My Four (plus) Wine Cellar

My fantasy 4-wine cellar - with a few additions

As a regular wine reviewer, I don't actually have many wines stashed away under the stairs; most wines need to be tasted, assessed and written up fairly quickly. There might be the remnants of a summer holiday's haul from a driving holiday in France and Spain plus a few special bottles that will really benefit from being laid down for a while, but not a cellar of any significance.

However, when Fiona Beckett pulled together a four-wine cellar recommendation of everyday staples, as a bit of twitter banter I suggested that four wines is not even a moderately expansive meal.

That's not four bottles per head, by the way, just four different wines served in appropriate measures; for tasting event, the rule of thumb is 15 - 20 servings per bottle and 8 - 12 wines, giving around 2/3rds of a bottle per person, which is not excessive by most people's standards. I make no comment on those who think that is actually rather mean.

So, assuming we have friends coming round for dinner, what would be the four (and more) wines I would need in my cellar?

Here is a very personal, stylistic guide to how I would do it and, since an editor once told me "I think people like recommendations", I've linked to some suggested wines - just click through to anything that looks interesting.

On Arrival

It pretty much has to be fizz on arrival - nothing else quite makes the same welcoming, joyous statement and peps up palates whilst your various guests arrive.

For fizz, you need a good reason not to serve Champagne; so it is either that (to show you know what you are doing) or an appropriate alternative (to show you've put some thought into it).

Other French fizz includes Crémants from Loire, Bourgogne and Jura. There's also English fizz, and elegant, chalky Franciacorta from Italy. Really good Prosecco and Cava are harder to find, but possible.

Aperitif

For an aperitif with an amuse-bouche, I would serve fino or manzanilla sherry with roasted almonds, olives and bread dipped in olive oil.

If you want to stay in Spain but head north, there's crisp, tangy Txakoli with pintxos or stay with France and go for a Petit Chablis with a oysters or other light seafood.

With Starters

Starters need something a little fuller than the aperitif wine, but not too big, so think midweight white with plenty of acidity to match fish, soft cheese, creamy pasta or lighter game. A gently-oaked white, such as Chardonnay, a mature Chablis Grand Cru or aged Mosel Riesling would be perfect here. For something more off-the-beaten track, Austrian Gruener is one of my favourites.

This would also be a good point to bring in a midweight rosé  - either old world or new - if you are having seafood, such as a plate of langoustines, smoked salmon or gravadlax.

With Mains

The main is where, I believe, you should pull all the stops out - for the wine. This means keeping the food simple and some sort of darker game with a sauce is my go-to main. Venison or game stew is easy to serve; mature Bordeaux, Rioja or Barolo / Nebbiolo are absolute classic matches.

Cheese course

Every meal needs a cheese course in my opinion and as few as three good-quality cheeses is fine. Cheese and wine matching is a whole topic in itself, but mature hard yellow cheese (Cheddar, Ossau Iraty, Manchego) and a good value Cru Bourgeois Bordeaux works fine.

If you want to make the cheese course a bridge between main and dessert, serve a blue cheese with a sweet wine (Roquefort and Sauternes is another classic here).

Dessert

My favourite dessert wine is Barsac, but Sauternes (of which Barsac is a sub-region) comes a close second.

With a wine this nuanced and complex, you don't want to overwhelm it, so keep the food classic with crème brûlée or panna cotta.

Port

Vintage port or a sweet Madeira is almost a dessert in itself; when in season, both work well with mince pies and Christmas pudding.

Digestif

Finally, a sip of something to round the evening off - a good 12yo single malt.