The Wine Society guide: how to choose the best wines to go with classic autumnal dinner party dishes

Matching food with wine is a tricky subject but there are few combinations that do not work...
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Matching food with wine is a tricky subject as the choice of what goes with what ultimately comes down to personal preference. All of us who regularly drink wine with food may have a general idea of what is likely to be successful. Tastes change as do moods and rules are there to be broken.

There are few combinations that do not work. White wine with red meat is not wrong; indeed Champagne, for example, goes pretty well with anything. Likewise red wine and fish is these days seen as quite fashionable.

The stronger the flavours though, the harder it will be to match a wine. Chocolate, for example, is death to most dessert wines.

Fine, complex and old wines are best served with simply prepared food. One's attention should be on the wine not the food and anything too strong or rich could overwhelm the subtleties in the wine. Very elaborate dishes are probably best served with younger wines.

We’ve taken some top recipes from the Homes & Property archive. There is plenty of food for thought here and we hope you find it useful when searching for wines to serve with particular dishes.

WINE TO PAIR WITH MEAT

Mary Berry’s Sunday roast chicken with Château de Lacarelle, Beaujolais-Villages 2017 £7.75 (The Wine Society) - Beaujolais is fresh and juicy, great with any light meats (poultry or pork) as it complements savoury trimmings and cuts through gravy and any delicious fattiness around.

Pair James Martin's delicious steak and bordelaise sauce with an rich Argentinian Malbec

James Martin’s Steak & Bordelaise Sauce with Faldeos Nevados Malbec 2017, £9.25 (The Wine Society) – Argentina is a heartland for great steak, and so it’s only logical that their wines should match the meat!

This malbec is rich, round and juicy, and made by one of Argentina’s finest winemakers, Susana Balbo.

Delia Smith’s roast ribs of beef with Yorkshire pudding with Shenandoah Amador County Zinfandel 2016, £10.50 (The Wine Society) – Classic Californian zin, with bags of fruit and soft tannins.

Juicy enough to be rich yet refreshing, and spot on with any red meat roast.

WINE TO PAIR WITH FISH

Mary Berry’s fish pie with crushed potato topping with Lirac Blanc La Fermade, Domaine Maby 2017, £10.50 (The Wine Society) – Southern Rhône whites, such as this from just across the river from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, are fabulous with fish in a creamy sauce, able to stand up to the richness of the sauce and any kind of fish you care to mention in the pie.

John Torode’s Pan-fried sea bass and prawns with Riesling Tradition, Kuentz-Bas 2015 £9.95 (The Wine Society) – Riesling is possibly the most versatile of wines, because it ranges from bone-dry to lusciously sweet.

This dry limey version is brilliant with anything fishy, especially prawns, and it’s perfect with the lentil accompaniment and tangy drizzle too.

WINE TO PAIR WITH DESSERT

Gordon Ramsay's Vanilla panna cotta with blueberry sauce with Moscato d'Asti Elio Perrone 2017 £8.25 (The Wine Society) - Dessert can be a devilish job to match with wine – if one element is much sweeter than the other, all balance is lost.

Here we suggest a sparkling moscato d’Asti from Piedmont – light in alcohol, sweet with delicate bubbles, it should be a great match for the panna cotta. (By the way, this wine is also a great match for a milk chocolate dessert!)

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