Ruffino, Tenuta Lodola Nuova, Vino Nobile de Montepulciano, DOCg, 2006

One of the main food pairings found in Tuscany is wild boar, tomato, fresh pasta and Sangiovese. People live on this and for good reason. It's delicious. The issue really becomes about which Sangiovese you choose. What I've pulled out tonight was a gift. I don't know too much about the producer. No big deal. Of all the many fascinating regions and subregions in Italy, Tuscany is the most well-known internationally and probably the most mundane. I don't want to disrespect all those Under the Tuscan Sun die-hards, but as superstar sommelier Rajat Parr states in his stellar book Secrets of Sommeliers, "All you need to know about the supposedly best ( Tuscan Sangiovese), Brunello di Montalcino, is that in 1960 exactly eleven producers were making it and today their ranks have swollen to over two hundred." That's a diluted product. Having said that, certain foods have an preternatural groove with certain wines - typically those that evolved together on the same plots of land. Sangiovese just goes with wild boar and tomato sauce, or so I am hoping. I am matching it not with a Brunello but with a Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Wine from this region tends to be similar to a Chianti Riserva with a fuller, softer, more fruit-forward thrust. We'll see.

Pisa Range Black Poplar Block, Pinot Noir, 2007, Central Otago, New Zealand

I don't know many sommeliers, but those I have met swear by the greatness of pinot noir. 'Ethereal' is a word thrown about. I think the word means 'finesse' but with a little more metaphysical spunk. I don't know if this is accurate. What I do know is that Burgundy is the cradle of the elusive pinot noir. It's also home to the most expensive agricultural land on earth. The colour of pinot is the first giveaway in a blind tasting. Light. Bricky. On the nose, you'll generally find red fruit, earth, barnyard, stewed rhubarb, light spice. In the mouth, minerals and tight acidity dominate. As a grape, pinot is temperamental, but when done well it is so exciting - so ethereal, if you'll allow the word - that producers all over the world have been tempted to try the grape out at least once. Pinot is a tough grow. New Zealand, with its cooler growing climate, has had some of the best results to date and now produces some of the finest pinots outside of Burgundy. Pisa Range Estate is at the top end. The winemaker's name is Rudi Bauer. He's renowned, speaks English with a Austrian and New Zealand hybrid accent and drops the occasional f-bomb. Observe.