The wines to match

You would often use wine as a corrective to a slightly fatty ingredient like pork belly, but Ed has cleverly done the job for you by putting apricots on the side. That would lead me in the direction of Viognier rather than Riesling, which is my usual go-to with pork belly – although if you’re a Riesling fan, a fruity style such as the ones you tend to find in New Zealand would work, too. Viognier has, of course, apricot notes of its own but you’d be enhancing them rather than cancelling them out with the other elements of this dish. There are so many good ones now, particularly from Australia and South Africa.

Other good options would be Pinot Gris – again from New Zealand, for preference – or an old-vine South African Chenin Blanc. A Vouvray or Montlouis from the Loire would work too. And if you prefer red? I’m thinking Grenache or Garnacha, or a vibrant young Côtes du Rhône. You want younger wines with this dish rather than more mature ones. Wine suggestions from decanter.com –

FRUIT-FORWARD VIOGNIER Try: Yalumba, Organic Viognier, South Australia 2021 90

£9.50-£12.49 Field & Fawcett, Frazier’s, Marks & Spencer, Waitrose

Yalumba is famous for its Viognier. This entry-level offering is consistently good value from vintage to vintage, especially when it’s on offer, which it regularly is. It’s unoaked – fresh and peachy, with some honeysuckle florality, quite weighty without being blowsy. Drink 2022-2023 Alcohol 13.5%

SOUTH AFRICAN CHENIN BLANC Try: AA Badenhorst, Klip Klop Chenin Blanc, Swartland 2020

£24.10/37.5cl Hedonism

Adi Badenhorst never disappoints. This singlevineyard Chenin, from a plot planted in the 1970s on exposed granite, has robust precision and a filigree complexity that unfolds in the glass. Layers of apricot, lemon curd and melon, lined by a razor-sharp finish with a touch of digestive biscuit. Drink 2022-2040 Alc 13%