Moscato d’Asti and rose macarons

There were two strong candidates for match of the week this week but as my last three pairings have involved a crisp white wine (which reveals something about my current preferences) I didn’t think I could feature yet another one*

The other was one of the pairings I showed at a ‘Fabulous Fizz and food’ event TV presenter and cookery writer Thane Prince and I hosted at a tasting for The Women’s Chapter at city bank Arbuthnot Latham last week and for me it was the match of the night.

We had a hunch macarons would work with moscato d’asti but weren’t sure which flavour would go best. So I had the arduous task of nibbling my way through a box and rose came out top. (Followed by vanilla in case you're interested. Avoid coffee.)

We suggested it would be a great way to finish off a midweek supper if you didn’t have time to make a pudding but frankly it’s so good I’d keep it to yourself. The macarons were by Ladurée, the Moscato, a Vietta Cascinetta, from Bibendum (£14.95 from allaboutwine.com or £18.95 from Roberson. See wine-searcher.com for other stockists

*I’ve made it my wine of the week instead!

Robiola, chestnut honey and sweet vermouth

Vermouth probably isn't the first thing you would think of pairing with cheese but this combination I enjoyed at our local wine bistro Flinty Red in Bristol the other night was just dazzling.

The cheese, a Robiola della Valle Belbo had just been brought back from Piedmont by the chef Matt Williamson along with some chestnut honey that our waiter said had a slightly bitter edge.

We thought it might overwhelm the dessert wines on their list so went for a Moscato-based vermouth, Bonme from a Barolo and Barbaresco producer called Poderi Colla.

In fact the honey was milder than we thought and the cheese quite delicately fresh and moussey but they still worked perfectly with the fragrant, slightly herbal vermouth.

You can read more about riobiolo on Wikipedia and the Bonme on the Poderi Colla website here. Interestingly they recommend it with strong, piquant cheeses, such as natural gorgonzola, or herb- and spice-flavoured cheeses.

If you enjoy vermouth you might also be interested to read my recent Guardian feature here.

Elderflower fritters and Moscato d'Asti

I’ve always thought of an elderflower spritzer as the perfect drink to pair with elderflower fritters - until this weekend when I tried them with Moscato d’Asti at the local underground supper club Montpelier Basement.

Makes sense of course. You get the same sweet, fragrant, gently sparkling accompaniment to what is a quintessential summer treat.

Elly of Montpelier Basement says she used this recipe from Silvano Franco on the Good Food Channel website. In the past I’ve used this one from Joyce Molyneux from her time at the Carved Angel in Dartmouth although I suspect the gooseberry sauce would probably overwhelm the wine. (Dan and Elly’s fritters were served with an elderflower posset.)

The wine was a Vigna Senza Nome 2009 from Braida in Piemonte - available, as last week’s wine of the week was - from Sommelier’s Choice but to be honest almost any Moscato d’Asti will do the trick.

Photo copyright Manfred Richter at Pixabay.com

Chocolate terrine with Brachetto d'Acqui 2007

It’s a mystery to me why we need a Chocolate Week. Surely no-one (except aberrants like myself who have an inexplicable preference for potatoes) needs encouraging to eat chocolate. But there we have it and you’ll find plenty of opportunities to enjoy your favourite food in the country’s classiest chocolate shops over the next few days.

So this week’s match had to be chocolate-related really and the best match I’ve had recently was at the Piemontese wine dinner I mentioned the other day - a rich chocolate terrine with roasted hazelnuts (above) with a Brachetto d’Acqui from Contero.

Now I’ve written many times before about the virtues of sweet reds with dark chocolate but it was extraordinary how well this very light (5.5%) sparkling dry red paired with such a rich dessert thanks to a bitter cherry twist that picked out the accompanying dark berry sauce quite beautifully. I suspect it would also go well with desserts that contained blackberries. You can find it in one of this country’s most interesting wine merchants The Flying Corkscrew and also in everywine.co.uk which charges £75.04 for a case of six.

If you want to pursue your passion for chocolate you can find out more about what events are being held this week in the events section of www.chocolate-week.co.uk. There seem to be tastings of chocolate with every conceivable beverage including wine, cognac, tea, sake and even a cheese and chocolate matching though I’m not quite so sure about the wisdom of that one . . .