Stilton quiche and white burgundy

This week’s match of the week is the perfect illustration that you shouldn’t be led astray by your basic ingredient.

You drink port with Stilton, right? Not when it’s made into a quiche when the fact that it’s combined with onion, bacon and cream is more important when it comes to choosing a wine.

And the fact that you’re likely to be having it as a starter or main course rather than at the end of a meal.

I had a bottle of white burgundy open - Domaine Dampt Chevalier d’Eon Bourgogne Tonnerre 2019 - that I’d been tasting which went perfectly, echoing the creaminess of the filling. In fact it’s a good recommendation on its own account. The vineyards lie just outside the Chablis region which is reflected in the price (£15.49 or £13.89 if you mix 12 or more, from Averys and Laithwaites.

I made a similar quiche a few years back that I paired with a Fleurie and that went really well too.

Incidentally the quiche was part of my self-imposed ‘giveupstockingup’ challenge this month during which I’m trying to live off my fridge, freezer and storecupboard.

For other suggestions as to what to drink with white burgundy see here

Stichelton and onion quiche and Fleurie

A simple lunch of quiche from leftovers thrown together from the fridge turned into a feast with a glass of Claire and Fabien Chasselay's Fleurie La Chapelle des Bois, an organic Beaujolais from the excellent 2009 vintage.

It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking Stilton or Stichelton (the unpasteurised version I used) is so strong that it needs a sweet wine or a fortified wine like port, but in a creamy quiche, offset by onions, it will easily work with a crisp white wine or a light red like this. You also always need to take any accompanying salad into account - ours was a simple green one with a classic vinaigrette which also pointed to a wine with some acidity. This delightfully fresh and fruity Beaujolais, which you can buy for £13.25 from Vintage Roots, hit the spot just perfectly.

It seems to me there's a bit of a Beaujolais revival at the moment - I'm sure I've seen more about Beaujolais Nouveau this year than I have for a long while. And it's still huge in Paris, even among the natural wine movement, as this evocative post from Bertrand Celce of Wine Terroirs testifies. But with the 2009 vintage still around and some charming 2010s I'd stick to the real McCoy.