It may be an obvious truth, but food and wine are made for each other. If you like wine and food, then it is a smart choice to enjoy them together. Throw out the myth that confines white wine to drinking only with fish, and just do what feels good!

The enjoyment of good food with wine, whether simple or more elaborate, is central to my whole outlook. I want to share with others some of the dishes I have enjoyed with these wines, and here I set out selected recipes that reproduce these dishes by following a few clear and simple steps.

If you wish to contribute recipes of your own that you think make a great accompaniment to any of the wines featured on the site, then please send them to recipes@ripegrapes.co.uk and I will upload them.

Duck breast in olives – seen once long ago on a Raymond Blanc programme on location in a restaurant in Piedmont. Wine: something quite full bodied, Dom des Romarins or Ch d'Exindre
Fish pie – my own elaboration of a classic. Wine: white for this one, Dom les Yeuses Vermentino, or the fatter Dom de Valensac Chardonnay
Lasagne ai funghi – the mushroom sauce idea comes from my brother Bruno. Wine: a slightly racy wine such as Dom les Yeuses Syrah, or a bit richer Dom de Valensac Cabernet Sauvignon.
Spaghetti al limone – inspired by a dish I ate twenty years ago in a small restaurant in Perugia. Wine: either pick up on the acidity with Dom les Yeuses Vermentino, or on the cream with Dom de Valensac Chardonnay, or on the meaty/lemon combination with Dom les Yeuses Syrah.