Which wines pair best with eggs?

Eggs are supposed to be one of the trickiest ingredients to pair with wine but I’ve never entirely got it myself. More to the point do you want to drink wine with eggs at breakfast or even brunch, the time you’re most likely to eat them?

If you do, read on ...

Here I’m talking mainly about dishes where eggs are centre stage rather than the myriad dishes in which they play an essential but supporting role like quiche, meringues and soufflés. For example poached eggs (often with an egg-based sauce like hollandaise), scrambled eggs and omelettes.

Bear in mind that the addition of other ingredients makes a difference - how much depends on whether they overwhelm the essential egginess of the dish. Smoked salmon with scrambled eggs not so much, the peppery sauce of shakshuka a lot.

These are the wines I think pair with eggs best:

Champagne and other sparkling wines

My number one choice both in terms of compatibility and occasion though I’d go for a lighter style rather than a rich toasty one (unless truffles and/or chips are involved as in this sublime dish last year). Chardonnay-based sparkling wines, also known as blanc de blancs are perfect. Personally I think prosecco is a little sweet but up to you. I’d prefer a crémant or cava.

Smooth dry white wines

Think basic white burgundy and other unoaked chardonnays, Alsace pinot blanc, dry chenin blanc and Soave. Those wines would also go with omelettes and frittatas and with that retro (but rather delicious) classic, eggs mornay (eggs with cheese sauce).

What to drink with an omelette or frittata.

With a richer dish such as eggs benedict you could up the oak a bit and go for a more full-bodied chardonnay

The best wine pairings for eggs benedict

Inexpensive claret

Once you introduce meaty elements such as bacon and sausages you might feel more inclined to drink a red. Nothing too fruity, I suggest (think about the combination of raspberries or cherries with eggs. Not so appealing, huh?) but a simple young red Bordeaux works surprisingly well.

Robust southern French or Spanish reds

Good with eggs and chorizo, shakshuka and other dishes where tomatoes, peppers or pimenton are involved.

Red burgundy

Red burgundy works with a very specific dish from the region called oeufs en meurette where the eggs are cooked in a red wine sauce. Not my top choice otherwise.

What to eat with your favourite wines this Christmas

Although we wine writers like to think we might be able to encourage you to be more adventurous in your wine choices this Christmas the truth is you’re probably going to stick to the wines you're familiar with.

But how to get the most out of them?

Of course there’s nothing stopping you drinking Saint-Emilion with the smoked salmon or Sauvignon Blanc with the turkey if you fancy it but your friends and family might be more impressed if you went for a less random pairing.

Here’s what I’d match with some traditional and current Christmas favourites:

Chablis
Often touted as a favourite Christmas buy but unless it’s an older vintage or a grand cru it’s going to be better with seafood than turkey. Perfect with shellfish like oysters and prawns, poached salmon or a good fish pie. For other suggestions see here

Meursault
Meursault on the other hand has the weight to handle the turkey and trimmings provided you don’t make your gravy too dark and sticky. Would be lovely with seared scallops or lobster too.

Sauvignon Blanc
Good party drinking - mostly everyone likes it - and a surprisingly good pairing with smoked salmon. Also a great match with goats cheese if you’re thinking dips or canapés. See here for other ideas .

Pinot Grigio
Another good party option. Lighter than the whites above so might struggle with the turkey. Good when it gets to the 27th and you feel like lighter, fresher food like a tomato, mozzarella and avocado salad or a seafood pasta. Or simply a glass of something cold and refreshing. (Popular Picpoul de Pinet will do a similar job) Check out my other favourite pairings here

Rioja
Better with roast beef or lamb than turkey IMHO but don’t let that stop you. It certainly has the weight to carry the stuffing and sides. Also good to have inexpensive rioja around to go with hearty stews (especially spicy ones with chorizo) or a big family-sized shepherd’s pie. And it’s a great all-rounder with a cheeseboard. Find other rioja pairings here.

Malbec
Everyone’s current favourite it seems and yes, you could drink it with The Bird. Why not, although steak or steak and mushroom pie would be better. You’ll find other Malbec pairings here.

Nuits Saint Georges
My initial reaction is don’t - it’s rarely worth the money and even if you have a good one it’ll struggle with the turkey. But red burgundy IS good with other birds like duck, pheasant and partridge so if you’re having Christmas à deux it could be the perfect bottle. Or a cold game pie. Don’t subject it to the Stilton, though.

Saint Emilion
Modern Saint Emilion is so full-bodied it can easily stand up to the turkey. Ideal for a rib of beef too. (And have you tried it with macaroni cheese/mac and cheese? You should!)

Châteauneuf-du-Pape
With its handsome packaging, surely the quintessential Christmas wine - perfect with the turkey, roast pork - or even wild boar should you come across one. (But a good Côtes du Rhône like a Vacqueyras will do the same job at a cheaper price.)

Prosecco
Probably everyone’s party favourite but because it’s generally sweeter than other sparkling wines. also very good with light cakes and biscuits. Try it with panettone

Champagne
Most likely on your shopping list for a festive toast but you can drink it with more than canapés. If it’s a vintage or full-bodied style it would even work with the turkey and would be lovely if you’re having lobster. Less good, it might surprise you, with smoked salmon, oysters and (mock) caviar unless it’s a no- or low-dosage (very dry) style. Brilliant with anything fried - including fish & chips!

Sauternes
The sweet wine that everyone’s familiar with but it’s not ideal with Christmas pudding or a chocolate bûche de Noël (Christmas log). Better with light fruit puddings or a rhubarb trifle. The French would drink it with foie gras and Roquefort over Christmas.

Sweet sherry
Underrated and just brilliant with traditional Christmas food such as mince pies, Christmas cake and even stollen. And surprisingly good with the Stilton. See here for more sweet sherry pairings.

Image © Boggy @fotolia.com

The best wine matches for Comté

After a recent visit to the Jura I've rethought my ideas about which wines make the best wine pairings for Comté cheese.

We were guided through a tasting by flavour analyst Claire Perrot who suggested a couple of matches I wouldn’t have thought of - Champagne and Alsace Pinot Noir. And since then I've been back and tried a couple more (see my update below)

Comté is France’s most popular AOP (Appellation d’Origine Protégée) cheese by a significant margin selling about twice as much as its nearest rival Roquefort.

It’s a cooked pressed Gruyère style cheese which in fact used to be referred to as Gruyère de Comté. Individual wheels vary hugely though I found them in general more caramelly, nuttier and slightly less salty than Gruyère but less fruity than Beaufort though there will obviously be differences between winter and summer cheeses - summer cheeses being fuller-flavoured than winter ones.

The French tend to eat Comté fairly young which makes it an unchallenging partner to a wide range of wines including reds. Once it’s older, nuttier and more intense you may want to veer towards whites or some of the other suggestions below:

Local dry Arbois whites
The classic local terroir-based match. Most of the ones I tasted were a blend of Chardonnay and the local Savagnin grape which gives the wines a nutty, slightly earthy, mineral character which chimes in perfectly with the cheese. I suspect old Muscadet, which I've been tasting recently, would work well too.

Vin Jaune
Arbois’ distinctive sherry-style white is a fantastic match for 12-18 month Comtés. And on that basis so is ...

Dry(ish) sherry
Amontillado and palo cortado being the two wines recommended by the Comté website although since I’ve successfully paired dry oloroso with Gruyère I suspect it would work well with Comté too. (Sherry is more sympathetic to Comté than port, I think.)

Champagne
The big surprise. I tasted a biodynamic Champagne from Lassaigne, les Vignes de Montgueux, which was just delicious with a 15 month old winter Comté. Vintage Champagne I suspect would be fantastic with older Comtés still.

Aged or minerally Chardonnays
On the basis that Arbois wines containing Chardonnay work well others should too, particularly mature Chablis and other mature Chardonnays such as this one from Kistler that struck gold with a 56 month Comté. You wouldn’t want the oak influence to be too pronounced though.

Old white Bordeaux - an 18 year old Domaine de Chevalier Pessac-Léognan was stunning with both 2 and 4 year old Comtés at a tasting I did with affineur Bernard Antony a few years ago.

Alsace Pinot Noir
I really liked a 5 year old 2006 Schueller Pinot Noir with a fresh, milky six month old Comté but the local Poulsard grape works well too

Mature - and immature but not overoaked - Languedoc reds . . .
A surprise perhaps but I’ve drunk Languedoc Syrah - young and old - successfully with youngish Comté.

. . . and mature Spanish reds
I've had striking success with a 9 month old Comté and an 8 year old Navarra red from Chivite. Mature Rioja reservas and gran reservas of course, should work too.

So a number of different possibilities which indicates that Comté is a pretty easy-going cheese which earns its place on a cheeseboard. The common factor in the most successful pairings however seems to be age. Mature wines seem to work particularly well. The wines I’d hesitate to pair with it are high alcohol new world reds with a lot of jammy fruit and intensely herbaceous whites like New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc which I don’t think would work as well. I don’t think rosé does Comté many favours either.

September 2015. On my latest visit to Fort des Rousses I discovered two other really good pairings for a full-flavoured 3 year old Comté Juraflore: a 2002 vin de paille and a MacVin du Jura, a curious blend of savagnin juice and must and brandy which tastes like a cross between a dessert wine, a grappa and a whisky!

Image © bluesky6867

Which wines and beers to pair with asparagus

This month I asked my fellow Tweeters to tackle the subject of wine with asparagus - supposed to be a tricky combination, but as @cuvee_corner put it “Maybe it's just me, but I don't see the difficulty.” (It isn't just you. There are plenty of options!)

Sauvignon and Chardonnay were probably under-represented in the feedback because I asked for less usual pairings but it was fascinating to see which other wines you’d found successful.

If you didn’t take part in the survey on Twitter and have a successful asparagus pairing you’re dying to share email me at fionaATmatchingfoodandwineDOTcom

Asparagus whites
* Simple is best, steamed and served with butter and a glass of Muscadet @emmausglos
* Cellar Springs Western Cape Sauvignon Blanc (Co-op 5) is my favourite with asparagus so far this season @Perrin124
* Always love a good NZ Sauv Blanc, Margaret River Sem/Sauv or Cava with asparagus @wine2010
* a good NZ or Chilean Sauv Blanc @finewinedrew
* I like sauvignon blanc with asparagus, especially if chevre & mint are along for the ride @ericvellend
* White Bordeaux? To go with hollandaise? @benpaustin
* A vinho verde with high proportion of Loureiro, very mineral and refreshing! @CasaLeal
* Posh Aligot like Coche Dury @OstreaEdulis (I would also consider Goisot, Ramonet and Aubert de Villaine for good Aligot added @RobertGiorgione)
* Grilled or oven baked asparagus with Chenin Blanc from South Africa or the Loire @iWineReview
*I like my asparagus with melted butter so prefer Chardonnay to Sauvignon but that's personal preference. Or how about a bit of Chenin Blanc or Menetou Salon? @FallowfieldsUK
* Arneis with asparagus, esp with parmigiano atop (the asparagus, that is) @memmw
* I had a Petite Arvine (Swiss white wine) with a dish of asparagus, turkey, ham, egg and a light creamy sauce with curry powder. Good combination! @Wijnkronieken
* Quinta da Cardo Siria from Beiras in Portugal. Has slight taste of gunpowder! but excellent with asparagus @Portovinowines
* White asparagus with Alsace Pinot Blanc. My favourite combination. Reminds me of home in Holland @pieterrosenthal
* I like to serve a dry muscat/moscato giallo/muskateller e.g Alsace, Alto-Adige, Germany or Austrian @robertgiorgione
* Not-so-common matches (so far as I can make out) would be a dry muscat from Alsace and a straight smillon. I love muscat in all forms and would gamble on that. @howardggoldberg
* Sylvaner's a good match for the basic taste of green asparagus @howardvann
* Austria's Riesling Domaine Gobelsburg 2008 is lovely with British asparagus and hollandaise sauce http://bit.ly/bvCNcs @TheWineSociety
* Viognier perhaps? @bkwineper
* Barrel-vinified Mauzac with green asparagus, wild or cultivated @RivesBlanques
* Asp/feta/mint frittata is good with Rueda Verdejo. Also aspergeade + Rolle blends from Provence (Vermentino in Corsica) @foodwinediarist
* In winter when our asparagus comes from Peru I like to serve them chopped over penne with dried morels in mustard cream & nutmeg. I’d pair that with Weiburgunder from the Sdliche Weinstrae end of the Pfalz, Silvaner from Franken, WB or really opulent GV from Austria said @auslese55, adding “and last night we had Kremstal dry muscat w an asparagus/chevre salad. Neuburger is also quite good w Spargel.”
* @spicespoon and @cheeserus were also Gruner fans “something like Werner Michlits Meinklang which has a classic savoury pea/celery flavour” said @cheeserus
* Asparagus, basil ice cream, and ripe cherry tomatoes with top South African sparkles (Graham Beck Cuvee Clive was one). @HarryReginald

And with red wine . . .
* I recall having an asparagus (and parmigiano) risotto with a delicate sliver of black truffle accompanied by a soft Tempranillo @harshalshah
* Lacrima di Morro d'Alba by Badiali, a red wine from a small DOC in central Italy with asparagus with a creamy but not lemony sauce @slowgrapes
(I’m surprised more reds weren’t suggested. I’ve found that if you grill asparagus and serve it with olive oil or with sauted mushrooms (a good accompaniment for steak) you can happily serve a light red like a Cabernet Franc (FB)

And even dessert wine (though I remain to be convinced ;-)
* Can recommend Sauternes - had a wonderful 1999 Rieussec last Saturday which matched up beautifully! @SauternesSteve (though he revealed it was served as a vegetable with a spicy lamb dish)

Beer ideas
There was almost as much enthusiasm about pairing beer with asparagus as wine. I’ve always tended to go for witbier but several of you suggested a richer, sweeter style which I'm going to have to try.

* Saison Dupont is a fantastic asparagus match @thornbridgekel (@BrisBeerFactory agreed, “especially with hollandaise”.)
* @thornbridgekel also remembered “a lovely, slightly tart Berlin-Style Wheat Ale by The Bruery in US called Hottenroth”
* Griddled asparagus with Westmalle Triple "totally delicious!" @ZakAvery (you can see Zak’s fascinating video on pairing wine with asparagus on YouTube here)
* Try a dressing of raspberry or cherry beer with fresh tarragon or tarragon mustard for a little kick! @BertinetKitchen
* I had a simple dish of asparagus with lemon butter and black pepper with Paulaner Wheat Beer last night. It shared the same green citrus and aromatic notes @DomLane

My own favourite new asparagus pairing btw is Deutz Champagne with asparagus served with soft boiled eggs, shelled and rolled in breadcrumbs and deep-fried as served at Racine in Knightsbridge which made me think that bubbles might be a way to go with asparagus and hollandaise too.

Thank you all for your great suggestions. Next month I’ll be looking for the best drink for a barbecue!