Subtle and not super hot spice - that is just the way I like it, gone are the days when I automatically ordered the hottest thing on the Indian restaurant menu. Here are some wine suggestions for this programme's dishes.

A. Mustard and Lemon Sausages

The combination of mustard, lemon, carrots and decent quality sausages sounds great. To me it demands a glass of something interesting, and that something needs plenty of controlled power and a bit of development to match the meatiness of the sausage. I would go for a Cotes du Rhone, or better still one of the Southern Rhone village wines, like Gigondas, Rasteau or Cairanne, but it needs to be a few years old. This means I would look for a wine from 2004 or 2005 (or older) but only from a better known producer. A decent Aussie Shiraz would also be good, but one from a small producer rather than one of the mega-corporations, somewhere like Coriole might be good - but rmemeber look for some age! From the Languedoc, I would go for a wine with a high Syrah content, like the Plan de l'Om Roucan 2005, or the Domaine Jordy Tentation 2007. The Roucan might be expensive for a mid-week night, but it is something worth drinking between two over a really lovely supper like this.

B. Thai Spiced Aubergine

A combination of spice and my favourite vegtable can only mean one thing Grenache! How do I know, well last night friends cooked us an authentic Thai Green Curry that was full of lemongrass, chilli, garlic, lme, and coconut milk -  a bottle of Domaine de l'Arfeuille Old Vines Grenache 2007 was perfect. Bright red berry and currant fruit, sweet spice and soft tannins with a good balance and length. A perfect combination.

C. Chilli Feta

Cheese, chilli, lime, onion and herbs in a rough sandwich - sounds good. A glass of something to cope with the fat in the cheese and the hotish spice is needed here. I am going to be a little controversial here as I am going to avoid red wines and go for a white.  I think that a white based on Marsanne, Roussanne or Clairette will work very well with the feta. So Languedoc is the place to go. Try an old vines Roussanne from the "La Gravette" cooperative in Corconne, or the Roussanne from Domaine la Fadeze, or the big best picpoul of them all: Chateau Saint Martin de la Garrigue Picpoul 2009.

D. Tomato, Squash and Chard Soup

A dish like this, particularly if eaten outside needs a good rose, and Languedoc is the worrld's most important rose producing region. I would go for the Mas d'Exindre Rose 2009, which is full of strawberry and raspberry fruit, with a nice streak of sweet spice, good balance and length.

E. Spiced Jelly

Grown up jelly - yes please - and no I wouldn't drink wine with this. If I was desperate for alcohol I would go for an ice cold vodka!

F. Mushroom Korma

With the lovely spices, mushrooms, nuts, fruit, spinach and creamy sauce I would want to go for a good fruity red wine, probably from the New World. My first thought would be an Aussie Shiraz, say from Western Australia, or perhaps from Plantagenet, or a big Zinfandell from California. But perhaps best of all might be a Carmenere from Chilie, the one I wouyld choose would be the Montes Reserve Carmenere which is packed full of bright berry, cherry and currant fruit flavours, with a touch of spice and good lenght and a nice balance. my only other advice here would be to only pay £7-10 a bottle for a wine to accompany this meal any more might distract you from putting the world to rights with some close frinds!

I really enjoyed the second installment of Nigel Slater's Simple Suppers (Series 2), I love the idea of just going to the store cupboard/fridge and using bits and pieces to make an interesting meal. Of course I will normally drink a glass of wine with my dinner, and here are my suggestions for suitable wines for these dishes.

A. Lamb, Beetroot and Bulgar Wheat Patties

I often make patties, or rissoles as they are called in our house, from left over roast lamb or fresh lamb mince. I love to add spice, particularly ground cumin and coriander, as well as a sneaky bit of chilli and plenty of coriander leaf, and I always bulk up the meat with breadcrumbs. I must try bulgar wheat next time. For this type of food, I think you need to drink a robust red wine, I think that you will need plenty of dark berry fruit flavours, some spice and nice round tannins. A good Languedoc red would be perfect, either a traditional AOC type blend like a Coteaux du Languedoc, or a modern blend. From my list I would go for either Domaine Jordy Tentation 2008, which is a Syrah dominant blend with Grenache and Carignan if I was going for tradition, or the Cabernet Syrah blend of the Petit Saint Aunes Rouge 2008.

B. Pea Pasta with Parmesan

Fresh and simple this will have a surprisingly complex set of flavours, particularly as the pea shoots and a few herbs are used to add interest, texture and more flavours. I can't see beyond a white wine for this dish, either a good dry aromatic white from Alsace, say a good Pinot Gris, or from Languedoc the Chateau Saint Martin de la Garrigue, Bronzinelle Blanc would be brilliant, as it has a lovely freshness and plenty of complex flavours with much floral and fruit character, but also a lovely touch of herbacious aromas and flavours.

C. Chorizo and Bean Stew

This dish will pack a punch interms of flavour, the veg, beans and the spicy chorizo will make for a really hearty dish. For me it would be a real winter treat. To cope witht he spice and big flavours I think that you will need to go for something equally powerful in the accompanying wine. Try a Tempranillo based red from Spain (try Navarra, or Castille y Leon rather than Rioja) or a big punchy Grenache based blend fro South Australia or Languedoc, a good example on my list would be the Domaine des 1000 Roses Cuvee Lea, which has much power, but plenty of complex fruit and spice and just a touch of elegance if you look hard enough!

D. Beetroot Friters

I think the idea of knocking up a bowl of beetroot fritters on a camping stove in the allotment is a great idea, you just need a glass of outdoor red to go with them! I would go for something with plenty of fruit , and a touch of spice, but nothing too complex. Try a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo or a decent Valpolicella, or from Languedoc the Mas d'Exindre Rouge 2007 - the blend of Syrah, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot covers all the bases and has enough about it to be great by the glass at lunchtime. It has the added advantage of being sufficiently robust that a bottle will happliy drink over two or three days with no undue degradation.

E. Summer Fruit patch Pudding

This medley of summer fruits, cake soaked with lemon liqueur and whipped cream looks delightful and very naughty. And to be honest I wouldn't even try to match a wine to this dish, why bother,personally I wouldn't want anything to distract from the fruit, particularly if there are any white currants!

F. Salmon and Watercress Tart

Interestingly Last night I led a tasting for a lovely group, and halfway through we stopped for a snack, and one of the things on offer was a slice of a "Salmon Quiche", which looked very like the one proposed by Nigel Slater. We had just finished tasting a rose and three whites, the Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup Classique Rose went very well with the Quiche, the weight of fruit and freshness working well with the egg mixture and salmon; an oaked Chardonnay didn't work - the oak clashed with the fish; La Fadeze Sauvignon Blanc worked well with the freshenss and plentiful fruit again workig well with all elements of the tart; but the best match (in my opinion and about half of the tasters) was the Chateau Saint Martin de la Garrigue, Bronzinelle Blanc. I don't like to recommend the same wine twice in one blog, but in this case the freshness, fruit and herbacious character of the wine, together with its weight all worked perfectly with the salmon, egg mixture and the pastry.

I hope that these blogs are of interest, leave me a comment and tell me what you might match to some of these recipes.

A few suggestions for things to drink with the dishes cooked on Nigel Slater's new series on the BBC.

A. Squash and Turkey Bake

This looks full of flavour, with the sweetness of the squash and the deep savoury flavours from the mushrooms, onions and turkey mince. It definately needs a good red wine, and I think one with a fruit driven style. The sweetness of the squash makes me think of a Grenache based wine, one where the yields are low and the winemaker has worked with a gentle hand. An ideal place to find a wine like this would be the Terrasses du Larzac, particularly "Miejour" from Plan de l'Om, or the "Les Terrasses" from Domaine de la Croix Chaptal. Both have lovely well defined fruit flavours, with red berry fruit to the fore, with sweet spice and  a lovely touch of dried herbs in the "Les Terrasses" and more complex fruit and spice in the "Miejour".

B. Pasta Pesto

Pesto based on basil, parmesan and olive oil needs a wine that has sufficient acidity to not be overwhelmed and tannins that do not become astringent against the big complex flavours of the sauce. It is a classic Italian dish, and I would go for a classic Italian wine. The best is probably a good Chianti, or other Sangiovese based wine.

C. Broad Bean, Chilli and Red Onion Bruschetta

This looks to be a lovely lunch dish (I'll try it when the braod beans are ready next June!). It is a dish that will be great with a lighter red wine, or a fuller bodied dry white. If I went for a red wine it would need to be a nice ripe Pinot Noir, say the Ata Rangi Pinot from New Zealand, or a Cinsault from my beloved Languedoc. From my range i would go for the Cinq Seaux from Domaine d'Emile et Rose (formerly 1000 Roses), which while having plenty of fruit, and lowish tannins has been made with a gentle hand and so is light enough to combine nicely with these lovely flavours.

D. Ploughman's Pie

A novel dish this, an apple pie made with a cheesey pastry. As it has a sweetness with the savoury cheese, I don't know what wines to recommend with this dish. Perhaps a late harvest Grenache Noir from Languedoc, but one that is not very sweet. The wine would work well with the cheese in the pastry, and not be lost against the apples. Worth thinking about, but if you find a Grenache like this, let me know as I have been looking for a god one for ages!

E. Aromatic Mackerel

The oriental spices and herbs make this awkward to match with wine, but the oilyness of the fish and the ginger push me towards a white mine that is aromatic, but with a richness and a reasonably high acidity. I would go for a Picpoul de Pinet from Languedoc, but not any old Picpoul, this dish needs the best, and that it the Chateau Saint Martin de la Garrigue Picpoul de Pinet. Why is it the best? Well, it is complex, it has loads of flavour including apple, pear, lemon, tropical fruit, and loads of herbaciousness, it has a lovely weight in the mouth and perfect balance. It is as good a white wine as you could want to drink!

F. Roast Chicken

With Garlic, lemon, thyme and sage. FOr this I would want to drink something with a bit of power, either a full bodied white, or a red that has lovely soft tannins. The white could be an oaked Chardonnay, or from my range the lovely Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup CuveeSainte Agnes Blanc 2009, made from Rousanne, Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Marsanne fermented and aged in oak.

All of these recipes certainly made my mouth water, and the thought of them has encouraged me to start blogging again. Let's hope the series continues to be as interesting, and that I have got back into blogging!

On Saturday we ate with friends who kindly decided that it was time to try the first bottles of some 2005 Claret. The wines tasted were:

• Le Grand Chai 2005 AOC Bordeaux - A good "ordinary" claret nice balance, good fruit, mainly blackcurrant and a touch of raisins. Quite simple, but very easy to drink
• Chateau de Cazenove 2005 AOC Bordeaux Superieur - A bit more about this wine, good tannins, nice fruit, if a little undefined, touch of spice beginning to come throught, oak beginning to integrate, good length. Overall will improve a little more with say 18-24 months aging. A pleasant drink
• Chateau Cissac 2005, AOC Medoc - One of the Cru Bourgeois and it shows. A real step up in class. Tight, ripe fruit - cassis, plum and a touch of dark cherry. Interesting spice beginning to develop. Plenty of lovely tannins that are still ripe, taught and fairly young, giving good structure to the wine. Nice complexity and good balance. Still very young, will be a number of years yet until it reaches peak, and then it will stay at peak for a fair while. I look forward to trying it again.

The conclusion from this limited snapshot was that the Petit Chateaux wines are at or near their best, but that better wines still need plenty of time. CIssac is not one of the trail blazing Cru Bourgeois, but it is consistently reliable and usually a good solid claret. This tasting did not challenge that impression.

As I drink the wines of Languedoc a lot, it was good to try something a bit different.