The best food pairings for Vermentino

Vermentino is incredibly versatile - a brilliant wine pairing for anything fishy, herby or citrussy and a great wine for spring and summer drinking.

Most comes from Italy - Sardinia being a particularly good source - but it’s also produced in Liguria, Tuscany, Corsica, Provence and the Languedoc where it's also known as Rolle.

With crisp fresh young vermentinos I’d serve:

* Raw and marinated shellfish such as oysters and carpaccios

* Fritto misto or other fried fish - I had a lovely side of fried lemon and sage (below) at Spring recently

* Simply grilled or baked fish such as seabass especially with fresh olive oil or a salsa verde. Grilled squid. Grilled prawns or shrimp - try this recipe for prawn brochettes from Bruce Poole

* Spaghetti alle vongole, linguini with crab and other pasta dishes with seafood

* Spring and early summer vegetables such as asparagus, peas, broad (fava) beans, fennel and even artichokes

* Raw and lightly cooked vegetables such as marinated courgettes and leeks vinaigrette

* Dishes where herbs are predominant such as pasta or gnocchi with pesto

Late harvested or more mature vermentinos pair well with:

* Richer fish dishes such as lobster or lobster rice (a local Sardinian speciality)

* Light meat dishes such as roast veal, baby lamb and suckling pig.

* Vitello tonnato

The best food matches with New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc

The flavours of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc - and this is why it is so popular - are powerful and aromatic: citrus, gooseberry and passionfruit in spades. So you if you're looking for a food match need big flavours on your plate to stand up to it.

Here are my top suggestions:

Asian-style seafood dishes - oysters, scallops, crab, clams, lobster, prawns - any shellfish with zingy flavours or a citrus or garlic marinade or dressing. (Big fat garlicky prawns - mmmm).

Thai food generally. A Thai green chicken curry or a Thai-style chicken salad is ace.

Grilled fish especially squid* or swordfish.

Dishes with herbs and greens - salmon with dill, for instance, but great with recipes that contain basil, coriander, rocket and especially mint.

Salads with goats cheese and feta, asparagus, avocado or grilled red peppers, fresh tomato salads or salads with fennel, mango or papaya. (A great suggestion from Canadian wine pairing expert Francois Chartier: add a tabbouleh to a salad selection to show off a sauvignon blanc.)

Other good matches (though I personally prefer a less assertive style of sauvignon with them) include smoked salmon, fish and chips and oily fish such as mackerel and sardines.

Dishes that don't work so well are ones with creamy sauces or cooked tomato or, more obviously, meaty dishes with gravy or dark savoury sauces

* Basically if you see big flavoured fusion dishes like these (from Peter Gordon’s Kopapa, which has sadly now closed) reach for a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc:

Deep-fried sesame Urfa chilli salted squid, sumac aïoli, caramelised peanuts & cucumber

Fregola, chorizo & lemon stuffed squid, avocado puree, white radicchio, caper & mustard slaw, chervil vinaigrette

The best food pairings for Carmenère

You may not be familiar with Carmenère but it's a delicious red at this chilly time of year.

It has quite a bit in common with Cabernet Franc from which is apparently descended* though tends to be richer and more plummy like Merlot with which it was originally confused in Chile.

Its green, slightly herbaceous character (not always in evidence in more expensive wines) makes it a surprisingly good match for fish and dishes flavoured with herbs. These would be my top pairings

* Lamb, especially with herbs - salsa verde for example or herb-crusted rack of lamb. I once had a Peruvian dish of lamb with coriander which was sensational with Carmenère. Any lamb curry with herbs would also work well or try middle-eastern style meatballs or minced lamb kebabs with mint and coriander

* Bacon - there’s a smoky edge to Carmenère that works well with dishes that include smoked bacon (think spinach, bacon and blue cheese salad) or with a hearty smoked bacon chop or rib

* Empanadas, especially with green olives

* Dark leafy greens such as kale, chard, savoy cabbage or spring greens

* Roasted or grilled Mediterranean vegetables such as peppers (bell peppers), courgettes (zucchini) and aubergines (eggplant). Chicken or pork cooked with peppers

* Sides of asparagus or green beans

* Chillies - fresh chillies in particular. Try Carmenère with Mexican and, I’m told, Thai food

* Seared tuna - in fact seared seafood generally works.

*There’s a fascinating entry on Carmenère in Jancis Robinson’s Wine Grapes

Photo © Adobe Stock

What are the best pairings for Provence rosé?

Provence rosé has a distinct character that sets it apart from other rosés on the market. It’s known for being crisp, dry, and refreshing—qualities that align it more closely with white wines than traditional rosés. This unique profile can be attributed to the region’s winemaking techniques and climate, which yield wines that are both light and structured. Within this style, however, there are variations. On one hand, you have the lighter, easy-drinking wines, known as “vins de soif,” which are perfect for casual sipping. On the other hand, you have more complex and robust rosés, referred to as “vins de gastronomie,” which are designed to pair with a wider variety of foods.

When it comes to food pairings for rosé, Provence rosés truly shine. The versatility of these wines makes them a wonderful match for a wide range of dishes and ingredients. For lighter rosés, think simple, fresh flavors—salads with goat cheese, seafood, or light pasta dishes are ideal companions. The crisper the rosé, the better it pairs with delicate flavors that don’t overpower the palate. For the more structured, gastronomic rosés, heartier food pairings come into play, such as grilled meats, Mediterranean vegetables, or even richer seafood dishes like bouillabaisse. These wines have the complexity and body to stand up to more intense flavors, making them a perfect match for a well-thought-out meal.

Here, listed from A-Z, are some of the top food pairings for rosé wines from the three key Provence appellations: Côtes de Provence, Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, and Coteaux Varois-en-Provence. These dishes, while perfectly suited to Provence rosés, also work well with other southern French rosés, as they share similar characteristics. 

The best food pairings for Provence rosé

Anchovies - especially fresh ones and anchoiade (anchovy spread)
Asian-influenced food - a rather vague concept but think in terms of westernised dishes with Asian influences. Authentic Thai food for example is too powerful.
Artichokes - raw, grilled or preserved in olive oil (not boiled)
Asparagus - grilled or with a vinaigrette rather than with butter
Avocado
Aubergines - cooked lightly as a purée (baba ganoush) or grilled rather than as a bake with cooked tomatoes and cheese
Brie - though don’t let it get too runny
‘Cake’ - the French word for a savoury, usually cheese-flavoured loaf served with an aperitif
Carpaccio - beef or salmon
Chicken - cold e.g. as a terrine or in a salad
Courgettes in most forms, especially lightly cooked e.g. courgettes à la grecque
Couscous and bulghur salads - e.g. tabbouleh
Crab - esp the white meat. Think crab salads and crostini
Crudités - raw vegetables such as celery, cucumber and peppers. Take care any accompanying dip isn’t too strong though
Dim sum, steamed rather than fried, especially with seafood
Fennel - especially with fish
Gazpacho
Goats’ cheese, especially younger or herb-coated ones
Herbs - fresh rather than dry, especially basil, mint, rosemary, tarragon and thyme
Lamb - roast or grilled rack of lamb, esp with herbs, served rare
Lebanese (and probably Greek and Turkish) mezze
Moroccan food especially cooked salads, pastries, fish dishes and lighter tagines e.g. chicken and lemon
Olive oil - esp fresh grassy ones
Olives, esp green olives and green tapenade
Parmesan biscuits or tuiles
Pesto - and Pistou (the Provençal equivalent)
Pink peppercorns
Pissaladière - made the traditional way with onions rather than tomatoes
Parma ham - and similar air-dried hams, esp with fruits like peaches and figs
Pasta - with light sauces e.g. with fresh tomato, prawns
Plateau de fruits de mer - raw shellfish platter
Porchetta - roast pork with herbs, served lukewarm or cold
Prawns - as in griddled prawns, prawn cocktail, Chinese-style prawn toasts (It’s the colour thing too)
Provençal-style stuffed vegetables
Radishes
Rabbit - rillettes or paté
Red mullet, grilled
Risotto - light seafood and vegetable versions
Salads - especially Asian style salads, avoiding heavy dressings (so not blue cheese or thousand island, for example)
Salmon - served raw, cold, poached or as a mousse. Also salmon tartare and smoked salmon
Satay - if not too spicy
Seabass - grilled with oil and lemon
Spices - used with a light hand - especially coriander, cumin, saffron and zatar
Sushi
Strawberries - on their own, with a little fromage frais or in a sharp ‘fruit soup’. Not in a tart or with meringues and cream
Tomatoes, especially fresh tomatoes, as in tomato salads, a fresh tomato sauce, Tomato ‘tarte fine’
Tuna - fresh or tinned. Grilled tuna, salade niçoise
Veal - served cold as in vitello tonnato
Vietnamese spring rolls with herbs and mint
Zucchini (see courgettes)

What doesn’t work so well
Cream or butter based sauces (though yoghurt, crème fraiche and fromage frais work well)
Red meat
Game
Ratatouille (although the French would almost certainly disagree, I find it too heavy for this style of rosé)
Hot curries
Strong cheeses, especially blues
‘Winter food’ generally

You might also enjoy reading: the best food pairings for rosé

I travelled to Provence as a guest of the CIVP

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