Roast squash with sage and Crozes-Hermitage

I generally think of chardonnay when I’m pairing squash or pumpkin but this dish at the excellent wine bar and shop Cave in Bristol at our freelancers’ Christmas get-together last week suggested another good option.]

It was a dish of roast squash with goats curd, crispy sage and ample quantities of brown butter which, yes, would have gone with chardonnay but was also brilliantly good with a slightly wild, almost natural 2021 Crozes-Hermitage from Jean Louis Chave

While chardonnay would have complemented the sweet buttery flavours the Crozes-Hermitage picked up on the bitterness of the sage which chimed in perfectly with the wild briary edges of the syrah. A mellow middle-aged wine rather than a vibrant young one.

The wine, which is called Silène is from Chave’s Sélection range which is designed to be drunk earlier than his top wines. You can buy the 2021 from AG Wines for £27.95 while Yapp Brothers have the 2022 for £22.

What else to drink with squash and pumpkin

For other insights into the effect herbs can have on a wine pairing see What wine (or other drinks) should you pair with herbs

Arbroath smokie mousse and leeks with Vinho Verde

I’ve been dying to eat at The Goods Shed in Canterbury since I first walked through its doors and was blown away by the range and quality of the produce they have on sale there and I finally made it last week.

It’s a bit like an indoor farmers’ market with different stalls including a first rate butcher and fishmonger. They also have a small restaurant space down one side that makes full use of the ingredients that are on display.

They’d sadly run out of crab tart but told us there was a replacement dish of Arbroath smokie mousse with poached leeks and radishes. I’m guessing the smokie, which is a type of smoked haddock, was poached in milk then anointed with drops of leek- or maybe parsley-infused oil.

Anyway it was absolutely delicious and a brilliant match for the 2023 Azevedo Vinho Verde I’d picked off the list, a blend of alvarinho and loureiro. Crisp, dry and slightly saline as opposed to the spritzy off-dry style that the region used to produce.

It’s great value too. You can buy it currently from Waitrose  for £9.99 though it is quite often on promotion.

Albarino would of course work with that sort of dish too.

For other alvarinho - and albarino - matches see

The best pairings for albarino (and alvarinho) 

Pork apricot and pistachio terrine with an Old-fashioned cocktail

Since my trip to Mexico where wine was particularly expensive I’ve been drinking rather more cocktails (no comment!) and so have been thinking about the fact that they may still be what you’re sipping when the first course arrives

I thought that was possible at The Corner House in Canterbury who make their own Old Fashioned with Copper Rivet Masthouse whisky which they age for 30 days in their own oak barrels and so consciously ordered a pork, apricot and pistachio terrine which I thought might go with it.

In fact it did - really well. There was a slight orangey note to the drink that worked well with the pork and apricot and the whisky offset perfectly the slight fattiness of the terrine.

It would be easy to replicate at home too. Even if you’re don’t make your own terrine (nor do I!) you can easily pick one from a good deli and you can even buy pre-bottled Old Fashioned these days. Harvey Nichols does a good one which would make a nice Christmas present

If you want to make one from scratch, which is really easy if you have the right ingredients, there’s a good guide to making one on the liquor.com site.

For other pork pairings see Which wines pair best with pork

Olives and Côte Rôtie

You’ll have to forgive me the vagueness of this week’s match of the week, which is actually more of a hack, but I’ve largely been desk-bound so it’s been slim pickings.

I could have written about how well tacos go with margaritas but I don’t think that comes as news to anyone.

But last night when I was at my music club (like a book club only we share music tracks) I was sipping a Côte Rôtie (one of the top wines from the Northern Rhône) that one generous member had brought along and distractedly nibbling a few olives and was struck by how delicious the olives made the wine taste. I mean it was good anyway but the olives made it seem even more sumptuous.

It’s not the first time I’ve had that insight but I’d forgotten about it. The reason is that the salinity of the olives accentuates the richness and fruit in the wine. It doesn’t in my view work with wines that are already soft and fruity but with the savoury, almost gamey Côte Rôtie it was transformative.

Not that there aren’t more interesting things to pair with Côte Rôtie (read this article for inspiration) but you might consider adding olives to a dish.

(Can’t tell you what the wine was, I’m afraid. As I say I was distracted by the music, taking time only to grab this somewhat blurry photo!)

See also The best food pairings for syrah