Food & wine wisdom
Decanter contributing editor Fiona Beckett shares her food and wine pairing expertise
FAITHFUL FRIEND BEEF WELLINGTON
Beef Wellington has practically all you need to showcase a good red – tender rare meat, wine-loving mushrooms and a crisp pastry case. All you need to do is avoid serving vegetables that are too powerfully flavoured (a potato purée would be perfect). I’d choose something with elegance and refinement, rather than a blockbuster red. I’m thinking Pomerol, but to be honest any mature Bordeaux would be in its element, as would other top Bordeaux blends. Or you could go for a Pinot – if Burgundy, at the more full-bodied end of the scale; otherwise try a Central Otago from New Zealand. Could you look elsewhere? Rioja or Ribera del Duero, for example, or a SuperTuscan? For sure. As I say, Beef Wellington is ridiculously wine-friendly.
TRICKY CUSTOMER VACHERIN MONT D’OR
The best cheeses seldom do much for the best wines – Vacherin Mont d’Or, the famously billowy cheese from the Jura being a case in point. You could of course go for a wine from the same region, a nutty white Savagnin or vin jaune style, say. Both would work well but are hard to track down and not to everyone’s taste. Aromatic whites such as Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer, especially with a bit of age, would be a good alternative and I personally enjoy a glass of fizz with Vacherin, be it Champagne or a crémant. Reds? Hmmm, tricky! Local Mondeuse, Poulsard or Trousseau would work if you like lighter wines; or just give up and drink your usual go-to red with cheese – which in my case would be a Côtes du Rhône.