Here at Yapp Brothers we spend a great deal of time advising our loyal clientele on which bottles to partner with specific dishes so we thought it only fair to let you know some of our own festive food and wine matching plans in the hope they will inspire you.
Bianca will be playing host to a visiting contingent from her native Holland so she will be dusting off her Gourmet set for a traditional, Dutch raclette feast where participants grill their own meat and vegetables. In addition to a good supply of chilled Orangeboom she will also be serving Frederick Filliatreau’s organic, red Saumur ‘Château Fouquet' for those who prefer wine to beer.
A Vintage Photo of Bianca & her Gourmet Set
Hamish, whose grandfather was a Smithfield butcher, eschews poultry at Christmas time in favour of a rib of beef that he will partner with a magnum of Gigondas: Domaine Saint Gayan 2010; one of only 2 rated as ‘outstanding’ in Decanter magazine’s recent panel tasting. He will then serve a Banyuls Réserva along with figs, apricots and nuts as a novel, de-constructed, Catalonian Christmas pudding.
Tom has already ordered his Norfolk bronze turkey from the excellent Stourhead Farm shop. He always gets a generously proportioned one as he likes to cook Jane Grigson’s ‘Devilled and Pulled’ turkey on Boxing Day. This medieval dish involves marinating the dark meat with spices, mustard and mango chutney and serving the white meat in a cream and lemon juice sauce. It goes down well with an Alsace Gewürztraminer or Pinot Blanc.
Shop manager Meirion enjoys a duck for Christmas dinner which he roasts and serves with pommes anna and a cherry sauce in the Burgundian manner. It is hardly surprising then that he will be broaching a bottle of the Côte du Beaune’s finest – an Aloxe-Corton from Domaine François Gay before seguing on to a vintage Gigondas; which he knows a bit about having worked a harvest out there back in the mists of time.
Our web guru Richard is off to see relatives in Kent and the quid pro quo is that he brings some decent booze in return for being fed. He’s already laid in a couple of magnums of Gilles Dumangin’s superb Premier Cru ‘Grand Réserve’ Champagne which should start the festivities with a bang or at the very least a loud pop.
Claire is entertaining neighbours on Christmas Eve and is going to serve them up a salmon en croute with creamed spinach and saffron rice. She’s judiciously playing safe with white Burgundy – Christophe Camu’s mineral-edged 2012 Chablis should be just the ticket.
Andy has good family connections with a premium food retailer and has already procured that most festive of cheeses - Vacherin Mont d’Or. This seasonal delicacy is best spooned straight onto crusty bread and he’s opting to serve it with a very lightly-chilled Savoie Mondeuse which should complement the viscid fromage to perfection.
Vacherin Mon d’Or – the King of Festive Cheeses
Young Sebastien is going to be serving up a traditional, roast ham studded with cloves on Boxing Day that he will be pairing with Claire’s homemade chutney and our popular red Vin de Pays ‘Petit Caboche’ – which is made by the mayor of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and is a tried and tested crowd pleaser.
Finally by popular demand (see previous entry) we give you Robin Yapp’s recipe for his infamous ‘White Lady’ cocktail, originally created by Harry MacElhone at his eponymous bar in Paris in 1923:
Shake a double jigger of gin, along with one each of Cointreau and freshly squeezed lemon juice and a single egg white, vigorously over ice then strain into ice-cold, shallow glasses and serve immediately.
We serve these on Christmas Eve as a pre-prandial sharpener and, as with all good family traditions, we now insist upon them!
Robin Yapp in Traditional Festive Attire
As I open day 3 of my advent calendar (a malnourished robin) I realise ‘tis the season to do an inventory of the cellar (check the cupboard under the stairs) and make sure I have laid-in sufficient supplies of the requisite bottles to facilitate a moderately merry Christmas. To the surprise of many I keep a pretty Spartan spirits store for 11 months of year. This is partially because wine is my stock in trade and I require little other diversion but also because if treats are at hand (cheese and chocolate are both fine examples) I feel it is my duty to consume them – all.
December, however, is the time to replenish stores in the anticipation of guests and a bit of festive cheer. Decent gin (Tanqueray or Sipsmiths) and Cointreau are both on the shopping list. These are the base ingredients (along with ice, egg white and lemon juice) for a ‘White Lady’ cocktail. These are highly-restorative but must be consumed in moderation - Mr Yapp senior’s interpretation could blind a horse. Good vodka, dry sherry, tomato juice and horseradish are equally essential to facilitate the production of Blood Marys – the only cocktail one should ever contemplate in daylight. Cognac we keep anyway – principally for (ahem) culinary purposes but we might also stretch to a bottle of Bas Armagnac and a single Islay malt for those that are that way inclined. (Lagavulin 16 year-old will do nicely if you’re stuck for a gift idea mother).
On a more effervescent note it’s a good idea to have a few bottles of Clairette de Die somnolent in the shed. This fruity fizz, from the foothills of the Alps, weighs in at just 7 °alcohol and is a great mid-morning pick-me-up served with a generous slice of panettone. A bottle or two of a good ‘growers’ Champagne and / or sparkling wine are also required for celebratory cork popping on the 25th and 31st.
My perennial and immodest wine buying habit should ensure we have appropriate bottles to broach with turkey, ham, smoked salmon etc., but a decent tawny port or Banyuls would be a welcome addition to deploy with mince pies and Christmas cake or pudding. We will also need a ‘pouring’ red and white for friends, neighbours and relatives who aren’t committed oenophiles but would certainly take umbrage if we sold ‘em short. You can’t go far wrong with the Saumur blanc from the Cave de Saumur - a dry, zesty, un-oaked Chenin that we have tried and tested as a versatile crowd-pleaser. While it's red sibling is perfectly agreeable I’m tempted to trade up to Fredrik Fillitreau’s organic ‘Château Fouquet’ – a toothsome Cabernet Franc brimming with bright, berry-fruit that should keep everyone smiling.
Although I consumed my allotted share of beer as an undergraduate I am tempted to invest in a wee 5 litre keg of Bath Ales’ ‘Gem’ – a lovely, local, amber brew that might incentivise the washer-upper. A couple of cases of sparkling water and some fizzy pop for the kinder and I think I’ve got it covered.
