Maybe it's the mountainy man in me that accounts for it, but there's something that divides my wife's tastes from mine. She loves the sea and all its humours: she loves to swim in it, paint it, breathe its air and, given the chance, she'd live beside it. Me, on the other hand, I'd prefer fresh water. It's rarely as violent and you can drink it. At home, in the rare event of a few hot days, I swim in our river and lake. I like drying off in the sun without a residue of salt on my skin. I enjoy everything about water that my wife does, but I prefer it without the salt. Which is why a trip to Wineport was such a treat for me.

We arrived in Glasson, just outside Athlone on Lough Ree, at about seven o'clock on a evening when the sun made the odd sortie out from behind the clouds. Wineport is right on the lake, the lawn ends in a stone wall which marks the water's upper boundary. Two jetties run out from here into the lake where cabin cruisers on the Shannon system can dock when the urge for good food hits. When the evening sun hit the glass-topped lake the effect was magical. Even the thalassophilic Susie had to agree that lake views can have all the majesty of seascapes.

We'd come for a special dinner that was to focus on food and wine, a concept that can make me drive very long distances. There's a growing trend among foodies towards matching wines to specific dishes and this dinner was designed on that basis. Seven courses and seven wines was the order of the night, each carefully chosen to compliment one another. Obviously a dinner like this needs a bed once it's over, and Wineport has just added an extension overlooking the lake with bedrooms, so nothing could have been easier. I can't start to describe the meal before I tell you about the rooms. They're finished to a really high standard and have little luxuries like underfloor heating in the bathrooms, which makes wandering around in bare feet a pleasure. All the rooms have balconies from where you can enjoy views the lake, or sit as we did, sipping a glass of Bolly and feeling splendidly decadent.

Before the pre-dinner drinks we got the chance to have a quick ride in a cabin cruiser, accompanied by oysters and Black Velvet, as the sun began to set behind the hills. After docking at Wineport there was time to stand for a moment on the decking outside the dining room and enjoy the evening air whilst enjoying pre-dinner canapés; a Thai curry with Trimbach Pinot Blanc, Irish oysters with Drouhin St. Veran and an extraordinary chicken liver and strawberry parfait with Jaboulet Tavel Rose. So before going into the dining room I was feeling flushed enough to be grateful we had a room.

Naturally the dining room has a wall of picture windows making the most of the spectacular views of the lake. It's a comfortable room with lots of warm wood so it's easy to settle in. As its name suggests you can find some good wines on the wine list, which although not very long, carries some interesting wines. Apart from the house wines which are listed at €19, most of the wines are from €25 upwards and for those of deep pockets there are wines in the three-figure range, running up to €380 for the Vega Sicilia.

Our tasting menu (normally priced at €45) began with a roast onion tart with Stilton and rosemary. Onion tart is very much an Alsatian speciality, so with this tasty variant we enjoyed a Pinot Gris Reserve from Trimbach, which made a fine match. Next came a sashimi of tuna with avocado creme fraiche which was accompanied by Trimbach's flagship Riesling, the Cuvee Frederic Emile, an exquisite wine that balances the fruit of the Riesling with acidity and alcoholic strength. This too was a combination I'd be happy try again.

The meats came next, starting with a boudin of smoked rabbit on a bed of rocket dressed with truffle oil. Its partner was the most full-bodied of the Beaujolais, a Moulin a Vent from Drouhin. Although a young wine of the 2000 vintage, it had enough body and structure to compliment the rich tastes of the rabbit and the aromatic truffle oil and again it showed that the idea of matching foods to wine can work very well. Next came a duck confit with a fig relish and an anise reduction, which was served with a Premier Cru Maranges 1998, one of Burgundy's lesser-known appellations. This was perhaps the least happy marriage, the slight tartness of the Maranges arguing, I thought, with the taste of anise. But we're talking degrees of tastes here, because despite that reservation I sent back a clean plate.

And so to the desserts, firstly a pear and goats' cheese trifle, which came with the stalwart 'Mule Blanche' Crozes Hermitage from Jaboulet. The wine is full-bodied and made an excellent accompaniment to the sweet and savoury tastes of the trifle. And lastly came a summer berry pudding, a dessert I often shy away from, fearful of tart and bitter berries. But this came with an extraordinary wine, a dessert Gewurztraminer from Trimbach of the 1994 vintage. Aficionado as I am of dessert wines, this one really thrilled my palate, no mean feat after such a meal.

Obviously constructing a meal like this to marry wine and food isn't something we can do every day, but it's a great experience if you get the chance. After a lazy and lingering breakfast the next morning I was sorry to leave the delights of Wineport Lodge.