£14.95, The Wine Society
I had a white lined up for this week, but it's been so chilly I’m feeling the need for some red wine comfort, although not necessarily something too big and strapping. In the hope that you too need a bit of red wrap-around and that you're also doing #tryjanuary rather than Dry January, I've chosen a medium-bodied German red made from the offbeat Trollinger grape in Fellbach, north-east of Stuttgart. It's pale, perfumed and spicy with rounded red-berry fruit, refreshing acidity and touches of kirsch and pepper – pale in colour but not in flavour. Unusual as Trollinger is, you may have encountered it unwittingly, either as a black table grape called Black Hamburg or at Hampton Court Palace, where the famous 18th century vine under the name Black Hamburg is Trollinger. In its vinous form it goes with salmon, charcuterie, pasta and lighter meat dishes, rather than heavy casseroles or chunky steaks.
Weingut Ardinger Fellbacher Trollinger Alte Reben 2015, Württemberg, Germany
£14.95, The Wine Society