Wine not

Another victim of the seasonal raid on my Good Stuff was a bottle of Cantillon Vigneronne which had been in the stash since March: far too long, really. I took it out to have as an aperitif on Christmas Day, and it really worked rather well as an overture to Mrs Beer Nut's onion soup.

It has all the fun, sharp, sourness of the other Cantillon beers, but the added complexity isn't extra fruity zinginess for a change. Instead, the addition of white grapes adds a distinct floral layer to the front of the flavour, a kind of lavender and elderflower perfume. I liked it a lot more than the red grape variety they do, Saint Lamvinus. Vigneronne has knocked some of the edges off hard gueuze, but leaves enough of a bite there for it to be enjoyable to lambic purists. Well worth a try.