Vinus by Paul Mas Clairette 2016

Vinus by Paul Mas Clairette 2016, France

(£8, Morrisons) 

Who doesn’t like a good pie? Even – or perhaps especially – when it’s called shakh plov.

This Azerbaijani dish was being cooked by the delightful Olia Hercules on Saturday Kitchen. You really need to see it to get the full impact. It’s a glorious, golden-looking centrepiece (dripping in butter but hey, who cares when it tastes this good?!) And then when you cut it open, out tumbles a gorgeous concoction of rice, pumpkin, sultanas, chestnuts and dried cherries…

We tried it with a range of wines – and it went with a wide selection of whites. You need a bit of richness in there but bottles as diverse as a good Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc/Pinot Gris and textured Friulano all worked well.

In the end, I plumped for this herb-scented, yellow-fruited white from the Languedoc – a good value white from Morrisons, something a little bit different.

(Susie, 6.5/10, Dec 2017)