West African pork and peanut stew with Heartland Dolcetto & Lagrein

Quite an adventurous pairing this week which you might have thought on paper wouldn’t come off. A hot, spicy pork and peanut stew and a glass of Ben Glaetzer’s bold, ripe 2010 Heartland Dolcetto & Lagrein from South Australia's Langhorne Creek.

Two things I think made it work so well - one being the peanut element which is quite wine-friendly (the stew also went with the remains of the younger Mount Pleasant Elizabeth semillon I highlighted last week which was still showing well) and the fact that at 5 years old the Dolcetto & Lagrein had mellowed out beautifully and brought a note of ripe sweetness to the party without too much intrusive oak. I bought it from my local deli, Chandos, by the way who had it as a bin end*. It’s a good time to pick up bargains like this.

The recipe is a cracking one from chef Richard Turner’s Hog and I'd urge you to make the amazing ‘Master pork broth’ on which it’s based. You can find another great recipe from the book - pot roast pork with fennel, olives and orange here.

* Kenny's Wine Store in northern Ireland also has the 2010 online for £13.49. Great Western Wine has the 2012 for £13.50. In Australia they're on to the 2013 vintage. For other stockists see wine-searcher.com

Beetroot soup and English Pinot Noir

The other day I enjoyed a surprisingly good pairing of a beetroot soup with an English blend of Pinot Noir and Rondo from Kent winery Chapel Down at the London restaurant Roast. I say surprising a) because soup is difficult to pair and b) because the two are so similar in colour that you’d think the wine wouldn’t be a sufficient contrast to the soup. In fact its fruitiness and crisp acidity (the Rondo making it taste more like a mid-weight Italian red) was just the right counterpoint to the earthy rich character of the beetroot.

It was also an interesting match because the soup (which was smooth rather than clear like a borscht) was garnished with goats’ cheese and mint, normally ingredients that would point you in the direction of a Sauvignon Blanc.

It underlines the importance of identifying the dominant ingredient in a dish. Beetroot is a powerful ingredient whichever way its served and generally calls for a red rather than a white. I’ve also enjoyed it with Dolcetto.