The best food pairings for Carmenère

You may not be familiar with Carmenère but it's a delicious red at this chilly time of year.

It has quite a bit in common with Cabernet Franc from which is apparently descended* though tends to be richer and more plummy like Merlot with which it was originally confused in Chile.

Its green, slightly herbaceous character (not always in evidence in more expensive wines) makes it a surprisingly good match for fish and dishes flavoured with herbs. These would be my top pairings

* Lamb, especially with herbs - salsa verde for example or herb-crusted rack of lamb. I once had a Peruvian dish of lamb with coriander which was sensational with Carmenère. Any lamb curry with herbs would also work well or try middle-eastern style meatballs or minced lamb kebabs with mint and coriander

* Bacon - there’s a smoky edge to Carmenère that works well with dishes that include smoked bacon (think spinach, bacon and blue cheese salad) or with a hearty smoked bacon chop or rib

* Empanadas, especially with green olives

* Dark leafy greens such as kale, chard, savoy cabbage or spring greens

* Roasted or grilled Mediterranean vegetables such as peppers (bell peppers), courgettes (zucchini) and aubergines (eggplant). Chicken or pork cooked with peppers

* Sides of asparagus or green beans

* Chillies - fresh chillies in particular. Try Carmenère with Mexican and, I’m told, Thai food

* Seared tuna - in fact seared seafood generally works.

*There’s a fascinating entry on Carmenère in Jancis Robinson’s Wine Grapes

Photo © Adobe Stock

Some top food pairings for pear cider and perry

Pear cider - also known as perry - has a different taste from apple cider. It’s generally lighter, drier and more fragrant, a better match for delicate ingredients like fish.

You can treat drier styles like a dry white wine, sweeter ones almost like a dessert wine. And sparkling perries like champagne. But cheaper. Good news all round!

Here are some suggestions:

* The drier styles work particularly well with simply cooked fish or fish with a creamy sauce. Avoid strong flavours like tomato and garlic.

* Fried fish like goujons or even fish and chips

* Fishcakes and fish pie

* Fresh crab

* Seared scallops though you might want to go for a medium-dry style

* Mussels in a cream sauce marinière-style but cooked with a medium-dry perry

* Prawn or seafood cocktail or salads (medium dry styles)

* Delicate or gently spiced chicken dishes: roast chicken with tarragon. Creamy chicken pies like this chicken and leek pie. Chicken salads. Chicken terrines (but watch the chutney!)

* Pork dishes with apple or pears like this dish of pork chops with apple, fennel and onion I wrote about earlier this year. And pork sausages of course. But not with onion gravy (too strong)

* English-style cold cuts like ham sliced off the bone, cold roast pork, pork pies, Scotch eggs

* quiches

* Boxing Day leftovers

* Mild cheeses - young goats cheese, Delicate regional cheeses like Caerphilly and Cheshire. Medium sweet styles work well with mellow blue cheeses like Stilton

* Vegetable soups with a touch of sweetness like carrot, pea or leek soups, especially with a little cream

* Fresh-tasting salads with peas, broad beans or fennel

* Sweeter styles, which often have a touch of honey go well with salads with fruit and milder blue cheeses and with simple puddings like a simple apple or pear tart or pannacotta and raspberries as I suggest in the Guardian today.

* Sparkling perry will go with typical party nibbles (especially cheesy and fishy ones) and with midly spiced Indian snacks.

So mild is the word with perry. Treat it gently and stay clear of fierce flavours.

Image © Yevheniia - Fotolia.com

The best food pairings for white rioja

White rioja is tricky when it comes to wine pairing as it comes in such contrasting styles. There are the crisp fresh unoaked white riojas which behave much like a sauvignon blanc and much richer barrel-fermented ones which can tackle more intensely-flavoured fish and meat dishes

The latter are more characteristic of the region but even these vary depending on the age of the wine. Young ones behave much like a chardonnay with food, older ones - and white rioja does age magnificently - more like a white Rhône

Here are some of my favourite pairings:

Crisp unoaked white rioja

simply grilled fish and shellfish

garlicky prawns or grilled squid

gazpacho

Spanish-style salads

Barrel-aged white riojas of 2-3 years old

almonds

serrano and other Spanish ham

salt cod dishes such as croquetas

menestra (spring vegetable stew) and other braised vegetable dishes

paella and other rice dishes with saffron

dishes with aioli (garlic mayonnaise)

white asparagus

tortilla and other savoury egg dishes

More mature barrel-aged riojas

rich fish dishes such as roast turbot

hake with garlic and clams

grilled tuna

robust fish stews

grilled lobster and other rich lobster dishes like this experimental dish of lobster and sweetcorn

roast chicken, turkey or guineafowl

sautéed chicken dishes with sherry

chicken or pork dishes with creamy sauces

grilled pork or veal chops

Full-flavoured sheeps cheeses like this rosemary coated ewe’s milk cheese

Also see these excellent suggestions from Vina Tondonia

See also The best food pairings for red rioja

Can any wine stand up to Stinking Bishop?

We Brits don’t have a long tradition of washed-rind cheeses but we have a true champion in the aptly named Stinking Bishop, which shot to worldwide fame when it was featured in the Wallace & Gromit film. But can any wine (or other drink) stand up to it?

Stinking Bishop is made by Charles Martell in Dymock in Gloucestershire and is so named because its rind is washed with perry made from Stinking Bishop pears. That makes perry (cider made from perry pears) the obvious match but, depending on how far gone and stinky the cheese is, it may not be powerful enough to stand up to it.

A better bet would be a pear-flavoured liqueur. Martell makes his own which is called Owler or you could try a Poire William from France.

So far as wines are concerned your best best would be a fragrant Gewürztraminer which should be able to handle the strong flavour of the cheese. In Alsace, where the majority come from, it’s regularly paired with Munster, a similar style of washed-rind cheese.

Reds are tricky with this style of cheese. In Burgundy they tend to match red burgundy with the local Epoisses but I think it's a bit of a killer. Certainly more full-bodied tannic reds will clash horribly.

Sweet wines can be a good option. I’ve paired Sauternes with stinky cheeses before and it’s worked really well. Or, even better - and British - a sweet cider. The Ledbury-based producer Once Upon a Tree makes a Blenheim Dessert Cider which would be delicious. As would cider brandy.

And then there’s beer. We don’t tend to have the strong Trappist styles of beer they have in Belgium and Northern France but beers like Chimay Bleu pair well with washed-rind cheeses. Your best home-grown option would be a rich sweet barley wine like J W Lees Vintage Harvest Ale.