Serious wine lovers with a nasty cold are faced with the problem that they can't taste or smell subtle wines. Come to think of it, even the most robust styles don't get past blocked-up noses and numbed taste buds. But during a recent bout of the common one, I found a drink that did break through, delivering some sense of a proper aroma and a satisfying, soothing flavour. No, not Benylin. I refer, fellow sufferers, to ginger wine.
Stone's ginger wine (and Crabbie's, though not, please, cheap supermarket imitations) proved surprisingly popular when I asked around; they're the kind of bottles I never see anyone actually buy, but which many profess to love. Oooh for a shot of the sweet and peppery, ear-ringing elixir after a shivery stomp in the countryside, preferably with a slice of dark ginger cake, minty dark chocolates or fruitcake.
Or mixed with whisky, of course, especially when the head cold strikes.
I like ginger wine. I prefer Crabbie's to Stone's.
