Scotch egg

Scotch egg

A Scotch egg wraps a soft egg in seasoned sausage meat and a fried crumb, so it brings pork fat, pepper and sage, and the faint sulphur of egg. Bubbles and acidity cut the fat and scatter the sulphur, while a smoky, struck match wine would stack on it. Gentle red fruit suits the sausage, and heavy tannin does not.

Pairs Perfectly. Crémant de Loire, France. Sparkling Chenin Blanc with quince, apple and a honeyed note, whose bubbles cut the crumb and the pork fat and disperse the sulphur of the egg. Made the Champagne way for a fraction of the price, it is an everyday bottle.

Pairs Well. English sparkling, Sussex, England. Chalky and sharp, a natural partner to a very British plate.

Pairs Well. Dolcetto, Piedmont, Italy. Soft and dark fruited with gentle freshness, which suits seasoned sausage meat without fighting the egg.

Worth Seeking Out

Trousseau from the Jura, France. Pale, wild and savoury with a peppery spice that meets the seasoning of the sausage.

Avoid

Reductive, smoky whites and heavy, tannic reds. A struck match note stacks on the sulphur of the egg, and big tannin coats the fatty sausage.

Failing That

A dry Riesling from the Rheingau, Germany.

If All Else Fails

Chianti Classico, Tuscany.

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