A friend was rifling through her wine rack the other day, trying to find a bottle to go with supper. The rack was filled with unwanted wines that previous guests had brought along. You might say my friend is a snob, but I assure you she isn’t: she’s just averse to wines that are the vinous equivalent of Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
There is a good argument for not taking wine to dinner at all, particularly if your host is in the trade. I’d much rather have some homegrown flowers, a homemade loaf or some chutney to go with the cheese, all of which would be cheaper (and more personal) than that wine “bargain” you grabbed off the gondola end.
But if you’ve asked what to bring and the host has said wine, what do you take? Find out what you’re eating, for a start. If that doesn’t help, you can – flagrant plug – look up my website. If it’s a Thai curry night – cue an off-dry, aromatic white such as Verus Furmint 2015 (£12.99, Real Wine Company; 13% abv) from Slovenia – you’ll need a different bottle from the light red that would suit Thomasina Miers’ rabbit, chestnut and mushroom pappardelle dish this week – pair that with Joseph Drouhin’s delicious and well priced (for a burgundy) Laforét Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2013 (£13 Oddbins, in store only; 12.5% abv).
Personally, I’d stick to my guns and take a full-sized bottle of beer or cider. Sussex-based Burning Sky does a seductively rich saison called Anniversaire (£10.57, Beer Ritz; 6.2% abv) that is aged in chardonnay casks and comes in a beautiful bottle. Also, if your host wants to hang on to it, rather than share it, it will age until 2022.
If your friends are into their cocktails, rock up with a bottle of vermouth, such as Italian classics Antica Formula and Cocchi. More interesting still, how about a bottle of Sacred Spirit’s gorgeous English Spiced Vermouth (from £10.99 for 200cl, Solent Cellar and other indies; 18% abv).
Even wine buffs are not averse to a bottle of sweet wine. Lidl has a couple in its latest French collection that goes into store next Thursday, including a lush, young 2015 Sauternes from Château Menota for just £9.99 for 75cl (14% abv).
And no one is going to feel short-changed if you take them a bottle of bubbly, particularly if they can sneak it into the fridge and treat themselves once everyone has gone home. When that Lidl offer opens, stock up on halves of the toasty Champagne Bissinger (12% abv) at just £6.99 and keep your friends (and yourself) happy for weeks.
- Read 28 pages of exclusive autumn recipes in Easy Ottolenghi, only with the Guardian on Saturday 24 September. Click here for £2 off the weekend papers
