Seafood tapas and Txakoli

Despite its almost unpronounceable name Txakoli (pronounced chackoly) is the new kid on the block for anyone who likes a crisp dry white wine.

It comes from Spain’s Basque country and is a clean-as-a-whistle, super-sharp white with a slight spritz that’s brilliant with any kind of seafood.

I had a glass of the 2013 Ameztoi Txakoli at the latest branch of Barrafina in Adelaide Street last week which was particularly good with the deep fried fish dishes such as ortiguillas (sea anemones) and with a delicious fresh-tasting salad of fennel, radishes and pears. They pour it with great ceremony from a bottle held high in the air - a bit like they serve fino sherry in Jerez.

You can buy it from Highbury Vintners for £13 - they also suggest anchovies as a good match which sounds a good call.

I made another Txakoli my match of the week back in September so you can see I'm slightly obsessed with it at the moment. If you're a fan of Muscadet, Picpoul and Vinho Verde you’ll love it.

Currywurst and pils

What on earth do you drink with currywurst? Last week I was in Berlin so had the perfect opportunity to find out.

Currywurst, in case you’re wondering, is basically a large frankfurter-type sausage served with a spicy tomato sauce although many stands and restaurants have their own version. At Curry 66 in Friedrichshain they had a menu of 9 sauces, 3 of which were house sauces and the rest for for hard-core chilli sauce addicts. (I opted for the no. 3 but tried a tiny dab of the comparatively tame no. 5 which practically blew my head off). The wurst was served with an extra sprinkling of curry powder and chips with mayo and more ketchup - much nicer than it sounds, I promise!

The fresh crisp Berliner Pilsner that was on offer in the drinks fridge proved the ideal match for the sweet-spicy-salty combination. Even if I could have chosen a wine (an off-dry riesling, maybe?) I wouldn’t have been tempted - and nor would any self-respecting Berliner I’d guess.

(You can buy Berliner Pilsner in the UK from beersofeurope.co.uk. You might have to go to Berlin for the currywurst ...)

Soumaintrain and Chablis

There were many great pairings to pick from in Chablis last week but the one I’m going for is a cheese I was relatively unfamiliar with: Soumaintrain

It’s an unpasteurised soft cow’s milk cheese from burgundy that is washed with brine and Marc de Bourgogne (a grappa-like spirit) but generally has a creamier texture and less pungent flavour than Epoisses - or at least it did in the Chablis region where the exterior of the cheese is ivory white rather than yellow or orange.

I think younger cheeses work best with a younger Chablis or premier cru Chablis of, say, 2-3 years old while more mature ones benefit from a vieilles vignes (old vines), older vintages or a grand cru Chablis. I’m not sure I’d open a grand cru especially for the cheese course but if you were drinking one with the main course it would work perfectly with the cheese. Much better than most red burgundy, in my opinion.

More to follow on Chablis pairings in due course . . .

Oysters and La Amistad 2013 - a young fresh red from Alicante

It’s generally held that red wine doesn’t pair with oysters unless they’re served, as in Bordeaux, with little crepinettes (pork patties) or spicy sausages but I found a wine last week that suited them perfectly.

It was at the oyster fest held by Newman Street Tavern to celebrate the new season's oysters which were served, beautifully fresh, with a choice of condiments including herb and shallot vinegar.

There was also a choice of drinks including cider (too sweet, in my opinion), Guinness, white wine (didn’t choose it so can’t remember which) and, best of all, a chilled Spanish Rojal from Alicante called La Amistad. It was pale, fresh, very dry and tasted a bit like tart wild cherries which made it improbably good with the oysters - especially served without either of the vinegars. It’s available in the UK from The Real Wine Fair online shop for £12.06. L'atypique Wines has the 2012 vintage

I also drank another lovely natural red - a Plousard - with fish (seabass) when Alice Waters of Chez Panisse came over to cook at Sally Clarke’s last week. You can read about the match and the meal on my blog.