Match of the week
Christmas cake and Rutherglen muscat
Funny, isn’t it, how there are lots of pairings for mince pies but few for Christmas cake. Maybe that’s because we tend to eat it mid-afternoon well before wine o’clock but that could equally apply to Christmas pudding for which I also have plenty of recommendations.
Anyway this week I discovered a new match for Christmas cake following a wonderful Rutherglen muscat tasting. As you may know Rutherglen muscat comes from Australia - specifically the state of Victoria - and is a deep, rich, unctuous dessert wine that tastes like… er… liquid Christmas cake.
Does that make it too similar? Oddly not, especially if you have a sweet tooth. I particularly liked the Stanton & Killeen which is available from indies such as South Downs Cellars with it* though the Campbells (available in Waitrose for £12.99) would be great too.
The other good option would be a cream sherry but Rutherglen muscat is so unctuously raisiny and treacly in consistency that it feels like a particularly festive treat. (And is why it’s known as a ‘sticky’)
Just a sip - nothing wrong with that at 4 in the afternoon on a dark December afternoon, is there?
Obviously the match applies to other rich fruit cakes too.
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