Prawn laksa and dry German riesling

It was a bumper week for wine pairings with some classic favourites such as pork and Beaujolais (an excellent Fleurie at Cora Pearl) and oysters and muscadel (at the new Hawksmoor in Edinburgh) but I’m going for this riesling pairing as it solves the thorny problem of what to drink with laksa.

Actually I discovered I’d flagged this up once before but 8 years ago so it felt it was worth reminding you. The laksa was at the newly opened - and wildly popular* - Sambal Shiok in Islington. We chose a moderately hot version which was maybe a mistake as it lacked a bit of punch but that was probably a plus so far as the wine - a very delicious off-dry Mosel riesling - was concerned. (The list is put together by writer and wine consultant Zeren Wilson who also chooses the wine at the Thai restaurant Smoking Goat)

The riesling also went brilliantly with the sides we ordered including a gado gado salad and Malaysian fried chicken with peanut sauce. Often I advocate slightly sweeter rieslings with spicy food but this was wonderfully refreshing. And - unusually for the Mosel - 12%, so strong enough to carry the punchy flavours.

*Go if you’re in that part of town but I wouldn’t cross London for it.

Dom Pérignon rosé 2002 and sweet shrimp

I was in two minds about making this my match of the week because I’m not sure that the new DP vintage rosé - like many great wines - doesn’t taste better on its own.

But chances are if you’ve got a bottle you might want to accompany it with something and one of the courses we had at the international launch in Istanbul last week had the sort of flavours that I’d look for if I was ever in a position to repeat the exercise at home.

It was, in fact, two dishes - one of Iskenderun shrimps (a local delicacy) with chestnut chips and baked squash which brought an unusual note of sweetness to the party. Then, in a separate bowl, a shrimp’s head - roasted I’d say - served with a pool of an intensely dark fishy broth that tasted a bit like an armoricaine sauce.

And what of the wine? What does the 2002 DP rosé taste like? Well, it’s hard to divorce it from the circumstances and location in which we tasted it which was, of course, the object of the exercise. It was unexpectedly rich - something you might expect from a 2003 but less from a 2002 vintage though Dom Pérignon’s chef de cave Richard Geoffroy said ’02 was a riper year. I could pick up spice - mainly saffron - though that may have been auto-suggestion and a touch of rose. On the other hand maybe the exotic character of the wine inspired the venue.

Most remarkable of all though was the colour - a rich bronze which turned almost to orange in the sunlight, reflecting the vivid red hair of one of the journalists sitting opposite me at the tasting. I remember thinking they should have got Christina Hendricks to promote it but I guess Johnnie Walker got there first.

I don’t know at this stage what it will cost retail - my guess is slightly more than the £250 the 2000 vintage is currently selling for. Older vintages are over £300. So you might as well go for broke and drink it with a couple of lobsters. And maybe a glamourous redhead . . .

Crayfish and Crab Cocktail with Bonny Doon Pacific Rim Riesling

I have to admit there's an element of nepotism about this pairing which I enjoyed the other day at my son’s award-winning steakhouse Hawksmoor where we were shooting new photography for the site (an exciting development about which more news shortly!)

The photographer Debbie Rowe being a good friend, we thought we’d have a bite to eat beforehand. While Debbie sensibly ordered a salad (which explains why she’s a fraction of my size) I kicked off with a lavish, crayfish and crab cocktail, which would actually make a good get-ahead starter for a Thanksgiving feast if you're racking your brains for something different to serve.

Seafood cocktail sauce or ‘marie rose’ sauce with its slight sweetness isn’t the easiest match with wine but happily I found a Bonny Doon Pacific Rim Riesling available by the glass which matched it perfectly, complementing the shellfish with its crisp refreshing acidity but refusing to have its own touch of sweetness stripped by the sauce.

And yes, we did follow with a steak which we accompanied with a voluptuously ripe 2007 Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel, another spot-on pairing.

PS If you ever need a portrait done I can strongly recommend Debbie. I absolutely loathe having my picture taken and she’s one of the very few photographers who has managed to make me feel relaxed about the process and thrilled with the result. She also shot the splendid picture of Michael Broadbent on his bicycle that appears above his column in Decanter. You can contact her through her website www.debbierowe.com