Not just the Sunday lunch repertoire on offer in the expansive recipes in the Mail this weekend, but some veggies, fish and even a pudding. Read on for some suitably delicious wines to complement these dishes.
Roast Sumac lamb with caramelised onions, garlic and anchovies
2009 Primitivo Vini del Sole, Salento, Italy (£8.99, reduced to £7.19 if you buy 6 mixed bottles, Oddbins). With spicy blueberry, plum and cranberry fruit this stunning red is a brilliant all-rounder with all manner of carnivorous dishes. Brimming with herbal notes and even a touch of liquorice, Sole will waltz through the two trickiest ingredients, anchovies and intense onions, with ease.
Roasted belly pork with pumpkin, parsnips and cherry tomatoes
2010 Cambalala, Pinotage Shiraz, Wellington, South Africa (£3.89, Aldi). Ha – a brand new cheapie from South Africa which really hits the nail on the head! The hearty belly pork recipe will never have been entranced by such a great value wine before and it is sure to enjoy being partnered with this amazingly juicy, blueberry and cinnamon-scented creation. Cambalala means relax in Zulu – we will.
Spanish roasted garlic chicken with shallots, capers and sherry
2008 Château Saint-Jean-des-Graves, Graves, Bordeaux, France (£7.69, Waitrose). This is a very exciting dish and my choice is, I think, pretty brave. Dry, white Bordeaux is a totally underrated style of wine and this version has serious pedigree. It is capable of handling the shallots, capers and sherry (all very pungent chaps) and this is done with beautiful lime juice intensity and a whisper of smart oak. The 2009 that follows this wine is delicious, too, so watch out for it.
Roast vegetables with pine nuts
2010 Charles Melton, Rose of Virginia, Barossa Valley, South Australia (£16.99, Philglas & Swiggot tel. 020 7924 4494, Selfridges tel. 0800 123 400, www.winedirect.co.uk). Australia’s greatest rosé is on sensational form in the 2010 vintage. It is also the most glamorous wine that I can think of to accompany this vegetarian ‘roast’. With decadent mulberry and red cherry notes and a velvety texture that defies belief this is a massive treat of a wine and one which is guaranteed to change your parameters of what a rosé can do.
Whole roasted sea bass with lemon salt and potatoes
2010 Freeman’s Bay, Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand (£5.49, Aldi). This lovely, inexpensive sauvignon blanc from New Zealand is every bit as impressive as wines £3 or £4 more expensive. Lemon and lime note jostle around the palate and the freshess of the acidity is perfect to cut through the succulent sea bass. If you love sauvignon, you will love Freeman’s.
Wild flower honey roasted pears and plums with vanilla
2009 Brown Bros Late Harvested Muscat, Victoria, Australia (£7.49, reduced to £5.99 until 31 January if you buy 2 bottles, Majestic). This is one of the most famous, and at the same time, best value sweeties ever to have emerged from Australia. I have been drinking and loving Brown Bros LHM for twenty-five years and it is an essential part of your entertaining armoury. The ‘full’ bottle will pour ten good glasses, so make sure that it is on your shopping list when you are next hosting a dinner party.
