Roast pigeon and Salice Salentino

A slightly unseasonal but absolutely delicious wine pairing from Bjorn van der Horst’s much anticipated new restaurant Eastside Inn. The talented Van der Horst used to cook at the Greenhouse and then for Gordon Ramsay at La Noisette and has now branched out on his own. I’ll be posting a full review in the next couple of days but this, for me, was the outstanding match of the meal, selected by sommelier Thierry Sauvanot, also ex-Ramsay.

The key ingredient - a highly original twist - was a gooseberry compote which really keyed into the wine, a Cantele Salice Salentino 2006 from Puglia. It lifted it above the ordinary (not that there was anything wrong with it, it’s just an inexpensive wine) and made it taste sumptuously brambly and velvety. The other accompaniments - a rich but not over-heavy jus and some girolles acted as a good supporting cast.

A lesson that you don’t necessarily have to drink great wine with Michelin-starred food if the sommelier knows his job.

My meal at Eastside Inn was complimentary

Gorwydd Caerphilly and white burgundy

Cheese and wine is always a bit of a minefield so it’s good to find a partnership that works really well. This was one of six pairings laid on for the launch of the Bristol Wine and Food Fair which takes place next month (and at which I’m holding a number of Cheese and Wine Masterclasses, so do come along).

I’ve been a fan of Gorwydd (pronounced gor-with) Caerphilly for a while. It's made at Gorwydd Farm, Llanddewi Brefi, near Cardigan and is delicious: delicate, lactic, slightly creamy and crumbly - wonderful in spring and early summer salads with vegetables such as peas, broad beans and asparagus. (Celebrity chef Mark Hix is a big fan.)

It wouldn’t clash with a red wine but would be overwhelmed by most so the creamy Avery’s Fine White Burgundy with which it was partnered was pitch perfect - a textbook example of where the similarity in texture between food and wine makes a match work.

The Trethowans also have a shop in St Nicholas market in Bristol where they sell other classic modern British cheeses (as well as some fantastic toasties and Raclette). You can read about the other pairings on my blog The Cheeselover.

Lebanese mezze and Côtes de Provence rosé

Since I was in Provence for three days last week you might have expected me to come up with an all-Provençal pairing as my match of the week but in fact it was a lunch of Lebanese mezze that provided the best partner for the local rosé we were tasting.

Of course it shouldn’t have come as a surprise. I’ve drunk Lebanese rosés at Lebanese meals very happily before but hadn’t drawn the obvious conclusion that Provençal rosé, which are made in a similar style but are generally of better quality, would be just as successful.

The domaine which brought it to our attention was Château Coussin from the Sainte Victoire sub-region of the appellation which makes four different rosés, all of which I liked though it was the 2008 Château Maupague which I found myself reaching for most often. It was very light and crisp with fine, delicate strawberry fruit but a surprising intensity.

It handled all the mezze which included baba ganoush (aubergine purée), hummus, taramasalata, tabbouleh, stuffed vine leaves (very good) and an amazing tomato and burghul salad together with some little cheese and spinach and spicy sausage-filled pastries. The wine picked up on the freshness and delicate spicing of the food and proved a perfect companion to the meal.

At the moment this wine is not on sale in the UK but the domaine will be supplying a similar rosé called Cabaret to Oddbins in a couple of weeks’ time, I’ve been told.

Roast chicken with tarragon and asparagus and oaked white Bordeaux

When it’s as warm and sunny as it has been for the last few days I don’t really fancy a traditional English Sunday lunch or the sort of wines that go with it so yesterday we had one with a difference. A roast chicken, served warm or tiède, as the French call it with roast cauliflower and seared asparagus.

The chicken was flavoured with tarragon butter worked under the skin, as suggested by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in the Guardian this weekend and there was yet more tarragon, lemon and garlic inside the bird. No gravy, just the pan juices.

The obvious pairing would have been a good white burgundy or comparable cool climate Chardonnay but I thought it might work with a 2007 bottle of S de Suduiraut Bordeaux Blanc I had in the rack. Which it admirably did though whether that was due to the tarragon or the accompanying asparagus, which nicely picked up on the Sauvignon in the blend I’m not sure. Probably a bit of both.

The wine, which was sent to me to try, is an attractive one, made by a producer, Château Suduiraut, which is better known for its Sauternes. It hasn’t got quite the lushness you find in some oaked white Bordeaux but it is still quite young. I was also battling a cold. But in general I feel wines like this are distinctly underrated.