Helen McGinn I went to a brilliant party earlier this week (out! On a school night!), the book launch for my friend and fellow wine writer Victoria Moore’s new book The Wine Dine Dictionary. Now, I love a dictionary but this one is like my dream dictionary. Because you can look up any wine (by grape) and it gives you the best food matches. Or you can do it the other way round; pick your food first and get wine matches. Beautifully written and completely stuffed full of ideas and collected recipes, this book now sits on the shelf in the kitchen alongside my favourite cookbooks. And a couple of Lego mini figures. Highly, heartily recommended.
Current white in the fridge: Natura Viognier
Price: £8.75 - Buy From Oddbins
Viognier makes wines with lots of flavour, usually along peachy lines, but they can sometimes lack zip. Not this one. Made by Chile’s leading organic wine producer Emiliana, this one balances both buckets of flavour and lots of freshness. With gorgeous tropical fruit flavours along with a whiff of floral, it’s got summer in its sights. Add a plate of grilled chicken for extra loveliness.
Current red in the rack: Gabriel Meffre Organic Cotes du Rhone
Price: £6.99 - Buy From Waitrose
This will be going up in price to £9.49 before long but for now, because it’s new to the range, it’s on offer at an introductory price. Making it really, really good value: tons of bright, juicy berry fruits with spice and oomph (technical term, that). Fantastic stuff from the Rhone – and it’s organic, too. Brilliant with spicy vegetable curry, the one from the new Amelia Freer book.
Do you have a Lego Hugh Johnson? That would be cool!
Now wouldn’t that be cool?! Found one in the fruit bowl earlier…
The book sounds amazing, I’m definitely going to purchase one! And coincidently, I have a bottle of Natura right here! My husband bought it yesterday. Thank you for the tip, I’ll prepare some grilled chicken to go along with it!
Love that! You will love the book, it really is a great read and so, so useful x