Food & wine wisdom

Every month, Decanter contributing editor Fiona Beckett shares her wisdom on food and wine matching

FAIR WEATHER FRIEND LOBSTER

Although lobster has become much more accessible these days, there’s still a glamour to it that calls for a show-off wine. Chardonnay couldn’t be a more flattering partner, but exactly which depends on whether you’re serving your lobster hot or cold. With dressed lobster or a lobster roll, I’d go for a more recent, more subtly oaked vintage (a Puligny-Montrachet, premier cru Chablis or a quality cool-climate Chardonnay). Grilled or with a thermidor sauce, you could ramp up bottle age and oak: a treat with a mature Meursault. Champagne (or English sparkling) is also spot-on, especially served with lobster mac’n’cheese, which I recently discovered is extraordinarily good with Dom Pérignon. (I did say it called for a show-off wine!)

TRICKY CUSTOMER ICE CREAM

I confess I don’t often think about wine in the context of ice cream. Its iciness, which after all is its main point, can brutally strip the delicate sweetness of a light dessert wine. There is the classic sweet fortified pairing, Pedro Ximénez, more often drizzled over, but is that the only option? I’ve had success with Canadian icewine (Cabernet Franc is particularly delicious), but the other trick is to introduce another element – a pie crust, a crumble topping or brownie, or some tart fruit such as rhubarb – and almost any dessert wine will miraculously behave. But I’d steer clear of trying to pair sorbets – they’re there to cleanse your palate, not set it up for a sip of wine.