It’s easy to understand why the term “comfort wine”, or even comfort drink, isn’t in common use: nobody wants to claim that alcohol is comforting (though, in moderation, it can be). Of course, many non-alcoholic drinks are comforting, not least tea and hot chocolate (I’d argue that coffee doesn’t come into that category, though, because it’s more a stimulant, but lovers of lattes and flat whites would no doubt disagree).
To be comforting, a drink needs to be familiar and consistent, hence the popularity of brands such as Coca-Cola and PG Tips. It may even recall your childhood: I still love Rose’s lime juice cordial, for instance, which I can first remember tasting aged about two; these days, however, I prefer it in a gimlet.
I think red wines are more comforting than whites, although I had a vigorous disagreement with a friend about this. He held that sancerre was comforting, mostly on grounds of familiarity, but I don’t agree, especially at the prices you pay for it these days. I maintain that cheap, or at least modestly priced, drinks are more comforting than expensive ones, comforting being different from gratifying. And, despite that oft-recited quote from Lily Bollinger – “I drink champagne when I’m happy and when I’m sad” – and Winston Churchill’s “In victory, I deserve it; in defeat, I need it”, I don’t find champagne especially comforting. It’s more celebratory.
Sweetness is comforting, however, especially if combined with strength, as in port, rich oloroso or sherried whiskies. Is there anything more soothing than a hot toddy when you have a cold? Maybe a hot buttered rum or, a drink that brought comfort to injured soldiers in the first world war, a benny and hot (Bénédictine with hot water), which is curiously good. And if you were given a bottle of brandy or armagnac for Christmas and have managed to keep it away from the family, now is the time to enjoy it.
Certain flavours are also comforting – ginger especially. I love a whisky mac (whisky and ginger wine) at this time of year, and find mulled wine just as, if not more, appealing after Christmas and during January as before it; mulled cider, too, but both go back to hot drinks again. Not a bad idea, especially if, like many of us, you’ve turned down the heating.
Big, alcoholic reds are not normally my bag, but I really appreciate them at this time of year, so bring on the malbec, shiraz and zinfandel, as well as the hearty Douro and Languedoc reds. But bear in mind that this weekend sees the end of the Christmas promotions – next week, expect to see prices continue their relentless upward trajectory.
Five comforting drinks to see you into the new year
The King’s Ginger £20 (50cl) Waitrose, £25 Berry Bros & Rudd, 29.9%. A warming ginger liqueur originally created to keep King Edward VII warm when he went out in his carriage. Might do the same for you when you’re walking the dog.
Three-Year-Old Somerset Cider Brandy £27 for 50cl, £35 for 70cl, £32.25 The Whisky Exchange, 42%. I like all the Somerset Cider Brandy range, but this is the most affordable, with a lovely, pure apple flavour.
Vila Real Rabelo Red 2017 £6.35 Co-op, 13%. From the same grape varieties used to make port, this spicy, gutsy Douro red is just what you need with a stew.
Morrisons The Best Marques de los Rios Rioja Crianza 2018 £8.50 (on a buy three, save 25% offer until 1 January), 13.5%. Old-fashioned rioja scores high on the comfort stakes. Good value for money, too.
Carpe Diem ‘Bad Boys’ 2018 £21.99 (or £18.99 on mix-six) Majestic, 14%. A particularly luscious Moldovan blend of saperavi, feteasca neagra, cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Great to take to a party and make people guess where it’s from (and what the grapes are, if you’re feeling mean).
For more by Fiona Beckett, go to fionabeckett.substack.com
