A good meal is a great experience, but pair it with the perfect drink and the pleasure is multiplied many times. How to know what drink goes with what food, though? Expert Susy Atkins suggests wines for recipes in this issue, plus she finds a bargain softie and a cockle-warming spirit – that’s Easter sorted!
Esprit de Puisseguin 2020, St-Émilion, Bordeaux, France 13.5%
Richard Corrigan’s wonderful roast rib of beef (p50) demands a classic claret but not a heavy one that would clash with the goat’s cheese. This unoaked red is aromatic with juicy plums and blackberries, and soft on the finish. A real treat.
£13.99, Waitrose
Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Riesling 2021, Mosel, Germany 12%
Off-dry German riesling makes a great match for spiced, sweetly edged pork dishes such as Andi Oliver’s pork belly on p53. I love the honeyed apple and toasty notes in this rich golden example. It’s medium-sweet, but it’s not like a dessert wine.
£12.50, Co-op (in-store price)
Finest Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2020, Italy 13.5%
Plenty of ripe cherry and victoria-plum fruitiness here in this cheerful, easy-going red from the central-eastern Italian region of Abruzzo. Useful with classic ragù pasta dishes, it’s also a prize to go with the cosy sausage, mozzarella and gnocchi bake on p105.
£7.75, Tesco
The Best Chardonnay 2022, Languedoc, France 13.5%
Egg-based dishes with gentle flavours and soft textures are tricky to pair with wine, but ripe southern French chardonnay comes up trumps. A light touch of oak, rounded orange and pineapple work wonders with Debora Robertson’s cheddar soufflé (p56). £10, Morrisons (in-store only)
M&S Cape Cloud Sauv
