Match of the week
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Shish kebab and Turkish red wine
Red wine is an obvious pairing for a lamb kebab but a lot of people would instinctively think in terms of a lager.
Thai lime and coconut chicken curry with Aussie riesling
I know from past experience that Aussie riesling goes brilliantly with Thai food. Here is the latest proof.
Lamb, courgettes, fennel and cider
If you’re wondering what to drink with lamb you’re most probably thinking in terms of red wine but as yesterday’s feast at Burrow Hill Cider, part of the Somerset Food Trail proved cider can be a surprisingly good pairing
A full English breakfast with Lambrusco
It’s not often you go somewhere for breakfast and they hand you a comprehensive wine list. Let alone a wine list tempting enough to make you drink at that time of day.
Languedoc rosé and Rick Stein’s chicken burrito
I generally go for a crisp, citrussy white wine with light Mexican dishes like this one - but I happened to have a bottle of chilled rosé in the fridge and it proved the perfect pairing.
Fried oysters with harissa and a Virgin Mary
There were some good, if familiar, wine pairings last week - including Muscadet with moules and clams marinières at The Pony at Chew Valley in Somerset (good to be reminded how reliable a match that is). But the one I’m going for is this combination of crispy fried oysters with harissa and coriander and a Virgin Mary which, as I’m sure you know, is an alcohol-free version of a Bloody Mary which I had at brunch at No. 1 York Place in Clifton, Bristol.
Pork and chicken pie and English sparkling rosé
You might think of pork pie as pub food, best accompanied by a pint of beer or cider and it’s true that both make excellent pairings.
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Pomerol and gravy
This might sound a bit of a weird pairing - what about the meat the gravy goes with? The answer is there wasn’t any.
Smoked jollof rice and pu’erh tea
I not only had one of the best meals I’ve had this year at Ikoyi last week but some of the most fascinating drinks pairings.
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Cold roast beef and a light Loire red
If you see the words roast beef you might automatically think of a full-bodied red - a Bordeaux or cabernet sauvignon, for instance - but there are times, as last week, when a light red will work just as well.
Lobster loaded fries and champagne
You may have noticed there was a slight hiatus last month when match of the week went missing. (May is peak wine tasting season and always crazy busy)
Smoked trout and char with horseradish and Gemischter Satz
Last week I was in Berlin though the city seems to be more in love with Austrian than German wines these days.
Milk chocolate délice with miso caramel ice cream and a 1987 Georgian dessert wine
I was torn between highlighting one of the many good matches with orange wine at a wine dinner at the Japanese restaurant Niju last week and this show stopping pairing of a 1987 dessert wine with a dessert of chocolate “delice’ (basically a moulded mousse) with miso caramel ice cream.
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Hake with white asparagus, smoked caviar and gamay
You might instinctively reach for a glass of white wine with hake but red wine can work equally well. And not only when it has a red wine sauce.
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Condrieu and Cornish Brill salan
The idea still persists that wine doesn’t go with Indian food but when the flavours are subtle and the dishes presented individually you can pair some of the best wines in the world with it.
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Tempura Jersey Royals and Jersey Royal vodka
You probably wouldn’t think of pairing wine - or any other drink - with Jersey Royal potatoes but then you probably wouldn’t be having them as the central feature of a five course tasting menu as I was at Pêtchi in St Helier in Jersey last week.
Roast lamb and unoaked grenache
Roast lamb goes with practically any red wine you care to drink with it but grenache is a less common pairing than, say, cabernet sauvignon or tempranillo.
Korean Bulgogi and Mencia
Given the overall punchiness of Korean food, you might think pairing it with red wine was a lost cause but as it’s often beef you’re dealing with, especially in a Korean barbecue restaurant, don’t let that put you off.
Fruit toast, Bath soft cheese, truffle and Macvin du Jura
One of the things I most enjoy about high-end restaurants is what they offer in the way of cheese.
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Crab pasta with chilli and Mission (Pais)
The one thing you’d think you could be sure of is that white wine would be the best pairing for crab but a meal last week at Toklas in London proved that isn’t necessarily the case.
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