Roast venison and madeira

It was a tough call coming up with a single wine pairing last week - there were so many good ones but I’m going for this combination because it’s such a cool serving suggestion.

It was at a very glitzy event hosted by Marks & Spencer and themed around clementines (featured in this course as clementine steamed dumplings though I don’t think this had a huge effect on the match)

The venison was served with a glass of madeira which I’m guessing was probably this 5 year old medium rich then a beefy stock was poured into the empty glass. (Nice idea though I don’t think it picked up quite enough madeira flavour. I think you’d want to leave half a shot in the glass to get the full effect - or make the ‘tea’ with a good slug of madeira in it.)

I also reckon it would lend itself well to roast beef. A bit like drinking a savoury hot toddy. (As an alternative to gravy rather than with it)

* Sorry about the pic. The very jazzy lighting effects meant that the original was bright pink!

Sponsored feature: 10 ways to enjoy your favourite Provence rosé this Christmas

Rosé at Christmas! Well, why on earth not? We enjoy white wine year round and reds in the summer so why not enjoy what has become one of the most popular styles of rosé at this joyful time of year?

Provence rosé has been booming in last few years, accounting for just under 40% of France’s AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégée) rosés with 165 million bottles produced in 2014. As you may know it’s made mainly from red wine grapes (the local Cinsault, Tibouren, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Grenache). Although most wines from the region share the characteristic freshness and delicate pale colour of the Provence style, there’s a range of options from Provence.Crisp and fruity rosés from a recent vintage are perfect for seafood and salads, richer, weightier rosés from older vintages can handle richer dishes and even roast meats.

Here are some of the ways you can enjoy them best over the holiday period:

With smoked salmon

It’s not only the taste - the acidity of a fresh crisp rosé cuts through the oiliness of the fish and complements its delicate, smoky flavour - but the look. Pale pink fish with a pretty pale pink wine just looks gorgeous. (You can obviously pair it with poached or seared salmon too.)

With seafood starters and canapés

The French like to indulge in a classic plateau de fruits de mer (raw seafood platter) over Christmas and Provence rosé is the ideal accompaniment. Even if you don’t share that tradition do try it with prawns, fresh crab or a seafood tartare

With grilled fish

If you’re serving grilled or roast fish on Christmas Eve, as many do, a fuller-bodied style of Provence rosé makes a perfect match. It’s a good centrepiece for a New Year’s Eve dinner party too

With salads

From starter salads to Boxing Day (or New Year’s Day) buffets Provence rosé’s versatility really comes into play with crunchy raw vegetables and zingy dressings

With roast turkey

It might seem unlikely but there are more full-bodied styles of rosé that work really well with roast meats for those who find red wines a touch heavy. Look out for some of the fancier Provence rosés in beautiful bottle shapes or buy a magnum to put on the table.

With the turkey leftovers

This is where Provence rosés come into their own: Boxing Day leftovers, turkey sandwiches (rosé’s great with cranberry sauce), spicy Asian-style salads and mild curries like turkey korma can all benefit from the touch of freshness that a Provence rosé brings

With vegetarian main courses

Many of us need to cater for vegetarian friends and family members and Provence rosés pair particularly well with a festive veggie pie or roast, especially if it includes Mediterranean vegetables. They’re great with middle-eastern flavours too.

With a cheeseboard (or a late night fridge-raid)

A refreshing rosé is sometimes just what you need after a rich meal so don’t feel you have to pass the port with the stilton. And keep a bottle of Provence rosé in the fridge for those late night fridge raids. It’s particularly good with goats cheeses and brie.

With fresh fruit

There’s usually loads of fresh fruit around at Christmas so sip a glass with your clementines or fresh fruit salad. Rosé is perfect with fresh berries too.

With a sofa, a blanket and your favourite boxed set

Come on, the cook needs a break! Let your family do the washing-up while you put your feet up with a glass and relax ….

For more information about Provence rose visit Provence Wines and follow their Facebook page and Twitter feed (@ProvenceWinesUK)

Photograph © CIVP/F.Millo

Gruyère and 20 year old tawny port

Port and cheese is one of those combinations that hardly needs questioning but there are some variants on the theme that still have the ability to surprise as I discovered when I worked my way through a selection of Taylor's ports and Paxton & Whitfield cheeses the other day.

My favourite - partly because it’s one of my favourite styles - was a 20 year old tawny with a deeply savoury reserve (in other words, aged) Gruyère (bottom right) which brought out exotic quince notes in the wine. I also liked a salty Manchego which made the accompanying, slightly retiring 2002 Quinta de Vargellas port taste of Elvas plums.

As you’d expect a 10 year old tawny was a spot on match with a mature cheddar but more unexpectedly a very young ruby port (First Estate Reserve) went surprisingly well with a Bosworth ash log - like having a rich fruit compote on the side. The only combination I wasn’t really convinced by was a spicy 2010 late bottled vintage with a creamy Brillat-Savarin which needed a wine with more acidity.

Of course this is not typically the way you eat cheese - you’re much more likely to have a selection - and in my view the 10 year old tawny and late bottled vintage styles are the best all-rounders. But it does show that if you have a decent piece of Gruyère in the fridge you can nibble it as well as cook with it. Dry oloroso, as I discovered a few years ago, is also a good partner.

I was sent the ports and cheeses to try by Taylor's port and Paxton & Whitfield cheese.

Lamb tagine with a chorizo-infused beer

It’s unusual for me to have two consecutive beer pairings as my match of the week but not surprising given that this week’s comes from an excellent beer dinner at The Bull, Highgate to mark the launch of Canadian beer and food expert Stephen Beaumont’s Beer and Food Companion

The menu was based on recipes in the book of which the most striking combination was based on a lamb tagine from chef Martin Bosley of Bosley’s Pantry in Wellington, a city which is considered the craft beer capital of New Zealand. I wouldn’t normally think of a tagine as the ideal match for beer even though the recipe includes a hefty 600ml of pale ale but the pairing with the London Brewing Co’s* Project Calavera (6.7%), an imperial mild flavoured with chorizo, cocoa, chilli and cinnamon and 'dry-hopped' with dehydrated chorizo, was just brilliant. (Beaumont also suggests Traquair House ale as a good match.)

Other pairings that worked particularly well were Alaskan Brewing Co’s Smoked porter with an oxtail soup and Stone & Wood Pacific Pale ale with a Galaxy hop-aromatized cheese - a great idea from another beer writer Lucy Saunders. You can apparently make your own quite easily with dried hops - see p 147 of the book.

I attended the dinner as a guest of publisher Jacqui Small.

*Which is based at The Bull.