Sommelier wine pairings

Expert sommelier Emily O'Hare chooses wines to drink with Michel Roux Jr's apple puff pastry rolls - a great winter snack and a delicious alternative to mince pies at Christmas time.

See below for Emily O’Hare’s choices on wines to drink with apple puff pastry rolls with Christmas spices by Michel Roux Jr.

Champagne

Charles Heidsieck, Blanc des Millénaires, 1995

Suggested stockist: Berry Bros & Rudd £145

This is an easy (but wildly indulgent) combination, and if the vintage purchase pinches a little too tightly on the budget, then the Brut from this fantastic producer would also work very beautifully at a quarter of the price. But the qualities of this fine 100% Chardonnay – it’s aromas of pastry, cinammon and vanilla, and palate redolent of candied apricot, quince, almonds and hazelnuts work seamlessly, symbiotically even, with the dessert.

Sparkling Recioto di Soave

Coffele, Recioto di Soave Spumante Dolce DOCG

Suggested stockist: €30 (£22) Tannico.it

Sparkling Recioto di Soave – who knew?? I have been in the wine industry for more than 10 years, and only last month discovered this quirky wine. It is great fun, it is impossible to drink without smiling gleefully and it is sweet, but the sparkle stops the wine from slouching. The smile it brings about is the same one that arrives on the lips from stealing slices of raw apple topped with crunchy brown sugar from a pie pre-cooking.

Madeira

Berry Bros & Rudd, Meredith, 5 Year Old Full Rich Madeira

Stockist: £14.75 (50cl)

Open this Madeira with Michel Roux Jr’s apple pastry puffs and continue to sip well into and after the cheese course. The fruit in the pastry draws out a delicious toffee note in the wine. Yet there is a very subtle nutty savouriness and acidity to the Madeira that keeps the match in balance.

About Emily O’Hare

Emily O’Hare left her job as Head Sommelier and Wine Buyer at London’s River Cafe last year to move to Italy to deepen her knowledge of Italian wine, She is a VIA Italian Wine Ambassador and is living in Florence. She writes about Italian wine for Decanter and The Florentine and organises tours around Italy for the restaurant trade and other food and wine curious.