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Jo Thoenes

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Jo Thoenes: What is cooking this time of year?

What is cooking this time of year?

BBC Radio Oxford - Jo Thoenes, What is cooking this time of year?

Chef Paul Bellchambers and wine expert Sophie Rudge talk seasonal eating and drinking.

Matthew Teller is a travel writer who was bitten by the bug at the age of 11 on a trip to the Middle East. He turns his attention closer to home with a look at the Cotswolds.

Chef Paul Bellchambers and wine expert Sophie Rudge bring their seasonal ideas to the table. Pork, baby veg and gooseberries are just a few of the things on the menu, and of course the right kind of wine to set it off to perfection.

SOPHIE RUDGE WINE SUGGESTIONS:
Gooseberry & Elderflower Meringue
Here you need something with sufficient sweetness and acidity (as gooseberries naturally have high acidity themselves).  An Icewein from Germany or Icewine from Canada would be very interesting.  Another couple of sweet wines to try would be a Jurançon from the south of France or a sweet Vouvray from the Loire, again in France.  If you wanted to liven things up with a sparkle, then an Asti Spumante or a Moscato d’Asti (slightly higher quality level) would be lovely as the ‘bouquet’ of the Muscat grape would marry well with the fruit and floral aspects in the dish.

Crown Roast of Pork with baby vegetables
It rather depends on whether you prefer white or red – no rules here on colour.  A pinot noir would work well, with gentle fruit so as not to overpower the subtleties of the dish but sufficient acidity to cut through the fattiness in the pork.  The same could be said for a mature (something that has a few years’ age) Chianti, from Tuscany in Italy where they eat a lot of wild boar.  It goes back to my comments about matching wines with a region’s local cuisine.  If you are more of a white-wine drinker, then try one from Alsace in France where they are full-bodied enough to withstand the weight of the meat, have enough acidity to cut through the fat and leave a harmonious impression.  The wines from that region usually have quite distinctive aromas and complex (layered) flavours that would marry with the sweetness of the honey, the herbal notes and the spices in the marinade.

Grilled Mackerel and Goosberry Sauce
Right.  Oily fish – the one time when I would say avoid tannic reds as the combination can leave quite an unpleasant metallic taste in the mouth.  Though if you really are a red fan, go for something like a Pinot Noir, perhaps from New Zealand where the juicy red fruit flavours and low tannins will just about work.  But really here, I’d go for white.  For a successful low-cost option, head for a Muscadet from the Loire in France (the ‘sur lie’ wording which you pay another pound or so for, gives you more body and more character for your money and would be worth it.  Light and refreshing with good fruity acidity – cracking for most fish and seafood.  Next notch up, pick something from the wide array of Sauvignon Blanc available in all shops these days. Gooseberry is an aroma that many people pick up from Sauvignon, so it naturally marries and there’s good natural acidity to balance the oily fish.  If you are feeling adventurous, an Albariño from Spain would be a good pairing, and I would also urge you to give this month’s recommendation a try:

WINE OF THE MONTH:
Vinho Verde from Quinta de Azevedo (2010 vintage is now on the shelves).  Made to be drunk young and fresh and along with fish and seafood (it’s made in the coastal area in northern Portugal so again, linking local styles of cuisine with locally ‘designed’ wines).  It’s currently on very keen offers in Majestic and Waitrose so a steal for £6-7 pounds.  Often served as an aperitif, vinho verde is a light-bodied wine, has a delicately herbal character, lemon/lime citrus fruit with crisp acidity and this specific estate produces a wine with much more character than some vinho verde’s on the market.

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