Lasagna and Georgian saperavi

I’m beginning to think lasagna or lasagne is one of the perfect dishes to pair with a good red wine - it seems to go with practically every bottle you throw at it (metaphorically speaking).

Last week it was a saperavi from Teliani Valley - their Glekhuri Kisishevi Saperavi Qvevri 2021.

It’s aged, as you can see from the name of the wine, in qvevri, the distinctive clay pots that are  used for ageing in Georgia and which give the wine a deeply savoury character.

I always think you need a red with some acidity with lasagne which is a rich dish. But the wine's exotically wild briary fruit was a delicious contrast too.

You can buy it online from The Secret Bottle Shop for £19.95.

There’s no picture of the bottle or the lasagne I’m afraid as I was round at a friend’s and off-duty so this is a stock photo.

For other possible wine matches see The best wine pairings for lasagna.

Image ©neil langan at shutterstock.com 

Vincisgrassi and Saint-Aubin

I love a collaborative cooking project so when I stayed with my friend food writer Fiona Sims at the weekend we embarked on a vincisgrassi, an elaborate mushroom lasagne from Rachel Roddy’s fantastic book, an A-Z of Pasta. It was made famous by Franco Taruschio of the Walnut Tree but you can find Rachel’s version here. (Note the fabulous crisp edges!)

It’s an incredibly rich dish with parma ham, parmesan, porcini and cream which needs a wine with both texture and a fresh acidity to set it off.

We didn’t have anything suitable from Italy but I’d brought along a bottle of 2018 Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Les Charmes from Domaine Paul Pillot which proved absolutely perfect even though we could have easily waited another year or two to drink it. Obviously we could have substituted another white burgundy like a Puligny Montrachet or other cool climate chardonnay.

See also The Best Food Pairings with White Burgundy