Festive pickings
As we snuggle into thicker jackets and under heavier duvets, we ask five experts to share their Roussillon wine recommendations, and perfect pairings, for autumn sipping and entertaining friends and family over the festive season.
Tamlyn Currin, Senior Editor, JancisRobinson.com
“There is only one wine for my favourite autumnal Crown Prince pumpkin squash pie. A gruyère and pumpkin galette, which is both sweet and savoury, fragrant with fried sage, delicately freckled with allspice, and a touch tangy from the balsamic vinegar. A wine that is, too, golden and coppery, spicy and warming, fragrant and deep: Rivesaltes Ambré. Its honeyed, marmalade-tinged sweetness sings with the sweetness of the squash. Its tangy tension waltzes with the cheese, its smoky spiciness with the sage. It’s a wine that was born in autumn and holds the history, often, of many autumns, in every sip. It has the warmth of a fire, and layers of contemplation. It’s autumn in a glass.”
Natalie Earl, Regional Editor for France, Decanter
“I recently discovered the wines of Clos des Vins d’Amour, and their AOP Côtes du Roussillon Batifolage 2023 is a wine to set any heart aflutter. This charming white is mostly Grenache Gris and some Grenache Blanc, planted at 280m. Fermented and aged in barrels, it opens seductively with notes of struck match and crushed rocks before softening into fresh citrus, beeswax and linden blossom, with a flicker of vanilla and grilled notes. The texture is fine-spun, almost sinewy, the schist soils bringing great tension and poise. Bring it to the table with baked sea bass or cockles in white wine sauce and let it steal the show.”
Sophia Longhi, Wine communicator, writer and tasting host, Skin and Pulp
“When it’s cold and gloomy outside, one of the best things to drink is a bright, fresh white wine that’s brimming with energy and life. IGP Côtes Catalanes Llum, by Le Roc des Anges, is heady with aromatics and spice, the kind of attributes we seek out in the wintertime to tend to our senses. The soft, silky mouthfeel brings comfort and weight, which pairs so well with creamy, rich dishes – and yet the mineral, briny edge keeps the palate primed, looking out for the next sip. Biodynamic winemaking with precision and elegance. A perfect Christmas treat.”
Verity Sessions, Owner of Palate Bottle Shop, Shoreham-by-Sea
“I really love this wine from Domaine Gardiés: AOP Côtes du Roussillon, Mas Les Cabes Blanc, 2022 – every time we serve it by the glass at Palate, it goes down a storm. It’s a slightly richer, more textural style that makes it a perfect slow sipper as we settle into the cooler months of autumn/winter. It’s a blend of organic Grenache, Macabeu and Vermentino which has seen a touch of skin contact and extended time on fine lees to develop the slight buttery mouthfeel. Ripe peach, lemon and ginger spice but the finish is all mineral and saline which really lifts it all. Great value too at £17.95. I’d drink it with wild mushroom and truffle risotto or a warming squash, walnut and feta wellington.”
Stuart Skea, Head Sommelier for Lyla Edinburgh and Group Head Sommelier for Aizle Restaurant Group
“My top pick from the Roussillon for the festive table is a wine of immense drinkability: Le Soula Rouge IGP Côtes Catalanes. Régisseur Wendy Wilson-Paillé works magic at this biodynamic high-altitude estate. Built on a foundation of old-vine Carignan, this is a medium-bodied, earthy, and sapid red – strikingly complex, yet effortlessly fluid. Its supple tannins and vibrant acidity call for a roasted haunch of venison with bay and juniper. Equally, it proves a sublime match for roast goose with berry sauce and that essential Christmas classic: spiced, braised red cabbage. High-altitude Roussillon refinement at its absolute best.”
