WITH Shirley posing such a philosophical conundrum for the New Year (which to prepare first, the chicken or the egg), perhaps we should have a glass of wine while we decide.
I love cooking with wine (sometimes I even add it to the food), and it’s always a good idea to keep this chef well lubricated. I’ll normally have a light white while reading the recipe and another while preparing the ingredients.
A current favourite light white in our house is the Adelasia Piemonte DOC Cortese San Silvestro 2016 (Inverarity One to One, £8.99). This is a great buy, and a must for your wine rack throughout the lean month of January. Cortese is the grape of Gavi, and this bottle is every bit as good as its more expensive cousins. It’s great as an aperitif, or for scoofing (technical term) with prawns, scallops or grilled octopus.
When serving Shirley’s howtowdie, you can partner a fuller-bodied wine to match the weight of the dish. If you have any white Burgundy left over after Christmas, it would certainly do the trick. Otherwise, head to Waitrose and grab a few bottles of the Cave de Lugny Macon-Villages Chardonnay 2016 (Waitrose, £8.95). This is a great wee glugger which will tick all of your "matching with chicken" boxes at this time of year. Maconnais continues to offer some of the best value bottles from Burgundy, and it’s always worth stocking up if you find a good one under a tenner.
If you’d prefer a red, why not try a bottle of the Coteaux Bourguignons 2016 (M&S, £9.50). This is a relatively new appellation from southern Burgundy, in a lighter, fresher style. This one is made from the Gamay grape, and is completely unoaked (making it a great match with chicken) so expect lots of soft, up-front cherry fruit in the glass. The permitted grapes for the appellation include Pinot Noir, Gamay, Chardonnay, Aligoté, Tressot and César, which gives the winemakers plenty of scope to make the best wine possible. This is also a very food-friendly wine, working with paté, cold cuts of meat and (of course) Howtowdie. Try it lightly chilled to enhance the experience. Cheers!
Pete Stewart is Glasgow director of Inverarity One to One, 185a Bath Street, Glasgow www.inveraritymorton.com
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