Think you can only pair red wine with meat? Think again

Meat and fish are cornerstones of Greek cuisine. When planning a trip to Athens, Thessaloniki or one of the many paradisiacal islands in the Aegean archipelago, it’s dishes like slow braised lamb, grilled fish with salty, blistered skin and piles of rice and mince-filled cabbage rolls that spring to mind. But dig a little deeper and you'll unlock regional (or even island-specific9 dishes that serve as Greece's unsung vegetarian heroes – a series of elegant vegetable-centric recipes that speak to the country’s abundance of incredible produce.

One of the all-time classics is Briam, Greece’s answer to ratatouille. Here, unmatched Greek tomatoes are slow-cooked until they release their subtly sweet juices into a mixture of eggplant, red pepper, potatoes, and courgette. It’s It is quintessential Mediterranean cooking; lashings of peppery olive oil, vibrant vegetables and, above all, taking full advantage of the country’s natural larder.

Related: Red wine remedy: Slow-cooked lamb and Bordeaux to end your week right

While many zippy Greek wines would pair well with this dish, we’re travelling a little further north to Italy. Specifically to the ochre-hued hills of Umbria where sangiovese proliferates. Antonelli San Marco’s Montefalco Rosso takes full advantage of the grape’s tart cherry and earthy flavour profiles, blended with sagrantino and montepulciano for nuanced depth with hints of spice, cherry and strawberries. Its bright acidity pairs beautifully with the vibrant, summer-in-a-bowl flavours of the Briam.

Ingredients (serves 4)
2 courgettes
2 red peppers
3 potatoes
2 aubergines
Handful of parsley, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
4 large ripe tomatoes, chopped (alternatively, 2 cans of good quality chopped tomatoes will do)
2 red onions
Olive oil

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.
2. Peel the potatoes. Roughly chop all the vegetables into large chunks (approx 3cm across).
3. Add all the ingredients to a baking dish with a generous drizzle of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add some chilli flakes if you like spice.
4. Bake for an hour. Remove halfway through to stir and, if dry, add a little water and a bit more olive oil. After an hour, check if the potatoes are suitably soft and, if not, put back in the oven for a further 30 minutes.
5. Serve with a little feta crumbled on top and a simple green salad.

Antonelli Montefalco Rosso (20165), 159kr