Wines to pair with Amy Willcox's dinner party dishes

Now that we're all tightening our belts dinner parties are back in fashion. There are some good tips for home entertaining in the Daily Telegraph today from Amy Willcock who made her name as an AGA cooking expert. Here are my wine suggestions to match her recipes:

Antipasti
A great starter to serve if you're busy (Willcok suggests never cooking more than two dishes yourself) You could either go (and I would) for a dry Italian white such as a Soave or a good quality Pinot Grigio from the Alto Adige region of Italy or for the fashionable Spanish white Albarino.

Fillet of beef with peppercorn and coriander crust
Although the peppercorns and coriander will make this roast a little more spicy as will the accompanying horseradish cream this is basically a dish that will partner most medium-bodied fruity reds (I'd avoid a blockbuster Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon) When I researched steak and wine I found Pinot Noir was the ideal match for fillet so that would be my own personal choice though you could easily drink a modern, supple, Merlot-dominated Bordeaux

Fresh figs with ricotta cheese, almonds and amaretto with melted chocolate
A rich, luscious but complicated dessert that will defeat most lighter dessert wines (there's also orange rind and honey in it) The only wine I think would stand up to it is Italy's famous Vin Santo but it's expensive and as you've had to buy amaretto (Disaronno, presumably) for the recipe you might as well use it and serve chilled shots or little glasses of it alongside.

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