White wine with fish, red wine with meat.
This is the often-repeated phrase when matching food and wine.
But winemaker Neil McGuigan and John Torode, of British MasterChef fame, have thrown the rule book on the barbecue.
The pair, who have come together for a few days in NSW's Hunter Valley, want to challenge conventional wisdom that dictates heavier food goes with reds and more delicate flavours are accentuated by white.
"I want to embrace people into wine, and John wants to embrace people into food, rather than having it in an elite position," says McGuigan, who, along with his staff at McGuigan Wines, takes the public on a tour of his family's winery each day at noon.
"We don't want wine to be a case of `You don't know the top five chateaux in Bordeaux? I don't want to speak to you because I know them'. We don't want that."
Torode, who grew up in Maitland, a city in the Lower Hunter Valley, puts on an apron and demonstrates at a lunch that there's no such thing as a wrong wine when matching food and plonk.
The celebrity chef dishes up a simple entree of juicy, fresh prawns and pours everyone a glass of light red wine.
Everyone tries the prawns with a dollop of truffle mayonnaise and a glass of 2009 McGuigan The Shortlist Barossa GSM (grenache, shiraz and mourvedre).
After the crustaceans and red wine, Torode serves a main of barbecued T-bone steak, a salad and a loaf of crusty white bread.
Rather than serve the paprika-rubbed beef with a red, Torode pours a white, the 2012 McGuigan Bin 7000 Chardonnay.
"You have that beef with a glass of red wine," Torode says. "It's lovely. Have it with a glass of white wine and it's really brilliant.
"The smokiness and sweetness of the paprika makes the white wine come alive."
Although the men are demonstrating new ways of pairing food with McGuigan wines, the concept transcends brands and labels.
"We just want people to play with wine, enjoy it," McGuigan says.
The astute businessman, who has claimed the title of world's best winemaker three times at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London, is focused on expanding his company's portfolio to appeal to all tastes and budgets.
"You have to keep doing new and exciting things," McGuigan says.
In April, McGuigan Wines will release their highest-priced wine, The Philosophy Cabernet Sauvignon, which will retail for $150 - a dramatic difference in price from their Black Label brand.
"We were entry level and we did a very good job of that, but we want to go further," he says.
IF YOU GO:
GETTING THERE: The Hunter Valley is about 150 kilometres north of Sydney.
TOURING THERE: The Hunter Valley is home to more than 150 wineries. Tours of wineries can be booked direct with the cellar door or with an organised tour. McGuigan Wines is at the corner of Broke and McDonalds roads, Pokolbin. Tours of the winery depart seven days a week at noon.
MORE: visitnsw.com; winecountry.com.au
