Finest Viña del Cura Rioja Reserva 2012, Spain (down to £6.80 from £8.50 on offer, Tesco) It's always nice to be original and find quirky wine matches but sometimes it's best just to stick to the absolute classics. The lovely José Pizarro was cooking rack of lamb with...
Colinas de Uruguay Albariño 2016, Uruguay (from £8, Sainsbury's) This refreshing Uruguayan Albariño was my wine pairing on BBC1's Saturday Kitchen for Freddy Bird's wonderful squid and carabineros prawns with bomba rice and aioli. It may seem an odd choice - but bear with me. Freddy's a big fan...
Jim Barry The Lodge Hill Riesling 2017, Clare Valley, Australia (from £10.99, Majestic) We're big fans of South Australian Riesling in this household and the Lodge Hill is a lovely wine - dry, tangy and invigorating in its limey, green apple purity but also softening wonderfully when...
Sadie Family Wines Treinspoor 2016, Swartland, South Africa (c. £35, Lay & Wheeler, Noel Young, Uncorked, Hedonism, Handford, Philglass & Swiggot & more via WineSearcher) First things first: this is a wildebeest of a wine. It's wild - no domesticated decorum here. It has almost animalistic tendencies...
Colinas del Itata Old Vine Field Blend 2015, 12.5%, Chile (£7.50 down from £10 on multi-buy, Marks & Spencer) The joy of great food and drink isn't just that it's delicious. It's also that it gives us something to talk about and share. Stories, in short. This wine...
Surani Pietrariccia Fiano 2016, 13%, Italy (from £8.99, Majestic) I recommended this versatile Piano to go with Lawrence Keogh's squid-ink risotto with saffron chilli squid on Saturday Kitchen. It's a stunning recipe, really vibrant not just in flavour terms but also its striking yellow-and-black colour on the plate. The...
Chafor Vintage Rosé 2014, England (£45, Chafor Wine Estate) I recently had the pleasure of chairing the brand new UK Wine Awards. A task that involved spending two, very enjoyable days tasting nearly 300 English and Welsh wines along with a panel of industry experts. There was a...
Tapa Roja Old Vines Monastrell 2015, Spain (£9, Marks & Spencer) When you've got a chef who looks remarkably like Wolverine - then you need to pull a wine out of the bag that will put hairs on your chest. So to speak. Tomer Amedi was cooking a beautifully heart-warming...
Taste the Difference Côtes de Provence Rosé 2015, France (£8.50, Sainsbury's) OK, so I got the mickey taken out of me for wearing a pink shirt AND recommending a rosé at the same time. Fair cop. But this combo was worth it. I recommended this delicious, dry, elegant and...
Muga Rioja Rosado 2016, Spain (£9.99, Waitrose or via WineSearcher) I do like this new vintage of the Muga rosé - it strikes a lovely balance between intensity and elegance, and it works beautifully with food too. I recommended it on Saturday Kitchen to go with crispy chicken thighs,...