Q  I’m cooking a haggis for Burns’ Night but don’t know what type of wine to serve. Or should I serve whisky?

A  Certainly the Scots would - and there’s a lot to be said for it. The peatiness of whisky works really well with the gamey flavours of haggis but it’s not to everyone’s taste. You also might consider beer as I recommended in an article last year.

But if you prefer to serve wine there are several that would make perfectly good matches. I’d definitely go for a red rather than a white and a robust example at that. Haggis is generally served with neeps and tatties (swedes and mashed potatoes) and with a rich-tasting gravy, often with a dash of whisky so you need something that will stand up to the strong flavours.

Personally I quite enjoy a full-bodied new world Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz with a couple of years bottle age. Their sweet berry fruit seems to create just the right counterpoint to all those rustic, gamey flavours. There’s actually one called - appropriately enough - Bobbie Burns Shiraz which you should be able to find through the website wine-searcher.com A good, fruity Zinfandel would also work well.

If you’re less keen on the typically forward, fruity style of the New World I’d turn to southern France or Spain. Any characterful red from the Rhone or the Languedoc would work with haggis - something like a St Joseph, a Crozes Hermitage or a Faugères. Or a rioja reserva. I had an excellent one the other night - a Conde de la Salceda 2000 (not the current vintage) which is produced by the Navarra-based bodega Chivite - which was packed with lush fruit and would have hit the spot perfectly.