There the young chef is reinterpreting classic Italian dishes. Take Vitello Tonnato for example, veal accompanied by tuna flavoured mayonnaise. In this region the veal is served raw, like a steak tartare, but here raw tuna is wrapped with a thin strip of veal and then quickly seared, then chilled and served cold with the tuna mayonnaise. Creative and truly delicious.

At Michelin starred restaurant La Ciau del Tornavento in Treiso more white truffle appears, this time shaved over a miniature cheese fondue, washed down with some Barolo, the unique aroma of the truffle hard to forget.

Perhaps the star attraction here however is the restaurants cellar, which has to be seen to be believed. Never have I seen such an array of wines, many so rare (mostly Italian) that the choice is bewildering. Stacked in impossibly high piles and with barely enough room to pass there is even a vaulted cellar kept under lock and key. Well worth a visit.

Earlier this year we made a flying visit to France to try a number of new wines being shown at a special tasting that brought together a number of independent wine makers.

Overall we returned slightly disappointed at the standard of many of the wines (there really were a number of shockers!) but did identify so lovely offerings from both Sancerre and Burgundy.

We will be trying further samples before buying so watch this space for updates

To accompany a Chestnut Torte, recipe supplied by Robert Mace, Head Chef at the Adnams Crown Hotel in Southwold, Christopher is recommending a Dolgesheiner Scützenhütte Merlot Eiswein 2004, a half bottle of pudding wine, £12.99, from grower Biegler Müller in the Rheinhessen.

As discussed on this morning’s James Hazell show, chestnut can be very rich and you need something lighter and more elegant to accompany it.

Domaine Faiveley … what a treat.

Domaine Faiveley, based in Nuits-Saint-Georges, now owns more domains than any other family in Burgundy. Set up in 1825, just one year before Thomas Peatlng, it’s now down to the 7th generation to lead the way.

We arrived on 6 October just two days before the end of harvest on 8 October. An unusual time to entertain but a fabulous time to visit the vineyards of Musigny, Romanee-Conti and La Tache on a lovely misty autumnal morning while they were still picking the last of the grapes lovingly by hand.

This was followed by a sumptuous dinner in the cellars in the Restaurant La Cabotte à Nuits St Georges. I reproduce it for you here just so that I can savour the taste …

Wines

Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 2005
Meursault 1er Cru Blagny 2000
Mercurey 1er Clos du Roy 2003 Domaine Faiveley
Mazis Chambertain 2000 Domaine Faiveley
Corton Clos des Cortons Faiveley 1998 Domaine Faiveley- Monopole

Menu

Cocotte de Langoustine et ses petits legumes
Epaule d’Agneau dy Quercy cuit en 19 heures et Cocos Paimpol
Assiette de Fromages
Charlotte de Fruits Rouges et Biscuit de Reims

And for lunch the next day:

Wines

Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot 2006
Volnay 1er Cru Santenots 2002
Latricières Chambertin 19999 Domaine Faiveley

Menu

Jambon Persillé, Jeunes Pousses et Crème de Moutarde
Mignon de Porc Laqué et Wok de Légumes
Assiette de Fromage
Tropézienne

Although these were meals I will remember for a very long time, the most memorable event was being able to taste the newly pressed Musigny 2008 grape, the juice of which goes to make only 150 bottles for world consumption.

An incredibly rare privilege.

“Australia is good at giving consumers what they want.” A common observation in the trade, but one that usually refers to wines in the £5-7 price range, many sold through the supermarkets on sometimes spurious offers.

But start looking beyond ‘Brand Australia’, into distinct regional wines in much the same way as we do with France for instance and a whole ‘new world’ of quality emerges.

We have noticed a move away from the powerful fruit and oak driven styles that are one dimensional and very alcoholic back to the old world. Subtle use of oak and styles more suited to individual regions are now emerging and provide wonderful drinking.

Don’t be scared of seeking out Australians at the £10 – 15 price mark and you will be in for a pleasant surprise.

Try our Xabregas range from Mount Baker, Western Australia.

Whilst numerous delicious Champagnes exist and continue to delight me, when I taste them I’m always conscious that these are expensive products. Very expensive when compared to many very good wines.

Of course the high costs of the raw materials and the added costs of prolonged ageing and storage go some way to explaining these premium prices. However, when I open virtually any glossy magazine or weekend colour supplement to be confronted with seductive double page spreads for famous Champagnes I am reminded that a large chunk of the price must feed these advertising campaigns.

This goes a long way to explaining why we like to source our Champagnes from smaller houses and why we import direct. They don’t have big budgets and providing we do our job properly and select the right Champagnes, we believe we can pass on really good quality products at a much lower cost.