Q My wife and I are having a lunch for our British friends the next time we’re back in the UK. We have settled on our French-themed menu but we really want to recreate a smart French restaurant feel and have a different wine with each course.

We have had some incredible meals in France where the wine has really enhanced the food and we would love to share this with our friends. Ideally, we wouldn’t want to spend more than an average of £10 per bottle - excluding bubbly or liqueurs, of course.

We are starting with nibbles and then having black pudding with apples as a starter. For main, we’ve decided on chicken in a creamy mushroom sauce served with gratin dauphinois and green beans. We will have a cheese course and then tarte au citron for dessert.

I hope you can help.

Mr Griffin, Gironde

A It all sounds quite delicious. It’s certainly almost de rigueur in France to start with champagne as it gets everyone in such a good mood. Boudin is a bit rustic for you to continue with it but a Saint Véran, one of the meatier wines from southern Burgundy, would be ideal. 
As it’s lunchtime, people could either stay with that for the chicken, or accept a glass of something a bit different but increasingly fashionable nowadays: Tavel rosé. It has just the right refreshing balance and brings a dash of colour to the proceedings, especially as I am now going to recommend another white wine.

Personally I don’t find red wine and soft cheese a good combination, and I prefer something sweet. Neither the cheese nor the tarte call for anything too rich, so how about something bit lighter than a Sauternes, such as a Sainte Croix du Mont from just across the river? This would be just the right note to end the meal on, but if your guests insist on more, you can’t fail with a Calvados!

Here is what I would recommend from the Hicks and Don wine list:

Champagne Cuvée St Flavy £17.95
St Véran 2006 Domaine Charvet £10.50
Tavel 2007 Château d’Acqueria £10.95
Château des Arroucats 2005 £6.40 for a half bottle

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