Dirk Niepoort was in town, with wifey - PR queen Dorli Muhr - in tow. At short notice I booked a table for us at Comptoir Gascon in Smithfields. It's a gem of a place - small, unpretentious and calmly assured, offering regional treats from France's southwest. Kudos to them for offering a short but perfectly formed wine list dedicated almost exclusively to southwest wines (there are also a couple from the Languedoc), will all available either by the glass or the bottle. We went the glass route and tried a Lapeyre Jurancon, a Montravel and a white Irouleguy, followed by a really good Cahors, Domaine du Cros Marcillac Vieilles Vignes and a red Irouleguy. With dessert we had a Banyuls, a sweet Jurancon and a pretty Muscat (from Clos du Gravillas). We also tried Dirk and Dorli's new Austrian red wine. More on this later. It's fantastic.