Fiona Beckett

contributing editor shares her food and wine pairing expertise FAIRWEATHER FRIEND LAMB

It’s hard to think of a way of cooking lamb that isn’t wine-friendly. It’s more a question of fine-tuning the pairing depending on the age of the animal and the way it’s cooked. If it’s a rack of young lamb encrusted with herbs or served rosy pink, for example, a delicate Pinot Noir would be perfect. Cook those cutlets over fire as they do in Spain and I’m thinking Rioja instead. A classic roast leg of lamb from a more mature animal would suggest the best Bordeaux you can lay your hands on; but make it shoulder and cook it slowly overnight and you’d be better off with a GSM (Grenache-Syrah-Mourvèdre). A navarin with spring vegetables? Try a Cabernet Franc-based Loire red. Lamb on a spit with herbs and lemon? You could pair an Assyrtiko with that. It’s hard to go wrong.

TRICKY CUSTOMER EGGS

It’s the yolk rather than the white that’s generally regarded as the problem, but I honestly think it’s overstated as eggs are so often served with other ingredients that are more wine-friendly – a full fry-up, for example, with which a mellow Bordeaux can be hugely enjoyable. Eggs scrambled or benedict tend to work best with a dry sparkling – Champagne, Cava or crémant, and preferably a blanc de blancs. If you serve eggs with other strongly flavoured ingredients like tomatoes and peppers, as in shakshuka, I’d go red again, but nothing too jammy or tannic (Côtes du Rhône works well). If cooked in wine, as in the famous Burgundian dish oeufs en meurette, you can drink the same wine with them, usually red – but an oeufs en meurette with white Burgundy is really delicious.

For more food and wine pairings, check out Fiona’s website matchingfoodandwine.com

▶