Ara Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2016

Ara Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2016, New Zealand, 12.5%

(£10.59 but down to £7.94 on multi buy, Waitrose) 

We are big fans of chef Freddy Forster in this household. He’s not only a lovely man but also a brilliant cook – witness his utterly delicious, dangerously moreish Saturday Kitchen dish of goat’s cheese ravioli, spiced cauliflower and quails’ eggs with a caper and sultana dressing.

Yum yum.

Now, Susie got a bit of stick for making an off-the-cuff remark about vegetarian food on the show. Some viewers felt she was being patronising or dismissive of vegetarian cuisine. In fact, that wasn’t her intention at all – what she meant to say was that it’s a delicious dish in its own right and you just don’t think of it as being vegetarian, even when you’re making it at home (as she did). We love vegetarian dishes and are excited to find new recipe ideas that are delicious and original, like this one. We’ll certainly be cooking it again soon.

Anyway, onto the wine match. The Sauvignon Blanc grape variety is a classic match for goat’s cheese and our initial thoughts were that a more restrained style, like Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé, would work best.

But the sweetness of the sultanas and intensity of the capers actually worked best with a punchier style. This Ara is a consistently good wine, and great value at the multi buy price. The two make a great pairing.

(Susie, 7/10, August 2017)