Muscat
37.5cl * 15.0% ABV * Beaume de Venise (Rhône Valley), France
Don't listen if anyone tells you this is over hill - 2010 was a knock-out vintage in the Rhône and not just for the gutsy reds. We would, however, recommend drinking this now and enjoying it with abandon rather than keeping it too much longer.
Picked by hand, the wines of Domaine des Bernardins are exemplary in the region and all the vines are grown to the nationally recognised 'sustainable agriculture', going as far as to prepare the soil by using good old-fashioned ploughing. Organic compost is made from grape marc (the discarded stalks and skins).
Aged muscats like this have a copper-rose hue and a pretty floral bouquet.
Serve this wine chilled as an aperitif with gougere, or as an accompaniment to a starter of foie gras or Roquefort. It's also a classic match for a fruit tart, choux-pastry filled with creme patisserie and chocolate deserts.