Posts Tagged ‘wine to dine’
Sauvignon blanc: New Zealand and beyond
To mark international sauvignon blanc day, Peter Ranscombe goes on a mission to find exciting examples from New Zealand and beyond. FEW grapes split that audience like sauvignon blanc. For some, it’s the very epitome of freshness, with crisp acidity balanced by either savoury asparagus or tropical guava. For others, it’s over acidic, over hyped, and…
Read MoreLockdown lamb: Five online ideas for wine pairings
As Holy Week continues, Peter Ranscombe picks five bottles to go with your Easter feast. IF YOU’VE managed to find yourself some lockdown lamb to celebrate Easter on Sunday then wine merchants from across Scotland and further afield are on hand with some perfect pairings. My go-to matches for lamb tend to centre around the…
Read MoreSix of the best budget beating festive bottles
Peter Ranscombe picks wines to toast Christmas and Hogmanay without breaking the bank. CHRISTMAS is expensive enough without feeling the pressure to spend a fortune on bottles that – let’s face it – may be quickly forgotten in amongst the feasting and family and friends. If you’re going to sit down and enjoy a bottle…
Read MoreWINE TO DINE – NOVEMBER 2019 – DUCK
Scottish Field wine columnist and drinks blogger Peter Ranscombe goes quackers for five bottles to match duck. DUCK was the star ingredient in the food feature in the November issue of the printed Scottish Field magazine – here are five wines that will fly with the recipes. Jean Cornelius Pinot Noir, 2018 Lidl £7.49 Part…
Read MoreWhy not all albarinos are born equal
There’s more to Spain’s flagship white wine than young and racy seafood-friendly bottles, as Peter Ranscombe discovers. IN MY head, I always picture the Rias Baixas region in Galicia like Scotland’s Spanish twin – a west coast formed from fjords or sea lochs and pelted by the Atlantic rain. Spain’s north-west frontier, poking out above…
Read MoreWINE TO DINE – OCTOBER 2019 – TRUFFLE
Scottish Field wine columnist and drinks blogger Peter Ranscombe hunts for five luxurious Italian bottles to match truffles. MENTION the word “truffle” and I start conjuring with images of the forests of Italy in the autumn – once my mind has gone off on a tangent to think about cocoa powder-dusted chocolate ganache. Truffles of…
Read MoreWINE TO DINE – SEPTEMBER 2019 – PIGEON
Scottish Field wine columnist and drinks blogger Peter Ranscombe spreads his wings to find five bottles to pair with pigeon. LOVE them or hate them, pigeons are an inescapable part of Scottish life. Whether it’s the slightly scabby feral examples that crowd our city streets or the slightly more elegant deep-throated coo of a wood…
Read MoreWINE TO DINE – JULY 2019 – CRAB
Scottish Field wine columnist and drinks blogger Peter Ranscombe scavenges the shore for five bottles to pair with crab dishes. NOTHING screams “seaside” like crab, an ingredient that will bring back childhood memories of dressed crustaceans served in their shells or more recent reminiscences about elegant dishes in fine-dining seafood restaurants. Crab is often selected for…
Read MoreFive of the best from Inverarity Morton
As spring gives way to summer, Peter Ranscombe looks back at Scotland’s biggest wine tasting. IT’S known in the trade as “the big one” – Inverarity Morton’s annual tasting at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh has hundreds of wines from the importer’s list on show and attracts hundreds more shopkeepers and restaurateurs seeking “the next…
Read MoreAsparagus: Alternatives to sauvignon blanc
If sauvignon blanc isn’t your thing then don’t worry, Scottish Field wine columnist Peter Ranscombe has other wines in mind to pair with this month’s star ingredient – asparagus. SAUVIGNON blanc is a real “Marmite” wine – you either love it or you hate it. So going all-out and selecting wines made solely from the…
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