Sweetly seasonal

BILL KNOTT recommends rich wines to accompany puddings or cheese at the end of a Christmas meal

I have just come back from a glorious week in the Périgord, south-west France. Actually, there are four Périgords, fancifully named after vegetation ( Noir, after the dense oak forests, and Vert, after the foliage of chestnut trees); soil ( Blanc, the belt of chalk through the middle of the region); or the colour of its fruit ( Pourpre – purple – a tribute to the wine grapes grown around the town of Bergerac).

It was a thoroughly sybaritic Oldie readers’ trip: Jean-marc and his charabanc ably navigated us between riverside châteaux, lovely lunch spots, street markets, poultry farms and wine tastings. Centuries ago, the wines made on the slopes of Bergerac’s stretch of the Dordogne were as highly esteemed as those from Bordeaux, farther upstream; in recent years, however, their fortunes have waned. If Bordeaux is the elder son who inherited the stately home, the 1,000-acre estate and the vintage Bentleys, Bergerac is the down-at-heel younger sibling in scruffy jersey and torn jeans, scraping a living making rustic furniture and smelling faintly of whisky.

But don’t judge a duke by his brother. Bergerac’s wines are increasingly well made, becoming more widely available in Britain, and often considerably cheaper than Bordeaux wines of the same quality. More or less the same grapes are used: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc for the reds, often with a splash of Malbec; Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and – more prominently than in Bordeaux – Muscadelle for the whites. The broader appellations are Bergerac AOC and Côtes de Bergerac AOC, and there are many excellent, good-value reds and dry whites within their boundaries: try the Bergerac Sec from Château Le Fagé, entirely made from Sauvignon Blanc (www.tannerswines.co.uk, £8.70), or the fruity, spicy Bergerac Rouge 2009 from Château Vari (christopherpiperwines.co.uk, £9.54). I particularly enjoyed the reds from one of the sub-appellations, Pécharmant – the robust, claret-like Château de Tiregand Rouge Comtesse de SaintExupéry 2012, matured partly in old Mouton-rothschild barrels, is a fine example (www.tanners-wines.co.uk, £13.50): you might also try Clos Montalbanie, £7.99, from the Co-op – and the dry whites from Montravel (try Château du Fauga 2015, www. viaderwines.co.uk).

At this time of year, though, it is the region’s sweet wines that particularly appeal. It is a style that is gratifyingly unfashionable and Bergerac’s dessert wines are a bargain. There are two sweet wine appellations: Saussignac, whose excellent wines are difficult to find here, and the betterknown Monbazillac. Both benefit from a humid, sunny microclimate perfect for encouraging botrytis.

Once the grapes are suitably desiccated, the nectar is pressed and fermented, resulting in wonderfully rich wines with a honeyed sweetness balanced by natural acidity. Aromas of acacia and spice, flavours of apricot, marmalade and pineapple... these are rich, sweet, mouth-filling wines to savour with foie gras (a classic Périgord pairing) or with puddings: tarte aux noix, studded with walnuts, perhaps, or

îles flottantes. The Wine Society’s Monbazillac Château Pech La Calevie 2013 is an absolute steal at £11.50.

Nor need it be confined to foie gras or pudding: try it with blue cheese. The natives of Périgord might drink it with Roquefort or a simpler bleu de brebis – blue sheep’s milk cheese – but I think they would forgive you for pairing their golden elixir with a nice hunk of Christmas Stilton. Sauvignon Blanc ‘Atlantique’, Loire 2015, RRP £7.99 Clean, crisp white for drinking on its own or with a plate of oysters. Grüner Veltliner, Markus Huber, Traisental, Austria 2015, RRP £10.79 Less austere than many Grüners, with a hint of spritz and plenty of ripe pear fruit. Vinho Verde, Quinta Azevedo, Portugal 2015, RRP £8.29 Light, gluggable white: perfect as gentle afternoon tipple. Saumur ‘Les Nivières’, Loire 2014, RRP £8.99 100 per cent Cabernet Franc with plenty of redcurrant flavour: try it slightly chilled. Minervois, Gérard Bertrand 2014, RRP £9.99 Syrah/carignan blend: richly layered red from the ever-reliable M Bertrand. Château Les Martins, Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux 2014, RRP £8.49 A splash of Malbec gives depth and colour to this robust red from a great value Bordeaux appellation.