Match of the week
.jpeg)
Tiramisu and espresso martini
I’ve often struggled to find a wine to pair with tiramisu.
.jpg)
Parmesan custard and Soave
Parmesan or parmigiano reggiano is one of the most wine-friendly of cheeses but on its own normally pairs best with an Italian red. But in this fabled incarnation of an unctuously rich creamy custard by chef Rowley Leigh, white wine makes the better pairing
Red cabbage and shiraz
You might not think red cabbage was a sufficiently important part of a meal to dictate a wine pairing but it’s one of those rare sides that really makes a difference to the wine you choose (ratatouille being another).
Salmon, apple, dill and cider
You’d think having come to Norway to judge the World Cheese Awards my pairing this week would involve cheese but we were tasting it in a competitive environment rather then enjoying it as part of a meal. And by the time we’d tasted 45 of them we were pretty well cheesed out.
-1698078328-0.jpeg)
Red mullet and saffron risotto with Valtellina
You might instinctively think of pairing a fish-based risotto with white wine but there are two factors that make this one, which I had at a lunch to celebrate the 15th anniversary of The Seahorse restaurant in Dartmouth, a good match for a red.
Poached turbot with champagne
Of all the wine matches I enjoyed last week - and it was an unusually good week for food and drink pairings - I’m going for this dish of poached turbot with champagne - not because it was startlingly original but simply so brilliantly executed.
Beef stew and oloroso sherry
Last week I was at the Copa Jerez, an international wine and food competition where teams pair a 3 course menu with sherry.
Roast chicken and champagne
There are so many good things to drink with chicken you might wonder why champagne needs to be among them, particularly if you regard it as a wine you drink with canapés rather than with a meal
Cider and cheddar
Cider and cheese are natural bedfellows.
.jpeg)
Steak and sake
As with most ingredients the best pairing for steak is going to depend on the way it’s cooked. For the most part you're probably going to reach for a red wine but we were in Japan and so the automatic go to was sake.
Okonomiyaki and orange wine
Our experience of Japanese wine is so limited in the UK that it came as quite a surprise to find three wines I would never have expected in a small restaurant and natural wine bar called Pasania in Osaka - a pinot noir, a kerner and an orange koshu.
Strawberries and white zinfandel
I think it’s good to re-examine your prejudices so every so often I go back to wines I don’t much like, white zin being a good example.
Mezze and a Palestinian white wine
Finding a Palestinian restaurant in London is unusual enough but discovering a Palestinian wine to go with the food is beyond all expectations
Smoked mackerel salad and 'ancestral' cider
Last week was mainly about cider - I went to the Cider Salon in Bristol at the weekend where I enjoyed a succession of English ciders with a five course feast prepared by Native Vine.
.jpeg)
Pet nat and pizza
I’ve been on a road trip visiting wineries in Kent for the last few days but the highlight from a food and wine pairing point of view was the pizza and pet nat combo we had at Westwell, a ‘low intervention’ (aka natural) wine producer just southwest of Canterbury.
.jpeg)
Fresh crab and a citrussy spritz
Even wine writers have to take a day off occasionally, especially if they’re lunching with a teetotaller, but it’s always a bit of a challenge finding a drink that goes as well with food as wine
Pistachio pesto and solaris
One of the best food pairing experiences I’ve come across in a winery is the one laid on by Hebron vineyard in West Wales.
Oysters and Provence rosé
I wouldn’t have thought of pairing rosé with oysters to be honest when there are so many good alternatives in the way of white wines but when I was poured a glass of Chateau Galoupet’s Côtes de Provence rosé at Hawksmoor Wood Wharf the other night I found it was a surprisingly good match.
Cañitas with coffee and licore tostada
There were so many great seafood pairings with albarino in Rias Baixas last week you might wonder why I would pick anything else as my match of the week but its always been a feature of this slot that the pairing should be a bit of a surprise, as much to me as to you. And this combination at Casa Boveda totally was.
Kohlrabi with fig leaf oil and English sparkling wine
A really fascinating pairing from a wine dinner at Skye Gyngell’s restaurant, Spring in collaboration with Domaine Hugo (and their vegetable supplier Fern Verrow)
RSSLatest post
4 good wines to pair with fish pie Most popular
10 great wine pairings with salmon
My latest book
How to Drink without DrinkingFood & wine pros
What makes a vino da meditazione?
About Fiona
Events and appearances
Work with me
