Wine to dine
Drinks writer Peter Ranscombe picks three wines to go with Billy Boyter’s recipes
RUSSIAN JACK SAUVIGNON BLANC, 2014, £8.99 (MAJESTIC)
Fish and Sauvignon Blanc can often be a match made in heaven and with so many flavours going on in Billy’s hake recipe – the smokie sauce, the oyster and not forgetting the fish itself – this calls for a good all-rounder. Some of the New World Sauvignons made in the modern style can be too full of asparagus and gooseberry flavours to work effectively with food, but this offering from the Wairau Valley in New Zealand is more subtle, with bright apricot notes and a floral hint on the nose. There’s a good balance between the fruit and the acidity, with enough crispness to stand up to the flavours in the food.
DOMÄNE WACHAU RIESLING FEDERSPIEL, 2013, £13 (MYWINEMAN.CO.UK)
Riesling is a much-maligned grape variety – mention its name and most people immediately think of sicklysweet dessert wines from Germany or Alsace in France. But Riesling can also be used to make dry white wines that go really well with both fish and spicy foods. This example from Austria, with its lime flavours and crisp freshness, is an ideal match for the oysters and black curry chicken wings.
5-YEAR-OLD FINEST MADEIRA, £18 FOR 50CL (MARKS & SPENCER)
Rich desserts can be just too much for some wines to handle, but not Madeira, a classic fortified wine from the Portuguese island of the same name. On the nose, it’s full of aromas of nuts and dried fruits, which give way to flavours of honey and marmalade on the palate. The orange notes should also pair well with the lime curd in Billy’s pudding. The wine is made from Tinta Negra, a red grape variety, and is aged in American oak barrels for five years, which adds sweet caramel tastes.