A loooong Sunday lunch

We had a couple of families over for lunch today. They're good friends and it was a relaxed, lengthy affair. Fiona cooked an excellent Portuguese stew, and it was washed down with an eclectic selection of wines.

We kicked off with Champagne Moutardier NV, a rich style with lots of character and depth - I bought six bottles of this a while ago from my brother in law, Beavington, who'd managed to get hold of a lot at a very reasonable price from Great Western Wine.

Then a really classic Chablis: 1er Cru Vaucopins 2007 from Domaine Long-Depaquit (made by Albert Bichot). Portugal was represented by the Covela Tinto Colhieta Seleccionada 2003, which is a super-refined oaked red wine that went down very well. This was followed by the Benegas Lynch Libertad Vineyards Meritage 2005 Mendoza, a big old Argentinean red weighing in at 15% alcohol, with some spicy complexity but also a bit of heat.

But the winner on the day was a sweet white wine from Bordeaux - the Chateau de Ricaud Loupiac 2001 (£12.90 Nicolas). This is a really rich yet balanced sweet wine with lovely apricot, crystalline fruit and waxy complexity. Tastes like a really good Sauternes.