Five great wines including a few to match with Ken Hom’s superb recipes.
2011 Blind Spot, Chardonnay, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia (£8.50, Wine Society tel. 01438 741177). This delicious wine is made by a chap called Mac Forbes, who usually sells his wines for well over twenty pounds. Wine Society has employed his skills to craft this precision-built, focussed chardonnay. It is sublime and you read about it here first!
2009 Peyres de Loubert, Fronton, South-West France (£9.99, Marks & Spencer). Made from the little-known negrette variety this is a heavenly rose petal and cherry-kissed wine with a super-smooth palate and finished off with delightful, crisp acidity. It would be wonderful with Ken’s Shredded pork with chillies and black beans on crispy noodles recipe.
2010 Bourgogne Blanc, L’Arnage, Burgundy, France (£8.95, www.fromvineyardsdirect.com & tel. 020 7549 7900). This is one of the best value white Burgundies I have tasted this year. This classy chardonnay is creamy, honed and elegant with all of the breeding of a posh white Burgundy, but without the usual terrifying price tag.
2011 Pujalet, Pays de Gers, France (£4.99, Waitrose). This dinky little French Country wine is fresh as daisies and bursting with summery joy. It would be the perfect partner to Ken’s Tofu casserole with tiger prawns, soy sauce, spinach and Chinese leaves as well as also being a stunning all-rounder with a vast array of other dishes. Look no further for a terrific ‘house white’ for this summer.
2010 The Olive Branch, Willunga 100, Cabernet / Shiraz, McLaren Vale, South Australia (£11.99, Tesco). With seriously good depth brambly of fruit and Asian spice on the nose this is a stunning red which can be drunk a little chilled or at normal temperature. If you cool it down you can increase the chilli heat in your cooking. You decide your level of ‘heat’ and viola – a perfect, multitalented red wine with amazing Chinese skills!
