Tio Pepe with tapas, a white Burgundy with roast chicken, a Barbaresco with risotto . . . Pat Carrollchooses some delectable combos
So much depends on the occasion when it comes to choosing wine. A hot sunny day in the garden calls for something white, fruity and crisp, but the same wine wouldn't cut it with roast beef in November. Wine doesn't have to be expensive - a local bottle costing a few euro when you're on holiday abroad can be brilliant. On the other hand, a special bottle can transform a good meal into a memorable one. Getting the right match for the occasion - and the food - makes all the difference. I'm not a great believer in laying down hard-and-fast rules about which wine to drink with which food, but there are some unbeatable combinations.
TAPAS
There are few better ways to spend time than wandering around tapas bars on a balmy evening. You don't even have to go to Spain, as there are now several in Dublin (the balmy evening is optional). In Spain, each bar has its speciality - Iberian ham, tortillas, lamb meatballs, croquettes - and fino sherry goes with all of them.
The rich texture of sherry is nearly as important as its flavour (plus the fact that fino is always fresh in Spain, which is crucial). Fino has a wonderful crisp, dry savouriness that seems to go with everything, but it's especially good with fried food.
Tio Pepe NV González Byass (15%, €12.99, from supermarkets and off-licences, including Ardkeen Store, Waterford; Higgins, Clonskeagh, Dublin 14; and Joyce's, Galway) is clean in the mouth, with delicious nutty flavours and a crisp finish. Tio Pepe is an underappreciated treasure; it's one of Spain's top sherries, and it's superb value.
If sherry's not your favourite, try cava. One that stands out from the crowd is the award-winning Juvé & Camps Reserva 2003 (12%, €17, from Redmond's, Ranelagh, Dublin 6; and Sweeney's, Glasnevin, Dublin 9). This is the best cava I've come across. It has attractive toasty aromas, and the rounded, harmonious palate is full of baked apples, pears and nuts. Acidity is well judged, and it has a degree of finesse that makes it versatile with food.
SEAFOOD
If you're sitting under a parasol in the sun, preferably not far from a beach, a plate of fruits de mer (or seafood) is brilliant with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire. First choice would be Sancerre Blanc Domaine Hubert Brochard 2006 (13%, €18.99, from Marks & Spencer), which has creamy lemon tart flavours and zingy acidity and really blows away the cobwebs. Another excellent Sauvignon Blanc from the same area, but cheaper, is Touraine Domaine Bellevue 2006 (13%, €12.99, from Brady's, Shankill,
Co Dublin; Morton's, Galway; Parson's Wines, Carrigaline, Co Cork; Roundwood Food and Wine, Co Wicklow; and James Nicholson, Crossgar,
Co Down, 1890-667799, www.jnwine.com, minimum purchase 12-bottle case, which may be mixed). It has typical gooseberry flavours and is a Sancerre lookalike at a great price.
The same wines are also a good partner for Crottin de Chavignol goat's cheese, especially with fresh walnuts and a salad dressed with walnut oil.
ROAST CHICKEN
Whatever the season, you can't beat a good free-range or organic roast chicken with white Burgundy. The creamy oakiness of Pouilly-Fuissé Clos Varambon Château des Rontets 2006 (14%, €25, from Fallon & Byrne, Dublin 2; Caprani's, Ashford, Co Wicklow; Liston's, Camden Street, Dublin 2; Mac's, Limerick) offsets the buttery chicken flavours perfectly. Part of the Rontets vineyard is farmed organically, and the care taken with the vines shows through in the vibrant fruit; this wine is alive, full of creamy ripe peaches, gentle acidity and tremendous flavour.
If oaked Chardonnay isn't your thing, go for one of the best dry white Bordeaux around. Made from Sauvignon Blanc, Bordeaux Blanc Château Doisy-Daëne 2006 (12.5%, €23, from Next Door, branches; On the Grapevine, Dalkey, Co Dublin; Searsons, Monkstown, Co Dublin; Wine Centre, Kilkenny) has a piercing, flinty, mineral nose and concentrated, ripe lemon-grapefruit flavours.
The estate is owned by Denis Dubourdieu, a professor of winemaking at the University of Bordeaux. He is a specialist in white-wine production, consults for properties worldwide and is advising the company launching the first Japanese wine in the EU.
BEEF BOURGUIGNON
It's still February, it's cold, and what better to warm you up than a classic beef bourguignon in front of the fire? I've been making this for longer than I care to remember, but the most memorable was on a trip to southern France: was it because of the local ingredients, the setting, the company - who knows? The typical accompaniment to this posh beef stew is Burgundy, but a red Bordeaux, such as Château Bel Air Perponcher Réserve 2005 (13.5%, €17, from Vaughan Johnson, Dublin 2; Egan's, Portlaoise, Co Laois; Mortell's Delicatessen, Limerick; and Thomas's Deli, Foxrock, Dublin 18), strikes just the right balance, with elegant, restrained blackcurrant fruit and supple tannins. If you prefer Australian wines, Mitolo Jester Shiraz 2005 (14.5%, €18.99, from Drink Store, Manor Street, Dublin 7; Harvey Nichols, Dundrum, Dublin 14;
Lilac Wines, Fairview, Dublin 3; and Red Island, Skerries, Co Dublin) would be a good match. Made with a subtle touch by Ben Glaetzer, it has juicy black fruit, creamy tannins and the characteristic peppery kick of Shiraz at the end.
WILD MUSHROOM RISOTTO
Northern Italy provides a classic combination in wild-mushroom risotto (with truffles if possible) and Barbaresco, both from Piedmont. Barbaresco Produttori del Barbaresco 1999 (13.5%, €25.15, from Cinnamon Cottage, Rochestown, Cork; Eugene's, Kenmare, Co Kerry; Gibney's, Malahide, Co Dublin; Karwig Wines, Carrigaline, Co Cork) is just the right partner, with its rounded palate of ripe red fruits and fine tannins.
The grapes are picked by hand, and the wine, which is unfiltered, is made in a traditional style, without overt oak. Produttori makes nine Barbaresco crus, each slightly different from the next, but all are excellent value.
Barbera d'Alba Fiorenza 2005 Paolo Manzone (13%, €14.50, from Michael's Wines, Mount Merrion, Co Dublin; Redmond's, Ranelagh, Dublin 6; the Kingdom Food & Wine, Tralee, Co Kerry; McCambridge's, Galway), with its delicious melange of damsons and plums, would also make a terrific match.
Manzone takes great care in his plantation, extracting low yields from his grapes, believing that wine is "made in the vineyard".
STILTON
The combination of Stilton and vintage port is well known. A less expensive option is Niepoort Late Bottled Vintage Port 2003 (20%, €19.95, or €10.95 for a half-bottle, from Harvest, Galway; Partridge's, Gorey, Co Wexford; Power & Smullen, Lucan, Co Dublin; and Redmond's, Ranelagh, Dublin 6). Late-bottled vintage port is from a single year, like vintage port, but is aged in barrels for four to six years - two to three years longer than vintage port. This means that LBV is mature and ready to drink much earlier than vintage port - as soon as it's bottled. It's also considerably cheaper than vintage port. The Niepoort has rich aromas of dark cherries and a touch of fig, and the palate is full of unctuous dark fruits with a touch of chocolate. The contrast between the salty, tangy cheese and the velvety fruit of the port works very well.
Another possibility is Emilio Lustau East India Solera Sherry NV (20%, €23.50, or €12.95 for a half-bottle, from Greenacres, Wexford; McCabe's, Blackrock and Foxrock, Co Dublin; Mitchell's, Kildare Street, Glasthule and Rathfarnham, Dublin; and O'Briens, branches), whose tangy nuttiness, mingled with a touch of toffee, works beautifully with the strong taste of the cheese. The sherry is sweet, but not too sweet, and has a wonderful, lingering, harmonious finish.
Pat Carroll is co-editor, with John Wilson, of The Best of Wine in Ireland 2008 and part-time manager of Gibney's Off-Licence, Malahide, Co Dublin