Mashed potato, flavouring profile

Mashed potato, flavouring profile

Mash rarely decides the wine on its own, but its butter and cream push the plate towards body and softness, and away from anything thin.

The compounds that matter. Butter and cream, whose fat coats the palate and whose buttery diacetyl note some white wines share from the cellar. Starch, which blunts acidity and tannin a little and makes the whole plate feel rounder. Salt, which softens any tannin in the glass.

What it demands of a wine. Enough body to sit alongside something this rich without tasting thin, and acidity to keep the fat moving. A creamy or gently oaked white mirrors the butter. Reds work comfortably, since the starch and fat soften their tannin, so let the main on the plate decide the colour.

Seek. Chardonnay with a light touch of oak, from Burgundy, or from the Sonoma Coast in California, whose buttery, nutty register matches the mash directly. Roussanne from the northern Rhône, round and honeyed, for mash with fish or chicken. Dolcetto from Piedmont, soft and dark, for mash under sausages. Grenache from the southern Rhône, warm and gentle in tannin, for mash under a pie or a stew.

Avoid

Very lean, bone dry whites such as Muscadet, which the cream makes taste thin and sharp. Heavily perfumed whites, which clash with the plain comfort of the plate.

Three to reach for. Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast, California. Dolcetto, Piedmont, Italy. Grenache, southern Rhône, France.