And yes, if you’re wondering about the first two dishes on that list, this is a red wine with fish situation – the Spanish put Rioja with fish all the time. Palataia Pinot Noir 2020 In the same way it can work with other salty, fatty foods such as cured hams, fried chorizo or salty, hard cheeses like aged pecorino. Cava also works well with asparagus risotto and with Spanish rice with artichokes and tomatoes. And just as, in food, there are happy marriages such as strawberries and cream or Yorkshire Puddings and beef gravy so, too, there are combinations of food and wine that go particularly well together. Basil has a slightly anise-like smell and contains the aroma compound linalool, which is also found in lemon peel. If you’re eating basil in pesto or putting a lot of it in a tomato salad then try wines made from the cortese grape (used to make Gavi) which tastes a bit like lemon pith and bay and seems to go very well. Spicy food Pinot noir is so often a possible answer to the “what shall I drink with this?” question. It is very good with the earthy flavour of mushrooms – think garlic mushrooms on toast; mushroom risotto; monkfish with ceps and artichokes; macaroni cheese layered with mushrooms.

Grillo is a Sicilian grape, a natural crossing of cataratto and zibbibo. This one is glossily viscous and tastes of yellow peaches with a faint tropicality (like mango) and floral notes. I love it with pasta con sarde, the pasta dish that is ubiquitous on Sicily. Somehow, it just goes with the wonderful Arabic-European blend of fragrance and fruitiness of the olive oil, pine nuts, raisins, sardines and fennel fronds. Rioja goes really well with the paprika-spice of chorizo, and you could also serve it with almost any dish in which chorizo is a strong flavour, for instance: cod with butter beans in a chorizo and tomato sauce; squid, chorizo and red pepper stew; or just chorizo sausages cooked in red wine and served with chunks of fresh bread. The L’Atzar Reserva has had 15 months in that second ferment phase. Resting on dead yeast gives a creamy spiced character to the soft mineral talc, floral, ripe apple and lemon fruit. It is dry and those flavours last around for a long moment becoming more spicy and more floral as it finishes. Don’t limit these bubbles to celebratory occasions, it will work well with light dishes as well, including with some spice. With dishes such as chilli con carne or red meat cooked in a spicy marinade or rub, red wine can be good but choose one that is generously fruity because the chilli will effectively turn down the volume on the fruit and you want to have some left.You could finish dinner with a chunk of Parmesan cheese and keep on with the Valpol which will go really well with that too. Domaine des Valanges Saint-Véran 2020 What I find fascinating now is how cava is escaping from decades of torpor. Gone are the years when cava was the cheaper default from Champagne. Prosecco holds that prize now. Thankfully, many producers are now looking to compete on quality, since they cannot compete on price. For some, that means reducing yields in the vineyards, aiming to get the best out of the local varieties, and giving the wines longer than the minimum bottle age. Of course it’s also a great wine to drink with tapas; there’s an affinity with almost every dish from pan y tomate to fried prawns with garlic. Quinta do Noval 10 Year Old Tawny NV

Cava is one of the most underrated sparkling wines, and is a great alternative to prosecco. It’s known for its admirable freshness and being incredibly drinkable, making it the perfect accompaniment for a range of occasions. Not forgetting mountain. Dominating the cava towns is Montserrat, a craggy outcrop of pink conglomerate. It’s worth planning a visit to the Benedictine monastery, Santa Maria de Montserrat, to coincide with a performance by the famed Escolania boys’ choir, usually at 1pm in the basilica. Organic producer Llopart offers lovely mountain views. There are two ways to go here. You can look for reds that have generous fruitiness, such as Portuguese reds, southern Rhône blends, Australian cabernet-shiraz blends and also reds from South Africa: Cape blends (which contain some pinotage), Rhône-style blends or Bordeaux-style blends. Matching every course with a wine can feel fussy, detracting from the fun rather than adding to it. I make an exception if lunch or dinner is simply a main then a pudding, when a dessert plus a good wine turns it into an event. A few good combinations: strawberries and moscato d’Asti; orange salad and cream sherry; tarte Tatin and sweet riesling or Coteaux du Layon (sweet wine made in the Loire from chenin blanc). Basil

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This is partly a mood thing. It’s also about the fact that what you’re eating has the power to change the perception of the wine you are drinking. For instance, salty food makes a wine taste less refreshing, a big steak seems to soften the tannins in a red wine, and so on. Of course, you can cook anything on a barbecue but this is predominantly the territory of meats, spicy rubs and relishes, and a certain smoky, charry taste that can destroy a delicate old wine. Barbecues also tend to be eaten outside with a riot of different side dishes and a lot of chatter, so any wine you open had better be able to compete with that.