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Wondering what to serve with Christmas pudding? We asked Frogsiders’ resident wine expert, Ian Blackshaw, for his recommendations for wines to accompany festive food.

Of all the occasions when you need to match wine with food, Christmas and the New Year are the most taxing. The usual personal favourites don’t always work with the rich food and many courses. Here’s some suggestions of what to look for when planning your holiday meals.

Christmas Eve is the main celebration in France and traditionally it’s the time for shellfish, especially oysters. Oysters are difficult to match with wine and are probably best enjoyed alone, although warm oysters in a champagne sauce are a delicious option. Likewise, champagne - especially a vintage one - complements grilled or seared scallops very well. Chablis is great with fruits de mer, as is a muscadet sur lie (but drink the youngest one available).

For Christmas Day dinner, the French traditionally eat goose. Try a Pinot Gris from the Alsace if you prefer white wine or a full bodied red Cotes de Rhone, such as St Joseph, or Cotes de Roussillon Villages.  When choosing a red, look for one that is four or five years old to complement the richness of the meat. A good claret goes well with turkey; again an older vintage will complement the trimmings and a rich gravy. My choice would be either a St Emilion or an Haut Medoc. A Cotes de Castillon 2000 would also do well.

What, then, with the traditional English plum pudding? Try Banyuls or Maury, the French equivalent of port. Both come from the Roussillon wine region in the south east of France and are characterised by the predominance of the Grenache grape variety, which adds some spiciness to the full body. Look for an older, mature version to enhance the pudding and mince pies. If your favourite is a sherry trifle, it’s probably best not to serve any wine at all to avoid a clash with the sherry.

In our house, we often have haggis with neaps and tatties on New Years’ Eve. Other than serving a wee dram of good malt whisky, a young fruity claret such as a 2005 or 2006 Fronsac - one of the best value reds of the Bordeaux wine region - is a good choice. You won’t be surprised that I recommend champagne for seeing in the New Year. Push the boat out with one of the grande marques, such as Moet et Chandon or Krug – a small but extremely prestigious champagne house with fine products. The 1996 vintage is particularly good.

Whatever you choose – bon appetit and enjoy your celebrations!

Ian Blackshaw, Frogsiders’ Food and Drink Correspondent is an International Lawyer specialising in Sports Law.  He is well known for his magazine articles about expat life in France and he is the owner of a beautiful gite and a  Bed & Breakfast at Sains les Fressin      www.7valleysbandb.com

What to Drink at Christmas

Internal Central Heating - Warm up your winter evenings with an Eau De Vie

a spirit, literally ‘water of life’, distilled from fermented grape juice (sometimes other fruit juices) and may be flavoured with fruits. For example, kirsch (made from cherries) and framboise (raspberries) are two popular eaux de vie. The fruit flavour is usually very light. Eaux-de-vie are typically not aged in wooden casks, hence they are clear; and the ripe fruit is fermented, distilled twice and quickly bottled in order to preserve the freshness and aroma of the parent fruit.

Commonly available flavours include eau-de-vie de poire (pear), eau-de-vie de pêche (peach), eau-de-vie de mirabelle (yellow plum) and eau-de-vie de pomme (apple). The apple-flavoured spirit, Calvados is produced by aging in wooden casks before bottling.  Our farmer neighbour produces a wonderful pommeau – a blend of Calvados and apple, which he presses. As he collects quite a few of our spare apples from our trees, we usually get two or three bottles of his excellent brew!

Incidentally, Mirabelle, which comes from Lorraine, not only makes an excellent eau de vie, but also a good jam which goes well with croissants fresh out of the oven!

Here are some general guidelines on how to serve eaux de vie and get the best out of them:

Eaux-de-vie are usually served chilled, but do not over-chill as that will often destroy their delicate fruit flavours. 10 degrees centigrade is about right.

As they are usually served as a digestif - a postprandial alcoholic drink that aids digestion - the typical serving size is 1–2 ounces, because of the high alcohol content of the spirit and also due to the fact that eaux de vie are typically drunk after a meal during which wine has already been served.

Some connoisseurs recommend a tulip-shaped glass; others insist on a ‘snifter’ or balloon glass. These are mostly used to serve brandy. The large surface area of the brandy helps it evaporate while the narrow top traps the aroma inside the glass.  The rounded bottom allows the glass to be cupped in the hand, thus warming the liquor.  Most snifters will hold between 180–240 ml (6–8 oz.), but, by general consensus amongst connoisseurs, no more than 60–90 ml (2–3 oz.) should be poured for a single serving.

Whilst on the subject of brandy (cognac), I must say I prefer an armagnac, which has its own area of production and dénomination contrôlée in the Gascony region of south west France.  It is generally regarded as an eau de vie despite its beautiful amber colour, which it derives from the barrels it is matured in.

Perhaps my favourite eau de vie is a poire william, especially one from Alsace. It is a satisfying blend of pear and spirit, which really does warm the cockles of your heart and it’s a fine way to end a dinner or enjoy before retiring. Of course, in either case, for purely medicinal reasons!

There is nothing nicer on a wintry night than to draw the curtains or close the shutters, settle down in front of a roaring log fire, and enjoy an eau de vie.

So, what is an eau de vie? It is

A variety of different Eaux De Vie

Traditional Balloon glass for brandy

Tulip brandy glass sometimes preferred by experts

Chablis  - good for starters

Some Cote Du Rhone with the main course

And a glass of Banyuls - awesome with puddings!

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By Ian Blackshaw