Ask Decanter

Each month our experts answer your burning wine questions. Email your queries to editor@decanter.com

SMALL PLATES MATCHING

Any advice for how to go about choosing a bottle of wine when ordering various small plates, which seems to have become the new norm in dining out?

Lorna Deans, by email

Fiona Beckett, Decanter contributing

editor, replies: It’s honestly not as difficult as it sounds – the trick is to avoid wines with a distinctive personality that might clash with some foods or which are polarising. Gewürztraminer for example. Italian whites such as Orvieto, Verdicchio and Vernaccia are super-useful in this respect, as are pale, take-me-anywhere Provençal or Languedoc rosés. So far as reds are concerned, I’d avoid rich, high-alcohol styles which can overwhelm lighter dishes. A light red such as a Mencía or young Syrah will work really well across a range of small plates.

SHIPPING WINE OVERSEAS

I have been collecting wine for the past 25 years but am now emigrating with my family to New Zealand, and wondering how to transport my wine in a cost-effective manner. I’m trying to arrange transport with temperature/humidity control for 300-400 bottles. Do you have any advice or suggestions?

Dr Dan Catmull, Essex, UK

Chris Ashton, MD, Wine Logistics, replies: The cheapest solution is by ship. However, you are unable to consolidate shipments in a reefer container (a big fridge container that can be set at any temperature), so you would have to buy the whole 20ft container to do this, and then have a means of unloading the container at the other end (they are not for domestic properties, usually). But this would be cheaper than by air.

If you do want to look at air transport, rates are fluctuating a lot now, so you have to dive in and out of the market to see prices. You will be restricted as there are fewer flights to New Zealand than to

Hong Kong or Tokyo, for example, so prices are much higher on NZ routes, and it’s a very long way from the UK. You would also have to pay taxes and duties when you enter NZ. All governments love to tax alcohol!

We recently shipped something similar to Australia by sea, but in a shared container, and we reboxed and wrapped the wines with special heatprotecting silver wrap. So it can be done.