Pear frangipane tart with Pacherenc du Vic Bilh

If you want to show off a fine dessert wine the ideal match is a simple French apple or pear tart, so there should be no surprise then at this pairing of a pear frangipane tart (pears with a spongey almond base) and a Pacherenc de Vic Bilh cuvée 'Octobre'.

The most interesting aspect of the partnership was the wine which was came from one of the region's most celebrated producers Alain Brumont. Pacherenc du Vic Bilh is a tiny appellation in the south-west of France which makes wines similar in style to a Jurançon, both ideal partners for the local foie gras. Despite coming from the 2000 vintage it was still full of life with luscious peachy fruit and perfectly balanced acidity.

The tart was neither home-made (very few French make tarts from scratch, taking the view that that's what boulangeries - and even supermarkets - are for) nor particularly distinguished but paired with the wine and accompanied by a good scoop of crème fraïche d'Isigny the combination took on an extra dimension. Which is what food and wine matching is all about.

Image © Silvano Rebai - Fotolia.com

Cold roast pork with apple and Chardonnay

I had a reminder last week of just how good Chardonnay can be with meat given the right accompaniments.

It was at a new South-African owned London restaurant called High Timber and was rather an elaborate starter of pulled shoulder of Middle White pork, served cold with balls of poached apple, apple and vanilla purée and a crisp wafer of crackling.

The restaurant owner Neleen Strauss suggested a glass of full bodied 2008 Jordan Chardonnay (Jordan are co-owners of the restaurant) which was an excellent pairing, matching the pork weight for weight and picking up on the apple and vanilla. An old vine Chenin Blanc would have been worked too - and you could of course serve those ingredients rather more simply.

I also found the Jordan Merlot a pretty good match for the cheese selection I picked out which included a Tomme Brule, a Pecorino and a Brillat Truffe (a Brie-like cheese layered with truffles) though it struggled a bit with a Fourme de Maury, a blue cheese spiked with Maury wine just as a Stilton can be spiked with port. Maury would in fact have been better.

For a full review of the restaurant click here

Crisp duck salad with Fielding Estate Riesling

I came across so many great wine pairings in Toronto last week it's hard to pick out one but this dish just shaves it as my match of the week.

It was at one of the most exciting restaurants I went to, Nota Bene, whose young chef David Lee weaves Asian and French influences into his menu to create food that epitomises what this exciting food city now has to offer.

The salad was simply sensational - crispy duck (from Quebec) given a twist with a dusting of sumac and served with cashews, noodles and a green papaya slaw in which I also detected chilli, mint and Thai basil. It was singingly fresh - just perfect with an intense citrussy 2007 Riesling from Fielding Estate in Niagara which won a gold medal in the Canadian wine awards last year (2008).

You probably wouldn't automatically think of pairing duck and Riesling but this was a really sensational match.

Citrus fizz and Mexican food

If you’re not drinking for whatever reason - because you’re driving, pregnant or just taking a break - it’s sometimes difficult to find something that makes a good match for what you’re eating. Soft drinks can be sweet and sugary. Water sometimes too plain.

I found just the answer in a Mexican restaurant called Wahaca in the amazing new Westfield shopping centre (which is HUGE) in West London the other day. Described as a Citrus Fizz it was a bit like a rum-less Mojito. Muddled mint, lime juice and a dash of sugar syrup over ice, topped up with sparkling water and garnished with a slice of lime.

Deliciously refreshing and perfect with zingy Mexican ingredients like salsa fresca and tomatillo sauce, it would be good with seafood too.