Match of the week

Christmas pudding and cognac

Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on December 26 2017 at 07:57

Sometimes the simplest pairings elude you. If you flambé a Christmas pudding with brandy why on earth shouldn’t you drink brandy - or rather cognac - with it too?

Well it turns out from our Christmas dinner this year that you can - in this instance a very special Delamain early landed cognac from the 1996 vintage that was ‘landed’ in 1998 and bottled in 2015. It was more delicate, creamier and somehow lighter than a standard cognac so it didn’t seem at all odd to be drinking it with the Christmas pud (and a good slosh of cream)

One to bear in mind for next year . . .

*early landed means that the barrels in which the cognac is matured are shipped out of the Charente (the area of France where cognac is produced), in this case to England. The fact that they spend most of their life in a cooler climate is generally held to give them greater finesse. They are also comparatively rare these days which accounts for their high price (£120 from Berry Bros & Rudd)

What's the best wine to drink with Christmas pudding?

Christmas pudding image © Saramis at fotolia.com

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