Cold rare fillet of beef and Cinsault

Given that it’s been in the mid-30s in the Cape Winelands recently it’s not surprising the local prefer their beef cold rather than hot but that also requires a change of thinking - from full-bodied to lighter reds.

The wine I’ve been finding hits the spot perfectly is Cinsault (or Cinsaut as it’s sometimes spelt) a traditional Cape grape variety that’s being given a new lease of life producing wines that are more like Beaujolais in style

The one that prompted this post was the 2014 Hinterland Cinsaut from Blackwater - a beautifully pristine, fresh, fragrant young wine that went perfectly with a beef fillet marinated (I would guess) with garlic and herbs, simply seared, cooled and served rare.

Cabernet Franc is another good candidate for cold roast beef as I discovered at Warwick as of course is pinot noir but we haven’t been in pinot country for the last couple of days. Good tip to remember for summer!

Image © koss13 on fotolia.com

Peter Gordon's beef pesto and Pencarrow pinot noir

I found myself back in an old haunt last week - Peter Gordon’s The Providores in London’s Marylebone High Street. As the bar was crowded we went up to the restaurant and treated ourselves to the à la carte*

This was a classic from Peter’s Sugar Club days - a dish of incredibly tender beef fillet with a warm chard, courgette and beetroot salad with a garlic dressing, green pesto and kalamata olives. It was great with the wine I was drinking, a bright, fruity 2011 Pencarrow Pinot Noir from Martinborough that I’d chosen as a versatile option with the myriad flavours that Peter puts on the plate but I suspect those ingredients, especially the garlic, pesto and olives would have made almost any red wine sing.

Pencarrow turns out to be an introductory range from the prestigious Palliser estate which accounts for the quality. You can currently buy it as a bin end from loveyourwine.co.uk for £10.99, on special offer from the New Zealand House of Wine if you buy two bottles, and £12.79 from Noel Young wines. (Check wine-searcher.com for other stockists.)

*Great food but not a cheap option. We spent £130 for 2 for 3 courses, 1 side and 2 glasses of wine. If you're looking for a casual supper I'd stick to the Tapa Room downstairs. The winelist in both is excellent though.

Kylie Kwong's roasted beef fillet with Cape Mentelle Cabernet Merlot

Celebrations come thick and fast at this time of the year - first Burns' Night, and now Chinese New Year and Australia Day. Since both fall on the same day this year I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone (terrible expression but you know what I mean) and mark the Year of the Ox with a beef recipe matched with an Australian wine.

Appropriately enough the recipe - a barely seared beef fillet dressed with a punchy sweet and sour dressing - comes from Australia-based chef Kylie Kwong whose family originally came from China.

This is the kind of dish you could serve with either a red or white wine so I'd go for a (relatively) cool climate red with sweet fruit and supple tannins, a description that perfectly fits the Cape Mentelle Cabernet Merlot available from Waitrose and independent wine merchants for £11-£12.50 a bottle.

Image © Igor Klimov - Fotolia

Filet 'sliders' and Pinot Noir

Those of you who have read my report yesterday on the 20th anniversary of Charlie Trotter’s will know I’ve spent the last few days in Chicago eating some quite amazing food. But occasionally you need a change from all that gourmet fare and I found it in that great Chicago institution Gibsons steakhouse where they serve something called a ‘Gold Coast Slider’.

Basically it’s like a cross between a brioche roll and a mini hamburger bun filled with different fillings. Gibsons does three - a Tilapia (fish) slider with tartar sauce, a tuna salad slider and, best of all a ‘filet slider’ - a small medallion of beef with Maitre ‘d butter (butter with parsley and lemon juice)

As it’s served at the beginning of the meal (and only at lunchtime) you want a lighter red with it than you would with a conventional steak and we just hit on the perfect bottle in the form of a 2005 Monterey County Pinot Noir from Chalone, a generously lush Pinot that would make any Pinot lover happy. It bears out my recent discovery (see the October issue of Decanter) that Pinot Noir is a particularly good pairing with fillet steak.

It would also make a great party canapé if you could just find the right rolls.