Comments on: Christmas fruitcake: impossible food-wine pairing?!?

By: Stephen Reynolds

Stephen Reynolds — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 20:50:11 +0000

In Germany, mulled wine (Gluhwein) goes down rather nicely with cake.

By: AG

AG — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:51:38 +0000

I think a port is strong enough for this…a 10 year old fonseca will be excellent!

By: Nikki

Nikki — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:11:54 +0000

Ooo, mulled wine is no profanity if you make it right! Forget the cheapy spice packets. Cook it up yourself using something dark, fruity, and dry (like Dornfelder, or if you’re in the States, maybe a fruitier Merlot):

1 bottle (.75l) red wine with good fruit (but not sweet! It should be deep and mellow)
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
shake of nutmeg
If you’d like: 1 piece of star anise and/or 3 pieces of cardamom
2 tbs brown sugar

Combine everything in a medium-sized saucepan and heat slowly until it’s a nice, hot drinking temperature (not too long, you’ll cook off all the alcohol). Add a splash of cherry brandy, if you’d like.

Serve steaming in mugs with a piece of Stollen (German fruit cake) or gingerbread.

The trick is to use a lovely but not shamefully expensive wine. The quality of your mulled wine depends on the quality of your ingredients, of course.

Enjoy!

By: Impossible wine pairing? Chex Mix (stinky Jura wine and Cory’s thoughts on tasting notes) « Do Bianchi

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 13:39:33 +0000

[...] you think that Dr. V minds that I borrow his “impossible wine pairing” schtick? I’m sure he [...]

By: Cohen

Cohen — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:03:48 +0000

Late Haverst Muscat, Yalumba Museum Reserve, Australia. Great Pairing.

By: Richard

Richard — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 20:37:50 +0000

I’d grab a bottle of a nice Late Harvest Zin!

By: Helen Waite

Helen Waite — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 00:28:55 +0000

Bruce Ward has hit the nail on the head. Aussie muscats are a great match. Unctuous and raisiny. Great in the northern hemisphere where I believe it’s just a little bit cool at the moment.

By: Glen Siegel

Glen Siegel — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 17:34:53 +0000

Special Reserve Madiera and Fruitcake

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 20:21:09 +0000

Fruitcake is definitely not unpopular in the UK. Today we had both fruitcake and its richer, heavier and sweeter sibling, Christmas pudding. It sounds like a nightmare to most Americans, myself included but it was actually very good. The nice thing about fruitcake is that it’s a fairly dry dessert so will pair with most sweet and semi-sweet wines very well. A tawny port was perfect. The traditional pair for Christmas pudding is PX sherry which for me is just too much – they’re practically the same flavor.

Nancy, the reason dry sparkling wines are not recommended with sweet deserts is that they make the wine taste sour. There are few rules in wine and food pairings, and this is one of them.

By: Nancy

Nancy — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 19:45:28 +0000

I must respectfully object to the constant theme of sweet thick wine with sweet thick cake. I vote prosecco, if not toasty, biscuity champagne, as dry as possible. Why is it forbidden — and I’ve come across this in experts’ books lately — to pair dry sparklers with sweet desserts? To me the match is obvious and delightful.

By: daveA

daveA — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 14:27:47 +0000

Tawny port or Cognac (yes, brandy from grapes is a wine, no?)

By: Ed Thralls

Ed Thralls — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 21:17:59 +0000

I would dig some tawny port or madeira with that as well

By: Corbin

Corbin — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:55:49 +0000

Vin santo

By: The Wine Mule

The Wine Mule — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:09:16 +0000

Vin du Bugey-Cerdon VDQS. Sparkling, just a little bit sweet, refreshing, not very alcoholic (8%). Try the “La Cueille” from Patrick Bottex.

By: Dermot the laugh

Dermot the laugh — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 13:40:59 +0000

Hi Tyler – a realy good Moscato d’Asti works well as it’s sweet but refreshing and helps to lift the palate after a heavy dinner and pud!