Winter is the perfect time to stay at home, slip into something cosy, and sink your teeth into a warming, home-cooked meal. Even professional chefs would agree. Nigel Harvey, Voyager Estate’s Executive Chef, may cook for a living, but cooking for family and friends at home is a different experience.

"Cooking at home I get the pleasure of sharing really fresh produce with my family and I enjoy turning something quite simple into something memorable, without the pressure of making it for 100 people. Plus, I can sip on a glass of wine while I’m doing it - I can’t do that at work!"

When cooking with wine, Nigel has a few golden rules. "Always use good wine in cooking. You have to work with the flavours of the wine so that they compliment the food. Bad wine has bad flavours and who wants that in their meal?" He also says volume is important. The more wine you use and the longer the cooking, the more intense the flavour. While this is great for a robust meal, some dishes prefer just a hint of wine to add a delicate fragrant note. In the end it boils down to three things: sight, smell, taste. "If it looks good, smells good and tastes good, you’ve got the perfect meal."

On a sunny winter’s afternoon a couple of weeks ago, Nigel treated some friends to a bowl of pasta at home - beef orecchiette with macadamia pesto and Margaret River goats’ cheese. Whilst it sounds a bit more sophisticated than your everyday family pasta, Nigel assures us it’s an easy dish to make at home. On using wine in this dish, Nigel says, "The use of the Voyager Estate Shiraz in this dish enhances the blueberry and blood plum characteristics in the wine, transforming the dish into myriad savoury and sweet fruit flavours. The earthy and dark fruit components of the wine respond perfectly to compliment the red meat in the dish."

Nigel has shared the recipe so that you can try it for yourself. If you would like to comment on the dish or ask for any tips, he would love to hear from you. Email him at mailto:chef@voyagerestate.com.au