Last week I was lucky enough to spend three busy days touring Burgundy tasting the local wine and food. (someone has to!) Although this trip had been planned for a long time I managed to contract a vicious cold the day before leaving however for the good of humanity, I fought on through it...

We landed in Lyons mid-morning and having reinforced ourselves with lots of caffeine we pushed on towards a beautiful village called Milly-Lamartine. What immediately struck me were the rolling green hills and the tiny size of the vineyards compared to those in Champagne which I have visited before. Here at Majestic we do sell a white Macon-Milly-Lamartine by Christophe Cordier which is lovely however the locals mainly produce reds using Pinot Noir and Gamay. We stopped off at a great little eaterie called 'Chez Jack' for boeuf bourgignon washed down with a glass of Milly-Lamartine red which was slightly chilled like a beaujolais but seemed to have a little more grip and flavour. At this point I will say that I consider myself by no means a small fish when it comes to clearing a plate however throughout this trip I was repeatedly overcome by gargantuan portion sizes!

We then had to keep the majority of the activities indoors as we had brought the beautiful british weather with us and headed over to Cave de Prisse for a tasting. We struggled our way through a fantastic flight of wines starting at the basic Maconnais reds and whites before moving onwards and upwards comparing vinatges and vineyards of Pouilly Fuisse... one of my very favorite appellations.

That evening we walked along the river in Chalon-sur-Saone to a great restaurant : L'essentiel. If you are in the area it is essentiel that you go. The high quality of the food was matched by some superb wines by Prisse including Chateau du Cray Montagny 1er cru and my personal wine of the trip : Les Vendanges de Novembre. This spectacular wine is unavailable to the general public and it's name translates as : The November Harvest. Using Chardonnay from a very few select plots which have mist in the morning and a good breeze in the afternoon to encourage botrytis/Noble rot. This would be considered a dessert wine back here in Blighty but has such a clean freshness running through it that it worked perfectly as an aperitif and then with foie gras. Yum!

The next day we woke bright and early so as to squeeze in as much as possible starting by having a walk round the vineyards of Montagny and then a tour around the winery at the Buxy Co-op. Buxy now actually produce 90% of all montagny made and have invested in some pretty fancy kit to do so. They have one of very few de-humidifiers in the area which is only used on the top cuvees to extract some of the water and add concentration to the wine. This delicate process is also in use at Petrus, Romanee-Conti and other prestigious wineries.

We then went to Beaune where some of the party went and had a look around the Hospices de Beaune auction house whilst others chose to wander round the historic town. We then all went for a picnic in the vineyards at St-Romain and sampled the wines of the Haute Cote de Beaune with our supersized burgundian portions of lunch.

That night we strolled over to a lovely restaurant 'La Rotisserie'  whose chicken oysters went remarkably well with Montagny 1er Cru les Millieres which we sell here at Majestic.

Tired, full, and completely satisfied we waited for the airplane the next morning in silence thinking about what a great time we had had. Personally my thoughts were: as soon as this flu goes I need to get out on my bicycle to burn off some of the amazing, generous and friendly burgundian hospitality...

Smoked undyed haddock with leeks and flageolets

Fry up a chopped leek in olive oil with a crushed clove of garlic. When soft, chuck in a drained tin of flageolets and half a pint of vegetable stock. Simmer for 5 minutes before throwing in lots of roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley and if you are feeling decadent a drizzle of single cream. Season to taste and top with the haddock which you have cooked for about 10/15 minutes wrapped in foil in the oven with tarragon and milk. YUM!

Dave Pierce suggests wines to drink with roast belly pork.

Last Easter Sunday I decided I wanted something I don't often eat, Belly Pork. There is a lovely thick layer of fat on this cut which keeps the meat moist while cooking. Preheat your oven to 220 degrees, it needs to be very hot for the fist half an hour of cooking to produce the crackling. Score the skin & fat and rub some sea salt and crushed garlic in. Now all you have to do is place in the oven for half an hour before turning it down to 180 degrees and then roast for a further 60 mins. Try roasting with apple and onion, perfect!

You will  need a smooth wine which is ripe and juicy. The perfect wine to match with this I found was Pinot Noir. Chile has some fantastic Pinot Noir and the price of many is very reasonable. The Errazuriz Pinot Noir is currently £7.99 when you buy two and is the perfect match. If you wanted to splash out a bit more then there's the New Zealand Saint Clair Pioneers Pinot Noir which is £16.99 when you buy two. This wine has extra spicy notes from oak aging and a lingering finish.

Last week I was lucky enough to spend three busy days touring Burgundy tasting the local wine and food. (someone has to!) Although this trip had been planned for a long time I managed to contract a vicious cold the day before leaving however for the good of humanity, I fought on through it...

We landed in Lyons mid-morning and having reinforced ourselves with lots of caffeine we pushed on towards a beautiful village called Milly-Lamartine. What immediately struck me were the rolling green hills and the tiny size of the vineyards compared to those in Champagne which I have visited before. Here at Majestic we do sell a white Macon-Milly-Lamartine by Christophe Cordier which is lovely however the locals mainly produce reds using Pinot Noir and Gamay. We stopped off at a great little eaterie called 'Chez Jack' for boeuf bourgignon washed down with a glass of Milly-Lamartine red which was slightly chilled like a beaujolais but seemed to have a little more grip and flavour. At this point I will say that I consider myself by no means a small fish when it comes to clearing a plate however throughout this trip I was repeatedly overcome by gargantuan portion sizes!

We then had to keep the majority of the activities indoors as we had brought the beautiful british weather with us and headed over to Cave de Prisse for a tasting. We struggled our way through a fantastic flight of wines starting at the basic Maconnais reds and whites before moving onwards and upwards comparing vinatges and vineyards of Pouilly Fuisse... one of my very favorite appellations.

That evening we walked along the river in Chalon-sur-Saone to a great restaurant : L'essentiel. If you are in the area it is essentiel that you go. The high quality of the food was matched by some superb wines by Prisse including Chateau du Cray Montagny 1er cru and my personal wine of the trip : Les Vendanges de Novembre. This spectacular wine is unavailable to the general public and it's name translates as : The November Harvest. Using Chardonnay from a very few select plots which have mist in the morning and a good breeze in the afternoon to encourage botrytis/Noble rot. This would be considered a dessert wine back here in Blighty but has such a clean freshness running through it that it worked perfectly as an aperitif and then with foie gras. Yum!

The next day we woke bright and early so as to squeeze in as much as possible starting by having a walk round the vineyards of Montagny and then a tour around the winery at the Buxy Co-op. Buxy now actually produce 90% of all montagny made and have invested in some pretty fancy kit to do so. They have one of very few de-humidifiers in the area which is only used on the top cuvees to extract some of the water and add concentration to the wine. This delicate process is also in use at Petrus, Romanee-Conti and other prestigious wineries.

We then went to Beaune where some of the party went and had a look around the Hospices de Beaune auction house whilst others chose to wander round the historic town. We then all went for a picnic in the vineyards at St-Romain and sampled the wines of the Haute Cote de Beaune with our supersized burgundian portions of lunch.

That night we strolled over to a lovely restaurant 'La Rotisserie'  whose chicken oysters went remarkably well with Montagny 1er Cru les Millieres which we sell here at Majestic.

Tired, full, and completely satisfied we waited for the airplane the next morning in silence thinking about what a great time we had had. Personally my thoughts were: as soon as this flu goes I need to get out on my bicycle to burn off some of the amazing, generous and friendly burgundian hospitality...

Smoked undyed haddock with leeks and flageolets

Fry up a chopped leek in olive oil with a crushed clove of garlic. When soft, chuck in a drained tin of flageolets and half a pint of vegetable stock. Simmer for 5 minutes before throwing in lots of roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley and if you are feeling decadent a drizzle of single cream. Season to taste and top with the haddock which you have cooked for about 10/15 minutes wrapped in foil in the oven with tarragon and milk. YUM!

Dave Pierce suggests wines to drink with roast belly pork.

Last Easter Sunday I decided I wanted something I don't often eat, Belly Pork. There is a lovely thick layer of fat on this cut which keeps the meat moist while cooking. Preheat your oven to 220 degrees, it needs to be very hot for the fist half an hour of cooking to produce the crackling. Score the skin & fat and rub some sea salt and crushed garlic in. Now all you have to do is place in the oven for half an hour before turning it down to 180 degrees and then roast for a further 60 mins. Try roasting with apple and onion, perfect!

You will  need a smooth wine which is ripe and juicy. The perfect wine to match with this I found was Pinot Noir. Chile has some fantastic Pinot Noir and the price of many is very reasonable. The Errazuriz Pinot Noir is currently £7.99 when you buy two and is the perfect match. If you wanted to splash out a bit more then there's the New Zealand Saint Clair Pioneers Pinot Noir which is £16.99 when you buy two. This wine has extra spicy notes from oak aging and a lingering finish.

My favourite meal of the week is the Sunday Roast. I look forward to it and often insist on having a warm up roast in the week.

Here is a list of real gems that accompany your roast. All tried and tested at home with friends and family.

Roast Beef

Segla 2007, Margeaux. £22

Segla is the second wine of the famous Margeaux second growth Chateau Rauzan-Segla. The wine has excellent concentration and poise, showing fragrant notes of ripe fruits, violets and cedar with beautiful length and delicate tannins. It has great structure, balance and a long finish.

This wine is a real treat. I first tried this wine blind and thought I was drinking something really expensive. It has been the stand-out wine that I have tasted this year. This wine screams Roast Beef with the tannins in the wine balancing the fats of the meat which gives a flavour explosion. Finish the remainder of the bottle with a decent mature cheddar.
 

Roast Pork

Errazuriz Pinot Noir 2010, Casablanca Valley. £9.99 reduced to £7.99 buy 2

This wine has an aromatic nose of cherries, floral notes and a touch of mint. It is fresh, smooth, silky, extremely well-balanced with hints of smokey oak and when married with Roast Pork absolutely delightful. The perfect wine for pork as the soft sweet flavours of the meat are complimented by the ripe fruit flavours of the wine. The subtle tannins compliment the meat and provide an excellent flavour balance that leaves a long, lingering awesome taste, leaving you wanting more and more.

Roast Chicken

Catena Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2010, Mendoza. £11.99 or £9.99 buy 2

Showing notes of mango, apple, with a hint of sweet spice and wet stone minerality. This wine is full, clean with fruit flavours coming through but rounded off with fresh crisp aciidty. The perfect partner to roast chicken with the crisp fresh fruits of the wine lifting the flavours of the roasted bird.

If you are getting married this year then Majestic is the perfect place to come. We have fantastic offers on wine, champagne, beer and much more.

Take advantage of our free delivery, free glass hire, sale or return and free tasting counter.

We offer expert advice on matching food and wine, quantities you'll require and of course how to remain to budget.

Give us a call or pop in for an informal chat.

Thank you to evryone who came and saw us at the Heart Wedding Show.