The best food pairings for Xinomavro

With its vibrant acidity, unusual aromatics, and loud flavour profile Greece's Xinomavro is not for the faint-hearted but it makes an ideal food wine. The best pairing, as so often, depends on the style says Peter Pharos.

Traditional Xinomavro

Traditionally, Xinomavro has given red wines that, while relatively light bodied, are almost aggressive in their youth, with rough tannins and intense acidity that can easily take more than a decade to calm down.

It is no coincidence that Nebbiolo is often used as a simile when the grape is introduced to foreign audiences. Xinomavro’s aromatics, however, are very different. Particularly in Naoussa (or, more correctly, Naousa) in central Macedonia, arguably its finest terroir, they show notes of olive paste, sun-dried tomato, and dried herbs.

Macedonia includes two other well-known Xinomavro terroirs, Amyndeon and Goumenissa. These higher altitude zones tend to give gentler, and a tad sweeter, aromatics, with strawberry and raspberry notes, but maintain the fierce acidity when young and benefit from decanting.

The star of the Greek Orthodox Easter table, whole lamb roast on a spit, is the mother of all pairings for this traditional style, but any type of roast lamb is an excellent match, especially if garlic and herbs are involved.

On the vegetarian side, aubergines are an exceptional match, in almost any form. Imam bayildi, loved in Greece almost as much as in Turkey, is a classic. Other options include baba ganoush, ratatouille, or its Greek take, briam.

Bringing together lamb and eggplant, as in the Turkish Hünkar BeÄŸendi, also works very well. I would, however, steer clear of moussaka. Despite the insistence of many Anglophone recipes, this is typically prepared not with lamb, but with a sweet-ish beef mince sauce, and a rich mornay-like topping, which results it a rather dissonant combination.

High quality traditional Xinomavro with fifteen years of age or more, meanwhile, is a thing of wonder. The fierceness of youth translates into an ethereal wisdom and delicate, elaborate aromatics. A (French-trimmed) rack of lamb with baby potatoes (or, even better, Jersey royals) and some delicate greens is an excellent combination. (As is grilled lamb with a mustard glaze which featured as a pairing for a 25 year old xinomavro in this Match of the Week. FB)

 If you are out for a more adventurous pairing, I particularly like it with grilled octopus.

Top producers for traditional Xinomavro include Dalamara (especially the Paliokalias label, though it has seen a vertiginous price rise the past decade), Markovitis, Kelesidis, Boutari, and Artisan Vignerons de Naoussa, while in Goumenissa Tatsis do an excellent job. Macedonian powerhouse Kir-Yianni produce Ramnista, which is remarkable value for money, and whose style is nearer to the traditional, though it has turned more immediately approachable in recent years. I also love Melitzanis but, unfortunately, this is rarely seen abroad.

New Wave Xinomavro

There are few people that have changed the profile of a variety singlehandedly, as much as Apostolos Thymiopoulos did with Xinomavro. His various bottling, from the instant classic, premium Earth & Sky, to the entry-level Jeunes Vignes, to the newer Naoussa Alta, pioneered a new winemaking take on the grape.

Fresh, vivacious, fruit-forward, and drinkable on release, but without losing trademark the Xinomavro aromatics in the process, they were a huge success on the domestic market and helped substantially to increase the visibility of the grape internationally.

This more approachable style also expands substantially the culinary possibilities. I’ve had Thymiopoulos’s wines with anything from aubergine and ricotta involtini to Iberican-style cod and potatoes in various tomato-based sauces with great success.

With Xinomavro being increasingly planted around Greece (or at least north of Athens), many newer producers, such as Oenops, seem to aim for this style.

In the top terroirs, meanwhile, most producers today follow a middle-of-the-road take. Not the dusty, traditional Xinomavro, but perhaps not as fruit-forward as Thymiopoulos either. In Naoussa, this would include producers such as Karydas, and most Xinomavro-based wines of Kir-Yianni, including the premium, Barolo-esque Diaporos, In Amyndeon, Alpha Estate’s Hedgehog and Barba-Yianni offer an excellent balance between strength and freshness.

Finally, in the last great Xinomavro terroir, Rapsani, in Thessaly, near Mount Olympus, Thanos Dougos follows the local tradition of blending it with the lesser known Krassato and Stavroto for his excellent Rapsani Old Vines. Blending with international varieties is also not unknown.

These wines are perhaps the most versatile of all. While roast lamb and aubergine are still hard to beat as food matches, the more tempered style means more options, from both Greek and international cuisines. 

Giouvetsi, a Greek orzo casserole, which can be made with anything from lamb, to beef, to octopus, is a firm favourite. I was more surprised with how well it worked with Bekri Meze, a wine-braised pork stew. Beans, especially white, are also a great match. I love it with Gigantes (baked giant beans – available in Greek delis such as Maltby and Greek), but Xinomavro’s robustness means you can throw much spicier fare at it. There are few spur-of-the-moment oddball pairings I’m as proud of as matching a bottle of Oenops’s wild Xinomavraw with Punjabi rajima and rice.

Recipe: Norma alla greca

We drink a lot of wine from southern Italy in my household, and we eat a lot of pasta alla Norma, the Sicilian aubergine-based classic. We also drink a lot of Xinomavro, but it is not a good match: Norma seems to be a tad too delicate for Xinomavro’s aromatics. I developed this twist on the Norma as a response.

Ingredients (serves 2)

250g wholewheat pasta (I particularly like wholewheat casarecce)

1 small aubergine

1 small clove of garlic, finely chopped

1 level tbsp tomato paste

50 ml of dry red wine

400g can of chopped tomatoes

½ teaspoon of dried basil

pinch of chili flakes, or to taste

a bit of all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon of dukkah (optional)

crumbled feta (to serve)

fresh basil (to serve)

Method

Slice the aubergine (if desired, peel first) in 2 cm rounds. Season and dust with flour then fry in olive oil, in medium-high heat until golden. Drain on kitchen paper.

Wipe the pan clean with kitchen paper and add a spoonful of olive oil in medium heat. Add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds. Dissolve the tomato paste in the red wine (it is better to do this in advance), then add to the pan until the wine evaporates. Add the tomatoes, then add salt, pepper, dried basil, and, if using, the chili flakes and dukkah. Leave on medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes.

While the sauce is bubbling, cook the pasta in plenty of salted water. Remove two minutes before al dente, reserving some of the cooking water. Bring together the sauce, pasta, aubergine, and a bit of the cooking water.

Serve with crumbled feta and fresh basil.

See also The best food pairings for assyrtiko

Top photo by Irik Bik at shutterstock.com

What wine (or other drinks) should you pair with herbs?

Do herbs ever have a strong enough influence on a dish to determine your wine pairing? Relatively rarely in my view. Only very herby sauces like pesto or salsa verde dominate a dish to such an extent that you need to choose a wine to accommodate them.

That said some herbs do tend to steer you in a certain direction and some wines, particularly sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc have a distinctly herbal character.

Some general pointers about pairing herbs and wine

*Soft herbs like basil, dill and tarragon tend to go better with white wine than ‘hard’ herbs like rosemary and thyme which are generally better with reds (the only exception to that is sage)

*Fresh herbs are more likely to go with white and rosé than dried herbs such as oregano or a classic Herbes de Provence. The exception is dried mint which is used quite widely in Greek cooking and tends to go just as well with a sharp lemony white as a red.

*Freshly picked herbs or herbs that are sold in bunches on market stalls and at greengrocers tend to have more flavour and therefore influence on a pairing than herbs that are sold in packets

*Quite often herbs are used together - like parsley, coriander and mint or mint and coriander. In this case it’s best to be guided by the style of the dish - is it middle eastern, for example or Vietnamese?

The good news is that there are herbs that you don’t need to worry about too much, for instance parsley (in general though see below), chives - just subtly oniony - and dried oregano which is normally dominated by other ingredients - e.g. tomato sauce on a pizza or tomato, onion, and olives in a Greek salad

The 10 herbs that may influence your wine pairing

Basil

In general best with a dry Italian white such as gavi di gavi, vermentino or verdicchio especially when made into a pesto. When used in conjunction with tomatoes - as it frequently is - then the tomatoes are more likely to dictate the pairing.

The best wine matches for tomatoes

Dill

Has a natural affinity with sauvignon blanc but is also good with peppery Austrian grüner veltliner and Hungary’s dry furmint. Arguably better still with a pils, or a frozen glass of aquavit or vodka.

Coriander/cilantro

This love-it-or-hate-it herb is used in such a wide range of contrasting cuisines - Mexican, middle-eastern and south-east Asian, for example - that it’s hard to generalise but I’d say when it’s used in fresh tasting dishes I’d go for sauvignon blanc or dry riesling and with meaty curries a carmenère or cabernet franc

Chervil

Relatively rarely encountered on its own though the classic constituent of omelette fines herbs which I’d accompany with a crisp dry white like a Chablis or perhaps, better still, a furmint

Parsley

Rarely dominant except in tabbouleh (which suits a crisp white wine or rosé) or salsa verde (along with mint, basil (sometimes) and punchy capers) which I personally think suits an Italian red like Chianti Classico best.

Mint

Has a real affinity with cabernet sauvignon and cabernet blends, especially when used in lamb dishes. Salads containing mint are also good with sharp whites such as sauvignon blanc and Greek assyrtiko. With peas and mint I like pinot but then that’s more about the peas

Tarragon

Particularly good with chardonnay, especially white burgundy, maybe because it’s often combined with two chardonnay-loving ingredients, chicken and cream. Also good with oaked white Bordeaux

Sage

A herb that’s used in a variety of recipes, from Italian dishes such as calves liver (Chianti or Langhe Nebbiolo) to pumpkin ravioli (a smooth dry Italian white such as Soave or a light chardonnay - also good with roast butternut squash). It’s also a regular companion for pork where I think it goes really well with an earthy Rhône white or, better still, with cider.

Thyme

Lovely with onions and therefore with cider, again. Can show up in classic British dishes like a beef stew where I think it goes well with red Bordeaux and in a whole raft of Mediterranean dishes from Greece (try a Greek red like Agiorgitiko) to Provence. Elsewhere in southern France where grows wild in the garrigue I like it with the local red blends made from grenache, syrah and mourvedre.

Rosemary

One of the most wine-friendly of herbs - again great with southern French reds from the Rhône to the Roussillon, with cabernet sauvignon but above all with Italian reds such as Chianti and other sangioveses.

(In his Tastebuds and Molecules Francois Chartier identifies a chemical similarity between rosemary and muscat, gewürztraminer and riesling and suggests they would be complementary too. I’m not wholly convinced but then I haven’t tried it. It could well be the case.)

Top image © marcin jucha at fotolia.com

The best wine pairings for lasagna

A traditional lasagna or lasagne, however you like to spell it, is the ultimate comfort food, a multi-layered pasta dish that traditionally combines silky pasta, savoury meats, creamy sauces, and bubbling cheese into one irresistible dish.

It’s generally a dish with which I like a glass of red wine but with so many variations on the basic recipe these days, there’s no single one-size-fits-all pairing.

In this brief guide, I’ll explore the best wines to pair with different styles of lasagna, some of which may surprise you!

Top wine pairings for lasagna

Classic meat lasagna

Basically you can go for the same type of wines as you would for a spaghetti bolognese though as the cheese sauce tends to make the dish a bit richer you might want to go for slightly more full-bodied reds. Maybe a modern style Tuscan red rather than a classic Chianti or a southern Italian or Sicilian red like Nero d’Avola or Primitivo. Barbera is a good pairing too as are Italian grape varieties such as sangiovese from elsewhere.

Outside Italy, I found this saperavi to be a great match with lasagna. A rioja crianza, a medium-bodied cabernet sauvignon or a zinfandel would be a great pairing too as with this ox cheek lasagna.

Vegetable lasagna

It makes sense to choose a wine pairing for vegetable lasagna that suits the vegetables that are in it. If it includes roasted Mediterranean vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers and courgettes a gutsy Languedoc or Roussillon red would be a good match.

 If it includes spinach or chard, a dry Italian white like a Gavi might be a better pairing while a pumpkin or butternut squash lasagna would suit a richer white such as a viognier or oak-aged chardonnay.

Mushroom lasagna works well with either white or red wines such as pinot noir. With a lasagne vincigrassi, a particularly opulent recipe made with porcini and cream (yes, it is as delicious as it sounds!) I’d drink a creamy white burgundy or other chardonnay (see for example my Match of the Week: Vincigrassi and Saint-Aubin).

Some unusual food pairings for tea

Most people wouldn’t think in terms of combining tea and food beyond the classic pairings of Indian teas with a traditional afternoon scone or sponge, or jasmine tea with Chinese food but there are many other possibilities to explore, says Signe Johansen in this post from our archives.

There are certainly parallels between tea tasting and wine tasting. Alex Probyn, Master Tea Blender and owner of bespoke tea blending business Blends for Friends told me that similar guidelines for wine and food matching apply to tea and food matching: white wine and white/green teas match with fish and lighter meats and foods that require some astringency to cut through their richness. Red (and to some extent ros) wine and black/oolong tea have higher tannins, thus match well with protein-rich meats and cheeses, and clash with oily fish.

Savoury matches
At TeaSmith, an excellent match is a savoury, umami-rich walnut and miso biscuit (above) that accompanies acidic green teas particularly well.

Yauatcha’s Dim Sum can be paired with jasmine tea, but I’d encourage you to be more adventurous and try their fine range of oolongs, green and white teas with their authentic food. The staff is trained to deal with tea and food matching requests.

Genmaicha (a Japanese green tea with roasted rice) makes a wonderful match with sushi – the rice flavour complementing the delicate sushi rice and green tea’s astringency cutting through the fattier fish such as salmon or tuna.

Staying with the Japanese theme, at Roka I sampled a Himalayan tea with their robata-grilled sea bream. The distinctive fennel character of the tea worked really well with fish.

One intriguing match is Stilton, particularly the well-aged, pungent crumbly variety, with smoky Lapsang. A powerful combination that may not be to everyone’s taste, but well worth a try!

A classic roast beef and horseradish sandwich is well served by a cup of straight Kenyan or even Assam – the high tannins in these teas are softened by the rareness of the beef.

One of my personal favourites is a smoked salmon salad, with beetroot, onion and horseradish and a cup of astringent green tea.

Sweet matches
Notoriously difficult to match with wine, chocolate is generally paired with coffee – an effective match, but I’m a sceptic. The coffee, depending on its strength, often overwhelms the aromatic qualities of chocolate.

Try dark chocolate with green tea – the tea enhances the robust flavour of chocolate in a surprising way, and is a much more complementary match than coffee and chocolate. Contentious, I know, but it works for me! Chocolate cake also goes spectacularly well with Assam

At TeaSmith their jasmine truffles are perfect with a cup of floral Oolong

Afternoon tea, such as that offered at The English Tea Room at Brown’s Hotel, is the perfect occasion for matching traditional black teas such as Darjeeling, Assam, or Ceylon with expertly made scones, slathered in fruit jam. There’s no explanation for it, but I can’t bring myself to have green, white, oolong or herbal tea with scones - or Victoria sponge for that matter!

Matcha (a vivid, chlorophyll-rich Japanese green tea) is used in Japan for flavouring and colouring pastries, ice cream and making frothy green tea-based cappuccinos. Obviously matcha-flavoured pastries work well with green teas, but at TeaSmith their matcha sponge worked with Oolong, highlighting the texture of the tea and accentuating its floral character.

Will Cartwright-Hignett of First Class Teas (now Iford Manor Teas suggested his spicy Chai tea to complement my own Blueberry and Oat Muffins (to which I add a dash of cinnamon) and the spice of tea and muffin was a fine match. Chai is also a good foil for the pronounced cinnamon character of carrot cake.

Aside from complementing food, tea can also be used as a base for sweet puddings and cakes. I remember one of my classmates at Leiths made a Chai Tea Créme Brulee for one of our creative cooking classes (it beat my coconut-raspberry créme brulee hands down!). Indeed, Earl Grey Ice Cream is often on the menu in Japan, whereas that classic bergamot-flavoured tea is used here as an ingredient in fruit loaf.

Finally, on a more virtuous, healthy note may I suggest you try sipping a cup of green tea with porridge? I pile my bowl with almonds, cranberries, an orange and often some coconut shreddings and it makes a perfect start to the day!

Signe Johansen is a food and drink writer and author of Spirited: how to create easy, fun drinks at home. This article was first published in 2007

Photo ©martinhosmat083 at Adobe Stock