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 . . . ;-)

My top wine pairings with strawberries

I’m sure you’re enjoying a bowlful or two of strawberries at this time of year. But what to drink with them?

The classic pairing of champagne is to my mind too dry unless the champagne is rosé or demi-sec but there are plenty of other possibilities depending on how you serve your berries.

Unsweetened strawberries or served plain with a little sugar

Perfectly ripe berries, especially wild strawberries can be delicious with an off-dry sparkling wine such as Moscato d’Asti, Asti, Extra Dry prosecco or even a sparkling white zinfandel or Australian sparkling rosé like Jacob’s Creek. You could also serve them the French or Italian way macerated in a light red wine such as Beaujolais with a little sugar - a (reasonably) healthy alternative to cream!

Strawberries and cream

The perfect foil for a classic dessert wine such as Sauternes or (more economically) Muscat-de-Beaumes-de-Venise. Alternatively if you don’t want to serve wine you could choose a contrasting but complementary well-chilled fruit juice such as passionfruit or mango.

Light airy strawberry desserts such as mousses, soufflés or gâteaux

Demi-sec or rosé Champagne or similar sparkling wine.

Strawberry tarts or shortcakes

The additional sweetness you get from the pastry or shortbread means your wine needs to be sweeter. Sauternes or similar wines from the Bordeaux region will probably work but I’d be inclined to go for a luscious new world botrytised or late harvest semillon or sauvignon. Sweet wines from the Loire such as Coteaux du Layon can also work well

Strawberries with meringue such as a pavlova, sundae or Eton Mess

Light and airy but typically sweeter than a gateau. A sweet wine with good acidity such as a late harvest or Beerenauslese riesling can be good or try a strawberry or raspberry liqueur topped up with champagne (like a kir royale or strawberry or raspberry bellini)

Strawberry cheesecake

I really enjoy fruit flavoured beers with the rich but slightly savoury flavour of cheesecake and a strawberry beer such as the Belgian Fruli is quite perfect. It would also be a good choice if you served strawberries with mascarpone. (If you can’t get hold of a strawberry beer try a cherry or raspberry-flavoured one)

Strawberries with dark chocolate

If strawberries are served with or dipped in chocolate the chocolate becomes the key element to match. I would choose a sweet vin doux naturel such as a Maury. (You don’t want quite as intense a red fruit flavour as you would look for with a chocolate and cherry dessert)

Strawberries with orange

Strawberries and orange have a surprising affinity but will tend to strip out the fruit flavours in any accompanying dessert wine. Try a frozen shot of Cointreau or a small glass of Pimms No 1 Cup, made slightly stronger than usual.

Strawberry ice creams and sorbets

Matching wine to ice cream can be tricky unless there are other elements to the dessert and you are simply serving a scoop in place of cream. I quite like to serve a chilled liqueur that will pick out the fruit flavours such as a delicate, strawberry-flavoured ratafia di fragola (Carluccio’s used to do a delicious one - I’m not sure if they still do)

Since I first wrote this article a couple of years ago there's a new generation of pink moscatos and other sparkling reds and rosés which would work really well too. See these suggestions in my Guardian column

Image by HomeMaker on Pixabay

The 4 best wine pairings for a classic Pancake Day pancake

If you live in the UK and are enjoying pancakes this week it’s most likely the classic kind, simply topped with lemon juice and a sprinkling of crunchy sugar. But what to drink with them?

A combination of sweet and sour is never that easy to handle in wine terms. The sweetness can make accompanying whites (I doubt if we're even thinking of reds here) taste thin and tart.

So a sweet wine I reckon and, even better, a sparkling one . . .

* Moscato has to be the number one candidate. Widely available, off-dry to sweet (like Asti), low in alcohol, it’s just perfect with a sugar and lemon pancake. Authentic Moscato d’Asti is the tops if you can lay your hands on one.

* Prosecco would be my next choice. Most have a touch of sweetness, some (usually the cheaper ones) more than others. Check the back label.

* If you want something a bit more offbeat and have a good wine merchant nearby see if they have a Clairette de Die a delicious fragrant sparkling wine from the Rhône.

* or for a sweet wine I’d go for a late harvest or Beerenauslese riesling. Rieslings have a high level of acidity that can cope with the lemon juice - better than sweet wines like Sauternes or late harvest Sauvignons whose citrussy flavours will be wiped out by the lemon on the pancakes.

* A good cup of tea. Probably the most likely option if you’re making them for the kids, if truth be told. And better with this type of pancake than coffee (think tea and lemon).

For wine pairings with other types of pancakes see here.

Photo © robynmac - Fotolia.com

The best wine and liqueur pairings for trifle

There’s no doubt about it, trifle is tricky when it comes to drink pairings. If it includes booze already do you serve more on the side? And what kind of booze should that be?

Now that there are so many types of trifle one drink match isn’t going to fit all.

Some trifles are light - custardy and creamy - others much richer and more intense in flavour. Read the recipe carefully before you decide on your wine, liqueur or other drink match - you may find the clue in the ingredients.

Whatever drink you choose I suggest serving it in small glasses or shot glasses as most trifles have some element of alcohol already

A ready-bought trifle with jelly, custard and cream. No booze

A sweet sparkler like a moscato d’Asti would be perfect with this, as I've highlighted in my post of top Christmas wine pairings. Or the inexpensive sweet red Italian sparkling wine Brachetto d’Acqui.

A classic sherry trifle such as this one

Depends how boozy it is but more sherry is obviously an option - though you could try a light cream sherry (like Crofts) rather than a dark one. Orange flavours work well with sherry too so you could try an orangey flavoured sweet wine like a Passito di Pantelleria or an orange liqueur which is also what you might try with an . . .

. . .orangey trifle

If the trifle is already quite intensely flavoured you could create a contrast by serving an ice-cold shot of Cointreau. Or go for a sweet dark sherry or madeira.

A trifle with berries

Photo by Marcelo Verfe

Work round the berry flavours. For instance a raspberry liqueur with a raspberry trifle or a limoncello as a contrast to this Nigella recipe which includes blackberries and blackcurrant jam. With a strawberry trifle try the delicious, strawberry-scented ratafia di fragola if you can find it. And see also Brachetto d’Acqui, above.

A rhubarb trifle

Provided it doesn’t contain too much booze of its own go for a chilled Sauternes or similar sweet Bordeaux or late harvest sauvignon or semillon. A rhubarb vodka - or a cocktail based on one - would also be good

Chocolate and cherry trifle

I’m not sure I really regard chocolate trifle as a proper trifle but many do. I’d focus on the cherries for the match - a cherry brandy, for example would go well with this Nigella recipe or with Delia’s Cheat’s Chocolate Trifle. Lidl does an inexpensive one - or did last year. If you don’t have any to hand try a young ruby port or, if you prefer a less sweet pairing, a cherry-flavoured beer.

Banana trifle e.g. Delia’s butterscotch and banana trifle

Muscats tend to go well with banana - try an Australian liqueur muscat with this.

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

Top image © Matthew J Thomas @fotolia.com.