What wine (and other drinks) to pair with poke (updated)

If you haven’t heard of poke - the Hawaiian dish of cubed raw fish usually with rice and/or vegetables - you soon will. It’s everywhere (and pronounced, by the way, pokay not poke).

It’s not generally spicy so you don’t have to contend with that but usually has a dressing based on soy sauce which gives it an umami (savoury) character. 

It’s the sort of light dish you might have at lunchtime so alcohol might not even be appropriate though there are definitely wines - more often that not white or rosé - that will work well with it. 

There are also many alcohol-free options that go well, particularly citrussy ones, given that it more often than not features seafood.

Here are eight suggestions

Riesling
A crisp fresh young riesling - from the Okanagan Valley or Washington State, for example - would be delicious

Sauvignon Blanc
Generally good where seafood is involved and poke is no exception. I’d choose a citrussy style from Chile for example rather than the more powerful, punchy sauvignons from New Zealand

Grüner Veltliner
If in doubt turn to Austria’s Asian food-friendly Grüner Veltliner. Especially with Asian flavours

A fruity rosé
I tried a low alcohol (10%) off-dry English rosé based on pinot noir and meunier called A Little Bit from Westwell in Kent with a salmon poke and it was spot on.

Sake
Poke is actually not that different in flavour from sushi and although the Japanese wouldn’t traditionally drink a rice-based drink with rice there’s no reason why you shouldn’t.

A good crisp pils
C’mon! You can do better than a Bud! Buy a proper German pils or a crisp craft lager. They’ll both pair well with poke.

Pina colada
Bring back those retro cocktails! We should stop being sniffy about pina colada and drink it with the kind of food for which it was intended.

And thinking pineapple and coconut, pineapple juice would also be a good (and appropriately Hawaiian) pairing as would ultra-fashionable sweet, creamy coconut water. 

If you want to know more about poke read this excellent introduction from Bon Appetit.

Photo ©laplateresca at fotolia.com

Six of the best wine (and other) pairings with chicken pie

Chicken pie - or chicken pot pie - is classic comfort food. But what sort of drink goes with it best? Wine, beer or cider?

Variations on chicken pie exist, which are bound to affect your drink pairing. British-style chicken pies are often creamier than American-style chicken pot pies, for example.

Assuming you’re going for the classic creamy filling, here are my favourite pairings

Top drink pairings for chicken pie

* A smooth, creamy (but not too oaky) chardonnay is always good with chicken in a creamy sauce. A Chablis or Macon-Villages would be a classic match

* An old vine chenin blanc with a lick of oak works really well too

* Try other smooth dry white wines such as viognier or other medium to full-bodied Languedoc or Rhône whites

* A medium dry cider is lovely with chicken, especially if the sauce is made with cider too or the pie contains leeks. As is perry (aka pear cider)

* A blonde or golden ale is a great match if you prefer a beer

* If the sauce is made with red wine and/or tomato I’d go for a medium-bodied red such as a merlot or an Alentejo red.

For American-style chicken pot pie, which often includes a heartier mix of vegetables or gravy-like sauces:

* Fuller-bodied whites like California chardonnay or viognier will go well with with the savoury and slightly sweet vegetable elements.

* Richer reds, such as Pinot Noir or a Grenache, work surprisingly well if the filling leans into roasted or caramelized flavours.

* You might want to go for a fuller style of beer like an IPA or amber ale

See also What wine goes best with chicken - red or white?

Photo ©TDC Photography at shutterstock.com

The best pairings for pancakes

If you’re planning a Pancake Day celebration and haven’t yet decided what to drink here are few ideas.

As with pasta the best pairing for pancakes depends on the topping or filling which can obviously be savoury or sweet. 

And on the occasion you’re eating them which in the case of sweet pancakes could well be breakfast or brunch which might make it less likely you’ll be drinking wine. 

So far as we Brits are concerned the main pancake occasion is Pancake Day which takes place on Shrove Tuesday and is all about a very specific type of pancake, topped with a squeeze of lemon juice and crunchy sugar.

Even though that’s likely to be enjoyed later in the day it’s at least as likely to be accompanied by tea as booze but there are a couple of wines I think work really well.

Simple sugar and lemon pancakes
The classic British way. To be honest I prefer them on their own or with an aromatic cup of tea such as Lady Grey or Orange Pekoe but a sweet sparkling wine such as Moscato d’Asti or Clairette de Die should work if you don’t overdo the lemon. A sparkling ice-wine (the Canadian winery Inniskillin does one) would probably be perfect

Pancakes with fresh berries like strawberries, raspberries or blueberries
A sparkling rosé with a touch of sweetness - cue rosé prosecco - pairs well with this lighter style of pancake topping/filling. You could also try a sparkling framboise made with a raspberry liqueur topped up with sparkling wine.

Pancakes with golden or maple syrup
Tricky especially if the topping is maple syrup and the dish also includes bacon. Black tea or a black Americano coffee for me but them I don’t have a particularly sweet tooth. If you do you could always try an Australian liqueur muscat

Pancakes with Nutella
Black - or white - coffee again, if anything. Or you could echo the hazelnut flavour with a Frangelico

Pancakes with a cherry, apricot or other fruit compote
Very good with a complementary fruit beer - kriek with cherry-filled pancakes, a peach or apricot-flavoured beer with apricot filled ones.

With apple and cinnamon filled crepes you could serve a conventional dessert wine - cooked apples suit most of them but I’d be tempted by a youngish Tokaji

Savoury pancakes with cheese and ham or spinach
Dry or sparkling cider is a great match for Breton-style pancakes, particularly if they’re made with buckwheat. Otherwise a smooth dry white wine such as a Pinot Blanc, Soave or Gavi will all work fine

Smoked salmon blinis
Champagne, sparkling wine or iced vodka

Crispy duck pancakes
Not a traditional Shrove Tuesday treat but while we’re in pancake mode . . .  to beat a good Pinot Noir

Image By Melica at shutterstock.com

The best wine to pair with rhubarb

You might be surprised to learn that rhubarb is a great ingredient to pair with wine.

Generally dessert wines need to be sweeter than the dessert they accompany and rhubarb has a natural tartness that makes that easier to achieve especially when it’s served with wine-friendly cream as in a rhubarb fool, pannacotta or a creamy rice pudding.

Not only that but you can pair some of the best sweet wines with rhubarb - wines like Sauternes or Germany’s top late harvest rieslings. Here are my top picks.

What wines to pair with rhubarb

Sauternes or similar sweet wines from Bordeaux

Light, lush lemony Sauternes and similar wines such as Loupiac or Cadillac work well especially when the dessert is accompanied by cream. Probably the combination I reach for most often as this post shows though I’d generally go for younger rather than older vintages

Other late harvest sauvignons or semillons from elsewhere in the world would work too

Auslese, beerenauslese or other late harvest rieslings

Riesling has a corresponding acidity that makes it a great match. Rhubarb can balance the intense sweetness of even an ice wine. I once had a cabernet franc-based Canadian ice wine with rhubarb cheesecake which was a sensational match.

Sparkling rosés especially pinot noir-based ones or rosé prosecco

Work well when the wine is off-dry and the dessert not too sweet. A lovely echo of colour with early season pink rhubarb.

Moscato d’asti would be good if there’s meringue involved like this walnut meringue cake with buttermilk cream and poached rhubarb dessert

A chilled shot of rhubarb gin or vodka, especially with a rhubarb pie or crumble. That’s not wine, obviously, but there are so many delicious rhubarb-based drinks around you should definitely experiment. You can get non-alcoholic rhubarb sodas and nectares too.

Rhubarb also pops up in savoury dishes such as this pork recipe or this amazing-sounding deep-fried Iberico pork chop with hot and sour rhubarb pickle from Donald Edwards* and with oily fish such as mackerel. None is an easy match. I’m guessing here but I would probably go for a sharp dry white such as an assyrtiko, certainly with the mackerel, a dry riesling or even a pink pet nat or good, dry artisanal cider. Any thoughts?

Are you a rhubarb fan? Try this delicious blood orange and rhubarb meringue pie or rhubarb and strawberry crumble sundae.

* It’s well worth checking out Donald’s blog Radical Wine Pairing