Twist on new year cleansing ritual

Is it going to be fish, shellfish, chicken, beef, pork or lamb?

The new year brings fresh beginnings, a larger waist and a flatter wallet. It's an uphill struggle already. One of the typical new year resolutions is to detox or 'go dry' for January. It's great if you have the resolve to carry it through. Personally I do my own twist on this cleansing ritual.

Some doctors say that stopping drinking for all of January only encourages us go straight back at it in February.

Instead try substituting those three bottles of average plonk for one really good bottle of quality vino.

It won't cost you a penny more. You will be cutting back on your wine consumption by two thirds, which seems a lot more manageable. It will also give you a chance for this one month a year to experiment with wines that you may never think of trying or afforded to try. I'm talking about wine at £10-£15 a bottle.

I start to plan my Saturday night meal a couple of days before. Is it going to be fish, shellfish, chicken, beef, pork or lamb? Using the traditional method of red wine with red meat and white wine with fish chicken and pork (let's not complicate an already stressful January), I decide on my colour of wine and then with recipe in hand, it's off to the supermarket and local wine merchant.

My tip for red wine: if you're making a beef joint or a steak you are going to need a bold red with lots of tannins. Tannins are the part of wine that create that mouth puckering feeling (coming from the grape skins and stems). These tannins will help to cut through the big juicy red meat and fat making for a luscious experience.

Try Australian Barossa Valley Shiraz. Big, bold, tannic and spicy. Should be around £9-£15.

My tip for white wine: belly pork or a grilled chicken, get yourself a Muscadet. It hails from the Loire valley and runs through three villages to Nantes region in France. This is a minerally, citrus wine with lively acidity. For years it was made for French consumption on a budget. Pretty non-descript and so has been overlooked. However, with greater care and better quality of viticulture these wines are tasting great.

If you're in any doubt and want to push the boat out a bit, get a few oysters and a well chilled Muscadet. If this doesn't make you a believer nothing will. Should be around £8-12.00 a bottle. 

The result is a slimmer waist line and who knows maybe you will find a new wine that you love.

Food & Wine by Paul Sheerin
Pshearse@gmail.com