The Winter Olympics begins in Beijing on 4 February, with the blue-ribbon event Men’s Alpine Skiing Downhill, generally dominated by the Swiss and the Austrians, the Alpine countries most closely associated with skiing and ski holidays.
Anyone who has been on a skiing holiday to Switzerland or Austria will undoubtedly have tucked into a fondue or raclette as part of traditional après ski, all perfect for a late night watching the Olympic men’s downhill –and we have the perfect wines to match.
Fondue
This creamy dish of melted cheese, infused with kirsch and generally eaten with vegetables and chunks of bread goes perfectly with an off dry slightly aromatic Riesling such as Domane WachauRiesling Felderspiel 2019. Other whites that work well are flinty dry types such as Chablis, Muscadet or Gruner Veltliner. You could also match with a light red– a young burgundy like Domaine Henri Delagrange Hautes Cotes deBeaune Pinot Noir 2019 or a Gamay from Beaujolais like our amazing Domainede Roche Guillon Fleurie Lieu dit la Tonne 2019
Tartiflette
An indulgent dish made with sliced potatoes, reblochon cheese, bacon lardons and onions, perfect with a buttery chardonnay like Masut Estate Chardonnay 2019 or DidierDelagrange Saint-Romain 2017
Raclette
This amazing, melted cheese dish is traditionally served with potatoes, cornichons and picked onions but goes equally well with sautéed rosemary mushrooms, stir fried broccoli and roasted garlic. The rich creaminess of this alpine milk cheese can take a fairly robust Cotes du Rhone, try our LaudunChusclan Vignerons Les Genets Cotes Du Rhone Villages 2018 . You could also try the flinty dry whites that work with fondue: Domane WachauGruner Veltliner 2020, Domaine Gautheron Chablis 2019or Domaine Girard Muscadet de Sevre et Maine Sur Lie Le Fleuron 2020
