Match of the week
Lemon roast chicken with spring vegetables and Brouilly
I’m always undecided as to whether I prefer red wine or white with roast chicken but of course it depends on the accompaniments and the time of year.
Last night we had it stuffed with lemon and sprinkled with a fantastic fines herbes mix of tarragon, chervil and chives I bought from the market in Nice a year or so ago. It’s a bit faded admittedly but I can’t bear to throw it away, the tarragon is so strong and the herbs so perfectly balanced.
I served it with asparagus, green beans and a mixture of celery and leeks braised in the lemony juices so it was as much a veggie dish really as a chickeny one.
The wine was a bottle of 2007 Brouilly La Croix des Rameaux from Jean-Claude Lapalu that had found its way into the back of the wine cupboard. Very funky on opening but delicious once decanted - still bright and fruity enough to keep the feel of the meal light and springlike but not remotely bubblegummy as you’d expect from a natural wine.
The dish would have gone equally well with a crisp white if I’d been inclined. I had a sip of not totally wonderful Falanghina with it which actually improved the taste of the wine. Chablis would have been good too.
Greco di Tufo with grilled seabass
I was reminded just how spectacularly, unexpectedly good southern Italian whites can be by a Slow Food wine dinner the other night at Flâneur to celebrate the publication of the English edition of their restaurant guide Osterie & Locande d’Italia. It was hosted by Feudi di San Gregorio, the iconic winery from Campania whose wines I haven’t tried for a while.
The winery is situated 40 minutes from Naples in the sub-region of Irpinia. It’s not at all what you imagine from Southern Italy: lushly vegetated and hilly - the vineyards are planted 500-700 metres above sea level - it suffers very cold winters and hot summers. The soils are partly volcanic.
The highlight of the evening for me was the recently released 2000 vintage of Feudi's Greco di Tufo which was paired with some little deep fried pastries called panzerotti. Quite delicious but I longed to try it with a simple piece of grilled fish such as seabass which I think would have been its best pairing. It was rich, dry and full but with a pure, crisp acidity that made it a fantastic partner for food.
I also loved the basic wine in their range, the Albente Irpinia Bianco, a blend of local grape varieties including Falanghina, Coda di Volpe and Fiano which makes a fine aperitif.
Incidentally the Osterie guide is a must-buy if you’re visiting Italy with details of all the restaurants that still serve distinctive, regional food.
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