilla can be austere so you should also try dry Amontillado and dry Oloroso (Lustau’s examples are excellent). These styles have a gorgeous nutty richness despite having no sugar.
There is nothing wrong with sugar, of course, and Port and dessert wines really come into their own at this time of year.
I have had an open bottle of Kopke 10 Year Tawny beside the couch this week - it is perfect on its own but also with a late night cake or cheese snack (nightmares be damned).
Suggestions below are three wines you should have in the house over the next month or two, in fact I recommend them for all of winter.
Remember that dry sherry can be used for light cocktails (e.g. replace the gin in a negroni with dry Sherry or mix the sherry with tonic).
Dry sherry does not get enough love and the grandaddy of them all Tio Pepe is on offer this month for just €14.
Tio Pepe is aged under yeast for 4 years and is hugely complex for the price.
Lemon zest, brioche, and salty olive aromas, bone-dry with a salty kick, perfect for oysters or fish & chips.
Ice Wine is made from grapes that have frozen on the vine and Canadian ones rarely cost less than €50 - this is a bargain.
Made from the Vidal grape, this has honey and sweet lemon aromas, bright baked peach fruits on the palate and balancing acidity.
Sweet enough for the Christmas pudding (just about) but better with salty cheese or fruit trifle.
Kopke are the oldest Port house and specialise in Tawny and barrel aged white ports.
Their 10 Year Old Tawny is outstanding (Bradleys, Matsons - €36), but they also make a solid Ruby (€20) and this fine LBV.
Rich ripe blackberry aromas, weighty and supple with black pepper and berry compote notes, fine, complex and lingering.
Waterford keep bringing out new terroir whiskies all fascinating to compare - each batch of barley is malted and distilled separately. This is from Goldthorpe Barley, a rare heritage Yorkshire variety.
Sweet pear and honey aromas, fruity and lithe, sweet berry fruits, caramel, and a pepper finish. Also, try the excellent Cuvée Koffi and Cuvée Luna.