Coq au Vin

It is such a shame that what started as the pinnacle of French cooking has become the victim of shopping centre and motorway self-service restaurants, where - it goes without saying - what is served bears little relation to the original. The dish hails from Burgundy and purists would not dream of pouring anything from outside the region into their pot, but I like to use sun-filled Chateauneuf-du-Pape. The main thing is to go for the best you can afford, avoiding ‘cooking wine’ at all costs.