Matching Food & Wine | Match of the week

Roasted asparagus and Jersey royal salad with herb mayonnaise and a 2012 Saumur Champigny

Fiona Beckett — Mon, 20 May 2013 08:35:00 +0100

Asparagus, it’s often said, is tough to match with wine, let alone a red, but this combination with a light, chilled Saumur Champigny at the re-opened Bell’s Diner in Bristol was a perfect pairing.

Salt cod with ciambotta di peperoni and 2004 Argentiera, Bolgheri Superiore

Fiona Beckett — Tue, 14 May 2013 08:35:00 +0100

Another interesting insight on pairing red wine and fish in Tuscany this week. We were served lightly salted cod with a rich tomato and pepper stew called ciambotta at Tenuta Argentiera which proved a perfect match for the mature 2004 vintage.

Rhubarb cheesecake and 2007 Peller Estates Cabernet Franc Ice Wine

Fiona Beckett — Mon, 06 May 2013 17:21:00 +0100

With four days in Edinburgh and three at the Ballymaloe Food & Drink Litfest in Co Cork this weekend I’ve been overwhelmed with good food and drink matches but as I haven’t singled out a dessert for a while I’m making Tom Kitchin’s Rhubarb cheesecake my hero dish this week.

Brill with oxtail and Domaine Tempier Bandol

Fiona Beckett — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 07:52:00 +0100

About the most unlikely wine match you could imagine - a delicate fish with a 19 year old red wine - but it worked! Which shows you can always be surprised by food and wine pairing.

Slow roast pork belly with a ‘Gardener’s Old Fashioned’

Fiona Beckett — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 08:15:00 +0100

Pork and apple is, of course, a match made in heaven but the pairing was taken to new heights for me by mixologist Jack Adair Bevan of The Ethicurean who invented an Old Fashioned cocktail with a twist to go with a dish of slow roast pork.

Blesbok loin with root vegetables, num num and 2010 Delaire Graff Botmaskop

Fiona Beckett — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:46:00 +0100

Another week of brilliant pairings, another tough decision to make but I’m going for this combination at Delaire restaurant in Stellenbosch because it was such a great dish.

Asparagus mousse, peas and oyster with Donkiesbaai Steen

Fiona Beckett — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 06:19:00 +0100

I’ve been reminded during the last few days in the Cape Winelands of the great versatility of Chenin Blanc also known locally by its Afrikaans name Steen but this was the standout pairing.

Chicken with pomegranate molasses and orange iced tea

Fiona Beckett — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 07:42:00 +0100

One of the areas of food and drink pairing I’m always trying to crack is soft drinks - so it’s good to find an inspired match that really hits the spot - not too sweet as most soft drinks are for me.

Duck a l’orange and Gramenon Poignée de Raisins 2011

Fiona Beckett — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 06:55:00 +0000

It’s such a long time since I’ve eaten duck à l’orange that I’ve rather lost track of the best match for it but the vivid, joyous Gramenon Poignée de Raisins I was offered last week by the sommelier at Brasserie Chavot proved the perfect pairing.

Soft boiled eggs with anchoiade and radicchio and Bourgueil

Fiona Beckett — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 09:53:00 +0000

Last week’s best pairing was at a fascinating meal I had at Les 110 de Taillevent in Paris which I’ll be writing up in more detail so here’s an off-the-wall match from last night’s feast at The Unfiltered Dog - a pop up restaurant at the Real Wine Fair run by the team from Terroirs.

Braised rabbit and Château Fond Cyprès Syrah de la Pinède

Fiona Beckett — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 08:17:00 +0000

Most of this past week has been spent in Paris where almost every wine match is a good one. There’s been a lot of Beaujolais - and other Gamay - drinking and a fair amount of crisp dry whites such as Aligoté - but the pairing I’m going to pick is a Syrah I didn’t know with a stonking great plateful of braised rabbit at the legendary Baratin.

Venison cottage pie and a ‘lunchtime claret’

Fiona Beckett — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 07:54:00 +0000

This week’s match is a blast from the past - a visit to the historic Rules restaurant in London’s Covent Garden where we tucked into the kind of food you’d have eaten 50 years ago - if not 100.

Prosecco and jelly

Fiona Beckett — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 12:37:00 +0000

Is there a good match for jelly and ice-cream? A dessert wine can seem too heavy - and ice cream can strip out its sweetness - but prosecco is perfect, as I discovered at the weekend.

Tipsy cake, roast pineapple and Chateau d’Yquem

Fiona Beckett — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 09:09:00 +0000

Let’s face it, I don’t get to drink Chateau d’Yquem every day so what else could last week’s match of the week be than this stellar pairing I had at Dinner at Heston Blumenthal?

Grosset off-dry riesling with a Chinese New Year’s Eve feast

Fiona Beckett — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 09:33:00 +0000

We had a great feast with friends on Saturday night to celebrate the Chinese New Year, cooking a range of dishes from Fuchsia Dunlop’s fabulous Every Grain of Rice about which I was raving last week.

Westcombe cheddar and apple pie and Blenheim Superb dessert cider

Fiona Beckett — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 16:12:00 +0000

Last week we had one of our periodic Cheese Schools - an event where we explore the best artisanal British cheeses and pair different drinks with them. A regular feature is a beer vs wine ‘smackdown’ but I sneaked in this amazing Blenheim Superb dessert cider* from Once Upon a Tree with the pud.

Dom Pérignon rosé 2002 and sweet shrimp

Fiona Beckett — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:29:00 +0000

I was in two minds about making this my match of the week because I’m not sure that the new DP vintage rosé - like many great wines - doesn’t taste better on its own.

Fried acedias and Hidalgo Pastrana Manzanilla Pasada

Fiona Beckett — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:43:00 +0000

Last week I was in Sanlucar, the Spanish town in the south of Spain where they make manzanilla, so what else could my match of the week be but a sherry?

Tunworth cheese and Hubert Lignier Charmes Chambertin

Fiona Beckett — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 07:54:00 +0000

Whenever I see a producer is about to pair their best wine with cheese my heart sinks, particularly if the cheese is ripe and the wine red. But on this occasion - a tasting and lunch at the Quality Chop House - it worked.

Homemade Dundee cake and Midleton Very Rare whiskey

Fiona Beckett — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 09:00:00 +0000

What do you eat with a great bottle of Irish whiskey? Fruit cake might seem a bit frivolous to some and even brand you as, well . . . a bit of a fruitcake, but I can highly recommend it.