Lebanese mezze and Côtes de Provence rosé

Since I was in Provence for three days last week you might have expected me to come up with an all-Provençal pairing as my match of the week but in fact it was a lunch of Lebanese mezze that provided the best partner for the local rosé we were tasting.

Of course it shouldn’t have come as a surprise. I’ve drunk Lebanese rosés at Lebanese meals very happily before but hadn’t drawn the obvious conclusion that Provençal rosé, which are made in a similar style but are generally of better quality, would be just as successful.

The domaine which brought it to our attention was Château Coussin from the Sainte Victoire sub-region of the appellation which makes four different rosés, all of which I liked though it was the 2008 Château Maupague which I found myself reaching for most often. It was very light and crisp with fine, delicate strawberry fruit but a surprising intensity.

It handled all the mezze which included baba ganoush (aubergine purée), hummus, taramasalata, tabbouleh, stuffed vine leaves (very good) and an amazing tomato and burghul salad together with some little cheese and spinach and spicy sausage-filled pastries. The wine picked up on the freshness and delicate spicing of the food and proved a perfect companion to the meal.

At the moment this wine is not on sale in the UK but the domaine will be supplying a similar rosé called Cabaret to Oddbins in a couple of weeks’ time, I’ve been told.

Les-Baux-de-Provence and civet de sanglier (wild boar stew)

I went to a great little bistro the other day in St-Rémy-de-Provence called - appropriately enough - Bistro Découverte. It’s run by a very talented young sommelier I used to know in London called Claude Douard who worked for Marco Pierre White and Joel Rebuchon.

As you’d expect, the wine list is awesome but there are also plenty of good local wines to drink at modest prices, several of which are available by the glass. We particularly enjoyed a soft, plummy La Chapelle de Romanin Les-Baux-de-Provence 2003, the unoaked wine of Château Romanin which was a perfect match with the plat du jour, a robust wild boar stew served with a sauce grand veneur (classic French game sauce). Made from the estate's younger vines, the wine was a typically southern French blend of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvdre, Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise with some added Cabernet Sauvignon.

The bistro is apparently well patronised by local winemakers - the legendary Eloi Durrbach of Domaine de Trevallon was sitting on the next door table.