Veal chop with sage and Eben Sadie Sequillo Red

I had lunch for the first time for a while at Hix’s Oyster and Chop House in Farringdon last week where I ordered - appropriately enough - a chop. In this instance a veal chop with sage butter.

It’s the kind of dish which suggests a classic red like a burgundy but my host, Giles Cooper of Bordeaux Index, boldly picked a 14.5% 2011 Sequillo Red from Eben Sadie instead which was absolutely perfect.

Sadie makes his wines in the Swartland and is one of South Africa’s most highly regarded young winemakers. Sequillo is a big generous Rhone-ish blend of Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache, Carignan and Cinsault and at around £17-£19 (£17.49 AG Wines, £17.50 by the case winedirect.co.uk) is a terrific buy. There’s not much left of that vintage about so snap it up. It's drinking perfectly.

There were also a couple of outstanding beer matches from the Brewers’ Association dinner I went to last Monday at Club Gascon. You can read about them here: Does craft beer suit posh food?