Match of the week
2009 Pessac-Léognan and a cheeseburger
Although I’ve visited posh St James’s wine club 67 Pall Mall several times for tastings I hadn't ever had lunch there until last week. I don’t know quite what I expected - perhaps the sort of roast and overcooked veg you’d find in a gentleman’s club but certainly not a rare burger in an airy brioche bun with perfectly cooked onion rings on the side.
The burger had quite a bit in the way of toppings including bacon and cheese but the wine my host had picked with it, a gloriously velvety 2009 La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion, wasn’t thrown off its stride in the slightest.
It was a good ripe vintage of course but nevertheless a mature wine you might have thought wouldn’t stand up to a burger. I did avoid ketchup on the side though which is the real wine killer!
You can read more about the estate here.
See also:
Cheeseburgers and cabernet
Last night we went round to some new friends and they made the most delicious home-made burgers.
I’d emailed beforehand to ask what we’d be eating so we could bring along an appropriate wine and when I discovered it was burgers immediately thought of cabernet sauvignon.
We took two, a dark, damsony 2012 HIP Sagemoor Farmers Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Hedges Family Estate in Washington State’s Columbia Valley and a 2008 Uitkyk Carlonet 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon from Stellenbosch which was surprisingly brighter and juicier despite its greater age.
Apart from a well-judged amount of cheese the burgers were simply topped with tomatoes and pickled cucumber and no raw onion (a definite plus from the point of view of the wine). We thought the Uitkyk, which is pronounced 8-cake in case you’re wondering, was marginally the better match but they were both thoroughly enjoyable. Quality cab is as good a match with a burger as it is with a steak.
By the way the Uitkyk came from our personal wine stocks but you can buy the 2010 vintage from Fareham Cellar for £10.99. The HIP Cabernet was a sample from Roberson and costs £16.95
Photo © badmanproduction
Shake Shack burger and 2008 Quintarelli Primofiore
About the last thing you'd expect at the launch of a new burger joint is to be served a £59 bottle of wine. But then Danny Meyer, more famous for his New York fine dining spots, is no ordinary restaurateur.
And if he's asking whether I'd like to try his Quintarelli Primofiore, a premium blend of Corvina and Cabernet, with one of his Shake Shack burgers, well, who am I to refuse?
It was great with the burgers as you’d expect, the fresh acidity providing a perfect counterpoint to the juicy meat and gooey cheese. One of those matches which is more than the sum of its parts.
Surprisingly the wine was not just there for the launch but actually appears on the Shake Shack drinks list along with a selection of more affordable reds including a Malbec and a Zinfandel.
The burger I liked best though - and suspect I'll end up going back for - was the ‘shroom burger - a decadent, deep fried, portabella mushroom stuffed with cheese. (Though obviously not on a 'fast day'.) That would pair well with the Quintarelli too but I think I'd settle for the rather more modest Shack Red which is made for the chain by California winery Frog's Leap. Or, even better, a shake or a float . . .
If you can't face the queues at Shake Shack (which is in the piazza in Covent Garden) just try the same combination at home. A classic cheeseburger and an Italian red. It works.
RSS
Most popular
.jpg)
9 great wine pairings for duck (updated)
My latest book
How to Drink without DrinkingNews and views
.jpg)
Fine Wine and Fast Food
About Fiona
About Matching Food & Wine
Work with me
