Most people have a fondue set hidden away in some dark neglected corner of their kitchens. We actually possess two of them, but have rarely ever used them. But last week we felt inspired to get one of them out, give it a throrough clean, and set it to work.

Recipe (serves four, or two if you are hungry)
250 ml white wine
Clove of garlic
1 teaspoon lemon juice
250g grated Emmental cheese
250g grated Gruyère cheese
2 teaspoons cornflour
Pepper and grated nutmeg to season

After rubbing the inside of the fondue pot with garlic, pour in wine and lemon juice and heat gently until simmering on the hob. Add the grated cheese a bit at a time, while stirring. Don't worry if it all looks a bit clumpy. When the cheese has melted, dissolve the cornflour in a small volume of wine, and then stir this in. Don't let the mixture boil, but keep heating for a few minutes until a regular consistency is reached. Transfer foudue pot to table and serve with cubes of French bread.

Wine match
The classic wine match is with a crisp, acidic but rather neutral Swiss wine such as Fendant, made from the Chasselas grape. However, we thought we would try something a bit different. New Zealand Sauvignon blanc posseses the same sort of crisp acidity, but is considerably more full-flavoured than a Chasselas.

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon blanc 1999, Marlborough, New Zealand
My second time with this vintage. It is deserving of its stellar reputation: crisp and intense, very well balanced. Notes of grapefruit, goosberries and elderflower combine with freshly cut green peppers to produce a mouthwatering and sophisticated wine of real impact. (£11.99 Fortnum & Mason, no longer any left, sadly)

The wine complements the fondue really well: it takes the texture of the cheese nicely in its stride, and neither the food or the wine get in the way of each other. The wine's acidity cuts nicely through the rather cloying melted cheese. Perhaps the fact that there is already a fair amount of white wine in the cheese sauce helps to make this match such an easy one.