Which wine to drink with a galette des rois?

Although Christmas might feel firmly over many people will be celebrating Twelfth Night on January 6th or even a couple of days before. 

In France they mark the occasion with a Galette des Rois - a round cake filled with frangipane (almond paste) and topped with a golden paper crown.

As with Christmas pudding, a hidden trinket is baked inside the cake, in this case a bean or ‘feve’ or little china figurine. Whoever gets the bean becomes queen or king for the day and can choose their consort. And the rest of the family has to do what they say. Or so the theory goes . . .

What to pair with a galette des rois?

Being a celebratory occasion the French would be inclined to crack open a bottle of bubbly. Not necessarily champagne - that’s more for New Year’s Eve - but a local sparkling wine like Crémant d’Alsace, Crémant de Bourgogne or Crémant de Limoux.

You could also serve a slightly sweeter wine like a demi-sec sparkling Vouvray or Montlouis, a Clairette de Die or, crossing the border into Italy, a Moscato d’Asti or a prosecco.

A light dessert wine such as Coteaux du Layon or a sweet Gaillac would also be delicious and I have enjoyed a Muscat de St Jean de Minervois locally in the Languedoc

There’s a recipe here if you want to make one yourself or you can watch the delightful Raymond Blanc making one on YouTube.

If you read French here’s some more detailed advice on wine pairing for galettes from top sommelier Enrico Bernado.

Since posting this I’ve discovered - thanks to Twitter - there are Spanish and Portuguese equivalents to the galette des rois: the Rosca de Reyes and Bolo Rei respectively. Coincidentally Nigel Slater has also given a recipe for one in the Observer.

According to blogger Joan Gómez Pallarès and wine writer Luis Gutierrez there seems to be some divergence about when you eat it in Spain - probably depending which part of the country you’re in. Luis says it’s usually served at breakfast the morning of January 6th, the day of Reyes Magos (the 3 wise men) or for afternoon tea with moscatel, mistela, PX, off-dry cava or other sweet wines. Or, again, tea or coffee. @carlosleira suggested hot chocolate

Joan however says “No coffee with a roscón, at least in Catalonia: we eat it at lunch time, as dessert. VND, VDN or sweet cava” He suggests the méthode ancestral from Garraf Massif, the Malvasia dulce from Freixenet, a vin doux naturel from la Axarquía or a muscat of Alexandria.

In Portugal the obvious pairing would be a tawny or colheita port according to @niepoortwines. Who, of course, make port . . . ;-)

8 great drinks to match with Stilton

No Christmas would be complete without a slice of Stilton or its unpasteurised cousin Stitchelton. But what to drink with it?

The usual answer is port - and that of course is classic - but there are other drinks that make great pairings.

As with other blue cheeses the blue veins in Stilton make it quite savoury which is why a sweet wine like port goes so well as a contrast but there are full-bodied reds that work well with it too. And beer, of course, but which one?

Oh and just a heartfelt plea - don’t pour your port over your stilton. It’s really much nicer with it than in it!

Sloe gin

This is my absolute favourite pairing if truth be told. Similar to port but with a slightly bitter edge that goes brilliantly well with blue cheese. Damson gin is great too.

Tokaji

The marmalade and orange peel flavours of this famous Hungarian dessert wine are fantastic with this mellow blue

Sauternes

More commonly associated with Roquefort but also very good with Stilton

Sweet sherry

Yes, the old-fashioned cream sherry your gran kept in her cupboard. Sweet, raisiny and totally lovely

Aged Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon

My new ‘go to’ red for blue cheese after trying a wonderful 2007 Woodlands cab a while back

Elderberry wine

Fruit wines are too often overlooked but this has the perfect port-like profile for Stilton

Porter - or stout

Preferably an oak-aged one like the Glenlivet Cask Stout from Bristol Beer Factory I wrote about last December. Amazing match

And of course port

With the cheese, not in it, please. It ruins the colour as well as the flavour. The traditional match is a late bottled vintage or vintage port but I must confess I’m rather partial to a 10 year old tawny.

You may also find this post 20 Christmas wine pairings to learn by heart useful.

For further information about Stilton check out the Stilton Cheesemakers Association website

Image of Cropwell Bishop stilton.

10 excuses to drink champagne this Christmas and New Year holiday

Given the amount of champagne that’s on special offer at the moment you’d think people would drink nothing else but most I suspect will just have a celebratory glass before Christmas lunch or to see in the new year.

There are however many other occasions to enjoy champagne - and combine it with food.

As with other top wines it’s sometimes better to enjoy it on your own or a deux with a close friend or partner so you can really relish the experience. Maybe in one of those quiet moments over the holiday - if there are any - when you don’t have any guests in the house!

Here are ten treats to enjoy:

Home-made cheese straws

Cheese straws are much underrated IMHO and, like anything else crispy and cheesy, are great with a glass of bubbly. As - a touch more elegantly - are parmesan biscuits

Smoked salmon

No surprise here you might think but I reckon champagne works best with smoked salmon when its accompanied by cream cheese (as in a canapé or bagel) or by scrambled eggs. In other words think of champagne for your Boxing Day or New Year’s Day brunch . . .

Oysters

Another classic champagne pairing but being briney they can often make the accompanying champagne taste too sweet. If you want them ‘au naturel’ go for a brut nature - in other words a dry champagne without any added dosage. Or deep fry them which makes them more palatable for many people anyway. (Deep-fried fishy things are great with fizz. EVEN fish fingers)

Scallops

Seared scallops are the perfect foil to a richer style of champagne or vintage champagne. A good starter for a small party on Christmas day.

Turbot

If you’re serving a big whole fish - or fish steaks - for Christmas Eve or even Christmas Day, champagne will make it even more festive. Add a mushroom sauce to accentuate the umami hit.

Fish pie

Another Christmas Eve favourite. I’m always torn between white burgundy and champagne but would probably go for the latter if it included luxurious ingredients such as lobster or scallops.

Turkey (or chicken)

Champagne with turkey? Absolutely! Again, go for a vintage one with a bit of weight and body to it. (And ease up on the gravy and cranberry sauce!)

Truffles (or, more likely, truffle oil)

Champagne - especially vintage champagne - shines with truffles so if you’re thinking of serving pasta with truffles, risotto or even truffle mash the two will strike sparks off each other

Macarons

Perhaps more a moscato or ‘extra-dry’ (in other words sweet) prosecco pairing but no reason why you shouldn’t serve a glass of demi-sec. Be my guest ...

Christmas cake

And, as I discovered recently, demi-sec is also surprisingly good with fruit cake. What better way to kick off Christmas Eve? Especially with one of those flashy white bottles like Moet Ice or Lanson White Label Sec

The best wine pairings with Beef Wellington

Beef Wellington is real treat and deserves an equally indulgent red wine to pair with it.

It is, however, less robustly flavoured than a steak or rib roast of beef with other key ingredients such as mushrooms and pastry which offset the flavour of the meat. So when picking a wine for Beef Wellington, you should consider flavour elements like: 

• Earthy umami mushrooms that call for a wine with similar savory or forest-floor notes
• Buttery pastry which can add a slight sweet note
• And of course the beef, which always commands a wine with plenty of structure

Given all of that, what to choose? 

Here are my top three wine pairings that I think fit the bill:

Good red burgundy and other pinot noir

Fillet steak - the cut that’s most commonly used for a Wellington - pairs particularly well with pinot noir - and that’s only improved by the mushroom duxelles (finely chopped mushrooms) in the filling. Think the best red burgundy you can afford with some bottle age (a 2017 vintage at the time of updating this entry in late 2023). A Chambolle-Musigny or Vosne-Romanée would be perfect if you can run to it. Top new world pinot from California, Oregon and New Zealand would also be great

For other great pinot noir pairings see here 

Saint-Emilion, Pomerol and other merlot-dominated Bordeaux

Also a top match though I’d suggest the right bank rather than the left - in other words merlot dominated wines such as Saint-Emilion and Pomerol, again at least 2-3 years old. Other good quality merlot from e.g. California would hit the spot too

Which other foods match well with merlot

Côte Rôtie (and aged shiraz)

In general I think syrah/shiraz is a bit powerful for a Wellington but Côte Rôtie from the northern Rhône has a finesse that would show both the dish and the wine off well. And I wouldn’t complain at a bottle of Grange or Hill of Grace!

Syrah also goes with these dishes.

Barolo

Beef Wellington isn’t a classic Italian dish but Barolo would be an excellent wine accompaniment.

Note: if you’re going for a top wine, particularly a delicate one go easy on the accompanying vegetables. Really buttery mash and maybe a few garlicky green beans or even peas would be perfect. Strongly flavoured veg like red cabbage would take it in another direction.

Similarly keep the sauce relatively light rather than dark, sticky and concentrated for these pairings

See also:

Which wine (or beer) to pair with roast beef

Image ©Goskova Tatiana at shutterstock.com