Pairings | Bandol
Top wine and beer matches for game
We Brits have always had a reputation for liking our wines old and our game high but times have changed. Today the key factor in matching game tends to be not how ‘gamey’ it is but how it’s cooked and what is served with it.
In many restaurants now game is cooked quickly and served rare so can take a younger, more tannic wine than would have once been the case. Accompanying sauces also tend to be robust, and wine-based, bringing more full-bodied reds into play. Nevertheless the reason for serving wild game such as partridge or venison - as opposed to chicken or beef - is that it does have a distinctive flavour for which you generally pay a premium so you want to pick your wine with some care. Here are the sort of wines you might go for.
* Simply roast birds such as partridge, pheasant, or grouse with simple accompaniments (e.g. roast potatoes, bread sauce and a light gravy rather than a heavy wine-based jus)
These remain the ideal opportunity to bring out a serious bottle of burgundy, a mature red Bordeaux or their New World equivalents (see here) If you like your birds underdone a younger wine may be a more flattering accompaniment. A good Chianti is always a reliable match for more everyday occasions.
The best wine pairings for partridge
Belgian sour red ales such as Rodenbach are also delicious with simply roast game.
* more elaborate game roasts with foie gras and/or truffles or a concentrated ‘jus’
Similar wines to the above but from a more recent vintage. The richer accompanying flavours can handle a more tannic wine.
* pheasant casseroled with apples
Apples tend to lead in the direction of a white (a dry Riesling with a couple of years’ bottle age would be perfect) rather than a red, particularly if the sauce has some added cream. You could equally well serve a French cidre bouché (semi-sparkling cider) or a gueuze (a Belgian lambic beer brewed with wild yeasts) especially if you’re serving braised cabbage as an accompaniment.
The best wine pairings for pheasant
* pot-roast pheasant
With any other flavourings or a red wine sauce a robust red should work well, especially reds that contain Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Tempranillo or Malbec. (So good quality Côtes du Rhône Villages, southern French reds and Rioja all make good choices, and a wine like Côte Rôtie a sublime one). I’d avoid very muscular young reds which are likely to overwhelm the flavour of the meat.
* Venison
Generally you can serve similar wines to those you would serve with beef though as the game flavour is more pronounced you might want to choose accompanying wines with a slightly gamey flavour of their own. Good examples would be Hermitage, Bandol and Ribera del Duero (or other examples of mature Syrah or Mourvèdre) though be careful of flavour overload with very concentrated sauces. Sometimes it can be better to serve a slightly lighter (though still well-structured) wine when your sauce is particularly dense and rich.
The best wine pairings for venison
So far as beer is concerned, venison dishes can be an excellent match for porter, a strong Trappist ale like Chimay or a French bière de garde.
* Cold game/game pie
As with simply roast game this is a great opportunity to drink your favourite red burgundy but cold game is also a treat with a full bodied vintage rosé Champagne such as Ruinart (or, of course, Krug). If your game is in a salad (like a warm pigeon salad or a smoked duck or venison one) you could also try a sour cherry beer such as kriek.
Vegetables with game
Vegetables that will flatter fine wines include mashed potatoes and pureed root vegetables such as celeriac (good combined with potato) and parsnips. Carrots and mushrooms also work well. Take care though with braised cabbage particularly red cabbage cooked with sugar and vinegar which can be a wine killer. (Fruity young reds like Shiraz, Barbera or Zinfandel should survive)
The best wine and beer pairings for steak pie
As with many other pairings the best match for steak pie depends how you cook it and whether the sauce includes beer, stock or wine
If it’s beer as in a steak and ale pie the obvious answer is beer - a robust bitter or brown ale I suggest although you could use a strong Belgian ale like Orval or Chimay and if you prefer wine I've drunk old Bandol with steak pie with great success.
Porter and stout are also good pairings for a pie with a dark meaty gravy, especially if the same beer has been used in the sauce. As in this match with steak and stilton pie.
If you use red wine to make the pie that generally makes wine the better pairing. Again no reason why you shouldn’t drink a similar wine to the one you’ve used in the pie - a Corbières, Faugères or other Languedoc red would fit the bill perfectly.
If mushrooms are a feature as in a steak and mushroom pie you could consider a robust style of pinot noir such as those from Central Otago.
If you use stock in the pie which will result in a lighter, less intense gravy you could go either way - a lighter bitter or a medium bodied red like a red Bordeaux or a rioja crianza would all hit the spot.
Some traditional steak pies also include ox kidney which again makes for a richer dish. Again I'd have a marginal preference for a strong beer here though a robust red like a Malbec would also work.
Image © MariaKovaleva at shutterstock.com
9 great wine pairings for duck
There’s one wine that’s invariably recommended as a pairing for duck and that is Pinot Noir but of course duck, like any other meat, can be cooked in different ways. How does that affect the wine match?
The common factor is that duck is a fatty meat that tends to need a wine with some sharpness and acidity to cut through and some ripe fruit to contrast with the rich flesh (duck is often cooked with fruit). Here are the types of wine I think go with duck best.
Pinot Noir
Whether it’s a fine old burgundy or an exuberant full-bodied pinot from California, Chile, Oregon or the Central Otago region of New Zealand, Pinot Noir is almost always going to make people happy. (See this pairing for example.) If you’re roasting a wild duck or serving it plainly cooked you might want to go for a more delicate red burgundy*. If you’re serving super-rare duck breasts or duck that has some kind of Asian spicing (e.g. Peking duck), a sweeter, riper style might work better. Whatever. Think Pinot.
Merlot
Having made the point about acidity, I have to admit that Merlot, which often lacks it, goes rather well with duck, especially in Chinese-style pancakes with hoisin sauce. A Pomerol would be heaven.
Barolo
Barolo works the same way as Pinot and is a good wine match for more classic roast duck.
Tuscan reds e.g. Chianti
The Italians tend to cook their duck longer - often braising rather than roasting it. Chianti matches particularly well, especially if the sauce contains tomato and olives.
Bandol and other Mourvèdre
The dark, intense smokey notes of Mourvèdre are fabulous with duck, especially cooked with a red wine sauce. Or smoked duck as in this highly successful pairing of tea-smoked duck with Bandol.
Madiran and Marcillac
Tannic Madiran comes from the same area of the south-west France that produces foie gras - and therefore shedloads of confit duck. It’s delicious as you can see from this pairing but I’m not sure I don’t prefer the lighter, more rustic Marcillac. Or a Cahors
Beaujolais
Serious ‘cru’ Beaujolais like Morgon can be delicious with duck if you’re looking for a fruity, cherry-flavoured contrast (though its fruit may be wiped out by a cherry sauce). Particularly good with cold duck or duck rillettes, paté or terrines.
Late harvest riesling
If you’d rather serve a white with duck, an off-dry German spätlese or other late harvest riesling can be a delicious pairing. Especially if the duck is cooked with apples.
Gewürztraminer
Brilliant with duck curries, especially Thai red curry or a Thai-spiced salad like this Thai roast duck and watermelon salad. Also good if duck is served with fruit such as quince or oranges as in this smoked duck salad or duck à l’orange.
Wine pairings for 10 popular duck dishes
Peking Duck - A classic Chinese dish featuring crispy skin and tender meat. Pair with: Pinot Noir, for its fruity notes which compliments the dish.
Duck à l'Orange - A French favorite combining duck with a citrusy sauce. Pair with: Riesling, offering a balance with its sweetness and acidity.
Confit de Canard - Another French classic of slow-cooked duck legs. Pair with: Merlot
Thai Red Duck Curry - Spicy and coconut-rich. Pair with: Gewürztraminer, for its sweetness which matches the dishes spice.
Tea-Smoked Duck - A Chinese delicacy where duck is marinated, smoked over tea leaves and twigs, then roasted to achieve a distinctive flavour. Pair with: Pinot Noir, whose medium body, subtle earthiness, and hints of fruit complement the smokiness and rich flavor of the duck.
Duck Cassoulet - A hearty French stew. Pair with: A robust Syrah
Roast Duck with Plum Sauce - A popular dish combining roasted duck with sweet plum sauce. Pair with: Zinfandel whose bold notes complements the sweet and savoury sauce.
Duck Bao Buns - Soft buns filled with tender duck, a fusion of Asian flavors. Pair with: Champagne or sparkling wine, adding a refreshing contrast.
Magret de Canard - A French dish featuring seared duck breast. Pair with: Cabernet Sauvignon, offering a rich texture and tannins.
Duck Pancakes - Chinese-style pancakes served with duck and hoisin sauce. Pair with: A light Sauvignon Blanc, cutting through the richness and pairing with the hoisin sauce.
Photo of roast duck by hlphoto and duck confit by nelea33. Both at shutterstock.com
6 good wine pairings for aubergine/eggplant
Aubergine - or eggplant as it’s known in the US - doesn’t have a strong flavour of its own but tends to enrich any dish in which it’s included especially when baked with tomatoes and cheese. So if you're looking for a wine pairing for aubergine parmigiana or eggplant parmesan read on!
In general I find the best wine match for aubergine or eggplant is a hearty red unless you’re serving it cold as in a baba ganoush or spicy aubergine salad. Good examples are:
* Italian reds - especially southern Italian and Sicilian reds with their dark slightly bitter hedgerow fruit which seem made for aubergines. Try a Negroamaro or Primitivo (see also Zinfandel below)
* Greek, Turkish and Lebanese reds with their wild briary flavours. Unsurprisingly since aubergine is such an important ingredient in that part of the world.
* Provençal reds especially those that are made from or include Mourvèdre in the blend - like Bandol
*Zinfandel is always good with rich aubergine bakes like moussaka but stick to the younger fresher styles. Killer Zins of 15% can be a bit overwhelming with this kind of dish
Which wine to pair with moussaka
*For cold aubergine dishes such as baba ganoush or aubergine salads or try a crisp dry Provençal or southern French rosé or Spanish rosado.
*I'm also really into amber/orange wines with aubergines as in this pairing with grilled aubergines and walnut sauce. If you're looking for an alcohol-free pairing pomegranate juice is a delicious match.
*For lighter aubergine dishes such as a tian of aubergine try a medium-bodied Italian red such as a Chianti or other Sangiovese-based red.
Image ©Anna Shepulova at shutterstock.com
Matching fish soup
I’m a huge fan of Nigel Slater’s. I buy the Observer every week just to read his recipes. Yes, I know I could read them online (as you can here) but you don’t get the luscious Jonathan Lovekin photographs. Not that you need them. Slater’s prose is so evocative you can taste the recipe as you read.
A Fish Stew
Typical Slater understatement. This is his spin on a bouillabaisse wth a base of anchovy, garlic, orange peel, bay leaves and thyme. Then there’s white wine, tinned tomatoes, assorted fish and mussels and - crucially - some toasts topped with finely chopped chillies, coriander and spring onions. My first thought is that this could make the dish need a more assertive, flavourful wine but on second thoughts I’m not so sure. It could lead to flavour overload. So I’m going for a very dry crisp white (a Picpoul de Pinet, a good Pinot Grigio from the Alto Adige or an Albariño) or a strong dry southern French ros (a Bandol ros or a Tavel)
Mussel and Leek Chowder
An altogether more wine-friendly recipe, a gorgeous great bowlful of leeks, potatoes, mussels, vermouth and cream. Oh, and a little bit of bacon which won’t affect the pairing. A perfect Chablis dish - or any other cool climate unoaked or lightly oaked Chardonnay.
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