Seabream carpaccio with blood orange and Hugel Gentil

If you’re pairing a wine with a raw starter like carpaccio you might think your choice needs to be dictated by the fish but as with other ingredients it depends what else is on the plate.

As part of a tasting menu at Caper and Cure in Bristol it came with oyster, mayonnaise, smoked caviar, mooli and blood orange but it was the orange in particular that kicked it into touch with the 2021 Hugel Gentil we had ordered.

‘Gentil’ is an unusual wine from Alsace - a officially recognised category of wine  which has to be at least 50% Riesling, Muscat, Pinot Gris and/or Gewurztraminer (this version from Hugel also contains a significant amount of Sylvaner).

It’s not as heavily scented as gewürztraminer or as sweet as muscat but definitely aromatic yet it worked really well with the dish. It also matches, as you might expect, with many Chinese, Indian and Thai dishes.

You can buy the 2022 vintage from Tanners for £15.20 or from Taurus for £15.49.

I was invited to Caper and Cure for the launch of their new menu but contributed towards the cost of the meal and the wine.

Thai food and off-dry German riesling

This is not the first time, I know, that I’ve suggested Thai food with riesling but it was such a standout pairing at Kolae last week I felt I should remind you of it.

I was intrigued to see if an orange wine which was also on the list would work as well but although I’m generally an admirer of the style it just didn’t do it for me.

Riesling has two qualities that really work well with Thai food, sweetness and searing acidity, making it a genuinely refreshing accompaniment

In the past I’ve felt that rieslings from Australia’s Clare and Eden valleys have the edge but this very young Köster Wolf 2022 Halb Trocken riesling from Rheinhessen had the sweetness that made it an even better match. (The 12% ABV may have helped too.) Strictly Wine is selling it in the UK for £12.59 a bottle and Juiced Wines for £13.95.

I wouldn’t say it went particularly with one dish rather than another - as in most Thai restaurants they’re all served at the same time - but it certainly coped with the heat.

Kolae by the way is the latest opening from Andy Oliver and Mark Dobbie of Som Saa fame and conveniently situated just off Borough Market

See also Which drinks pair best with Thai food 

I ate at Kolae as a guest of the restaurant.

Curried lentils with Waipara riesling

Riesling is often paired with Indian food though I don’t think it always works with hotter curries. But with this anglicized version of a dal from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s new book Eat Better Forever it was spot on.

I say anglicized because, cumin seeds apart, it was based on curry powder rather than individual spices and also had extra lentils stirred in at the end, hence the title double dahl. So it was quite mild, accentuated by two accompanying salads, a ‘raita’ salad with apple, cucumber and mint - quite similar to the Meera Sodha salad I made last week - and a lightly dressed carrot salad with a lemony dressing.

I had a bottle of New Zealand winery Pegasus Bay’s 2018 riesling from the Waipara Valley in North Canterbury. At 13% it was comparatively strong for riesling with a touch of sweetness that was easily able to handle the spice. I remember drinking a sylvaner with a mild vegetable curry that worked in a similar way. You can buy the 2017 vintage from Waitrose Cellar for £16.99 (and on promotion at £12.74 until tomorrow, March 9th 2021).

For other suggestions see What to Drink with Dal

The Pegasus Bay was a press sample and Eat Better Forever which is published by Bloomsbury at £26 (although you can buy it for £13.65 from their website currently), a review copy.

Rainbow trout ceviche and Western Australia riesling

I can’t actually believe I’ve never tried it before but I made some ceviche as part of a Zoom masterclass organised by the Bristol Food Union, a collaboration of local restaurateurs and food producers to raise money for those who have been most affected by the COVID 19 crisis.

The fish was a super-fresh rainbow trout from my local Bristol fish restaurant Spiny Lobster which we marinated with lime juice, red onion and chilli in a brilliantly simple recipe from from Elliott Lidstone of Box E (though I did have to fillet it first!)

I paired it with a 2019 Rocky Gully riesling from the Franklin River region of Western Australia which produces a slightly softer, richer style than the Clare and Eden Valley. It’s relatively high in alcohol, for riesling, at 13.5% but you do want a dry riesling with this type of dish and it offset the freshness of the ceviche beautifully. You can buy it from Berry Bros & Rudd for £15.25.

For other riesling pairings see The best food pairings for dry (or off-dry) riesling