Chateau d’Yquem with Gorgonzola and a pressed apple terrine

OK, I don’t expect you to have a bottle of Chateau d’Yquem to hand, let alone a 1999 or 1989 vintage but this would work with any mature or not-so-mature Sauternes or similar sweet Bordeaux

It was served at a lunch at Portland restaurant in London to launch the 2019 vintage of Yquem, which is absolutely delicious by the way. (No I don’t do this every day!)

The restaurant chose to pair it with a Gorgonzola naturale, pressed apple terrine, thyme honey and hazelnuts. They could have served it with the Gorgonzola on its own of course but the terrine just added an element that linked to the wine. (By this stage the 89 tasted more like vintage Oxford marmalade than the luscious lemon and honey flavours of the 2019.)

It’s a lovely way of serving Gorgonzola anyway. I’m a great fan of showcasing a single cheese rather than serving a huge selection, one of which is bound to clash with the wine.

The 2019 doesn’t seem to be available in store yet but you can buy a half bottle of the 2018 for £146 from Berry Bros and Rudd should you feel like splashing out.

See also The Best Food Pairings for Sauternes

I ate at Portland as a guest of Chateau d’Yquem.

Paella with pork, chorizo and spinach and palo cortado sherry

There’s still a tendency to think of sherry as an aperitif or just for drinking with tapas but it can go really well with a more substantial dish as I was reminded this week.

One of my Zoom cooking groups had decided to cook from the Moro cookbook, which was, incredibly, published back in 2001 but still feels really fresh and relevant.

I made a dish which they describe as a paella but which is more like a typical Spanish ‘arroz’ dish made without tomatoes, saffron or seafood. The key ingredients were pork, chorizo and spinach (I substituted chard) but the element which made it so particularly delicious was the slow cooked umami-rich onions and peppers. There was also a spicy note from the pimenton and cascabel chillies which I used as a substitute for the dried nora peppers recommended in the dish but probably needed cooking rather longer than the 15/20 minutes it took to cook the rice.

I tried a couple of reds with it but settled in the end for a glass of Hidalgo’s fabulous Wellington 20 year old palo cortado which chimed in perfectly with all the deep savoury flavours. Amazingly it had been open for weeks but was still wonderfully rich and nutty. You can buy it from indies such as Eynsham Cellars for £28-30 a bottle but Waitrose does a decent own label one for £11.99. A dry amontillado would work too.

I have to say that Spanish rice dishes are a lot easier than risottos (or should that be risotti?) as you don’t have to stir them. And equally, if not more tasty.

For other palo cortado and amontillado pairings click here.