WINE TO DINE – NOVEMBER 2018 – PEARS

Drinks writer Peter Ranscombe selects five wines to go with pears.

WHETHER they’re sliced in a salad, smothered in chocolate or poached in wine, pears are one of the fruits that always grab my eye on a menu.

Check out the pear recipes in the November 2018 issue of Scottish Field magazine and take a look at the full wine matches below.

The Anvil Chardonnay Semillon, 2017
Virgin Wines
£9.99
When it comes to pears in a salad, the freshness of this dry white is a great match. Semillon is best known for balancing out sauvignon blanc in white Bordeaux blends, adding a waxy texture to ease its fellow grape’s acidity. Here, it’s doing a similar job with a cool-climate chardonnay, creating a wine with pear, green apple and lemon flavours, plus a gentle creaminess.

Torres Floralis Moscatel
Morrisons
£8
A light dessert wine from Spain that will inject a hit of freshness into syrupy dishes. Whether you call is muscat, moscatel or moscato, this family of white grapes makes some excellent dessert wines, which are well-worth exploring.

Tenuta Olim Bauda Moscato d’Asti, 2017
The Fine Wine Company
£10.20
This example of Italy’s flagship sweet yet light sparkling white is packed full of pear and green apple flavours. Moscato d’Asti is so often overlooked, which is a tragedy because this is a great sweet wine, especially with a slice of cake. Here, we’ve got pear and apple flavours, plus a really refreshing spritz.

Lakeview Cellars Canadian Ice Wine
Aldi
£16.99
In store from 14 November, I can see this sweetie flying off the shelves with its scrummy pear and red apple notes. This delicious wee half-bottle was one of the highlights for me at Aldi’s autumn tasting in London, with flavours of pear, red apple and sponge cake, plus a satisfyingly mouth-coating texture.

Oreg Kiraly Dulo Sweet Szamorodni, 2013
Corney & Barrow
£20.79
The orchard fruit influences in this sweet Tokaj from Hungary add to its fine balance. Lemon and lemon sherbet on the nose lead into peach and red apple on the palate, with enough fresh acidity to stop the wine becoming confected. Wine merchant Corney & Barrow is always a safe bet for a decent dessert wine and its spring tasting proved that it’s got some great still and sparkling bottles in its cellars too.