As the strangest year grinds inexorably to a conclusion, the time has come for a few treats. What can make up for isolation, no trips to Paris, and the revelation from watching daytime television that most of the population is incontinent?
Wine springs to mind!
Bargain bottles
Starting with sparkling, the revered Jancis Robinson MW has highlighted a humble vintage Spanish cava, online for £7.25 at Asda. Prosecco is generally filthy, and the management at the Wine Society told me that their entire range ran to two producers. That should tell you everything.
More serious bottles of fizz abound. My top recommendation is an impeccable 2007 vintage Champagne that Sainsbury’s is selling for £25. The producer, Claude Carre, was the supplier of house Champagne to the glamorous Bibendum Restaurant housed in the old Michelin Building. It is pure Chardonnay and costs less than the non-vintage offerings of all of the big commercial brands. If you feel compelled to buy a name, then go for Piper-Heidsieck or Louis Roederer.
