Asparagus mousse, peas and oyster with Donkiesbaai Steen

I’ve been reminded during the last few days in the Cape Winelands of the great versatility of Chenin Blanc also known locally by its Afrikaans name Steen but this was the standout pairing.

It was a starter at the Rust-en-Vrede winery restaurant which was described as Asparagus Mousse, Oyster, Pea and Truffle Water, Biltong but I didn’t get much of the biltong, more the delicious fresh taste of the asparagus and peas. You can just about see from the rather blurry picture to the right that there was some shaved asparagus in there too - and the clean briney flavour of the oyster.

The wine is a comparatively new label only available on the South African market at present - a top level old vine Chenin from a coastal area called Piekenierskloof. It was the brainchild of Rust-en-Vrede’s owner Jean Engelbrecht who felt there should be more top level Chenins and sells for around 201 rand (£14.42 at the time of writing) - if you can get hold of a bottle

I wish it was available in the UK as it’s absolutely lovely - intense, crisp and citrussy - though not in an obvious way. More like a top level Sauvignon than a premium chenin like FMC. Delicious - and a top match!

Chicken with pomegranate molasses and orange iced tea

One of the areas of food and drink pairing I’m always trying to crack is soft drinks - so it’s good to find an inspired match that really hits the spot - not too sweet as most soft drinks are for me.

It was at a restaurant called Honey & Co I’ve been meaning to go to for a while - a tiny cafe in Warren Street that serves the most delicious middle-eastern inspired food. (The owners both used to work at Ottolenghi.)

This was my main course - a gorgeous colourful dish of chicken marinated in pomegranate molasses with cracked wheat, pistachios and pomegranate seeds.

The iced tea had been spiked, I suspect from the colour, with fresh pomegranate juice and was served with a slice of blood orange and a (slightly over-generous) dash of orange flower water. Rein that back just a touch and you’d have the perfect drink.

It was also great with my starter of shaved fennel, blood orange and feta seasoned with Turkish chilli flakes (I would guess) and a pinch of zatar (a mix of thyme, oregano, sesame seeds and sumac).

I really don’t think wine or beer would have been better.

Duck a l’orange and Gramenon Poignée de Raisins 2011

It’s such a long time since I’ve eaten duck à l’orange that I’ve rather lost track of the best match for it but the vivid, joyous Gramenon Poignée de Raisins I was offered last week by the sommelier at Brasserie Chavot proved the perfect pairing.

Eric’s twist was to serve the duck, which was cooked rare, with caramelised endive (chicory) with created a bittersweet note that chimed beautifully with the dark sweet flavour of the orange-spiked sauce. (You can easily overdo the orange in this dish but he judged it perfectly.)

What you want is a bright red to pick up on that orange - a bit like a Cumberland sauce. Pinot Noir, my usual go-to for duck, seems a bit sweet on this occasion. I would normally have gone for a good Beaujolais like a Morgon but this ripe, delicious young Rhone - mainly Grenache from an organic and biodynamic estate - was the ideal counterpoint. It’s made pretty naturally with no fining or filtration and only the minimum of sulphur. (Poignée de raisins means a fistful of grapes.)

You can read more about the estate on Vinofreakism and Kermit Lynch websites and my meal at Brasserie Chavot here.

Soft boiled eggs with anchoiade and radicchio and Bourgueil

Last week’s best pairing was at a fascinating meal I had at Les 110 de Taillevent in Paris which I’ll be writing up in more detail so here’s an off-the-wall match from last night’s feast at The Unfiltered Dog - a pop up restaurant at the Real Wine Fair run by the team from Terroirs.

Basically it was a souped up egg mayonnaise - the eggs fashionably soft-boiled, the mayo made with anchoiade (anchovy paste) and accompanied by bitter radicchio leaves. A simple and very do-able starter.

By rights it shouldn’t have worked with the Domaine de la Chevalerie Bonn' Heure Bourgeuil 2010 - a light Loire red we had ordered to go with our meal but you know what? Sometimes these off-the-wall pairings work. There’s a saltiness in anchovies and a bitterness in radicchio that accentuated the very appealing fruit in the wine.

It also rubbed along fine with some other challenging dishes - scallops with XO sauce and pork belly with kimchee only faltering at the ferociously hot mustard that accompanied the salt beef. As anything except a lager would probably have done.

If I’d been thinking more about what to drink with these particular dishes rather than just ordering a bottle that appealed on an unseasonably cold night I’d have probably gone for a crisp white. But sometimes it’s fun to go off-piste.

Apologies for the rather unappetising photo. It was very dark!