Pairings | Rosé
The best food pairings for Grenache
Although grenache is a grape variety that is not often celebrated, it’s one that deserves a closer look. As usual it’s hard to pin down a definitive style but it’s fair to say grenache is usually full-bodied, soft and low in acidity. Some grenaches are pretty powerful - usually due to natural bedfellows like syrah and mourvèdre being blended in - others, like Côtes du Rhône, are easy-drinking.
Its natural homeland is the Southern Mediterranean, especially France and Spain where it is called garnacha but there are some fine examples from Australia, California and Washington State. It’s a great wine for autumn and winter drinking.
But what truly makes Grenache shine is its ability to pair beautifully with a wide variety of foods. Whether it’s robust braises and stews or classic British pub dishes, Grenache has no difficulty standing up to big flavours. In this post, we’ll explore the best food pairings for Grenache, with tips and insights that will help you make the most of this versatile wine.
Top Food Pairings for Grenache
Braises and stews
My favourite type of food for grenache is braises and stews: long slow cooked roasts of pork or lamb that may even be a little bit fatty (shoulder of lamb and lamb shanks, for example). It suits daubes and stews with dark, winey sauces too
I like grenache too with classic French bistro dishes such as rabbit and hearty Spanish or Portuguese country cooking. It can take a bit of spice - I think there’s a particular affinity with paprika and pimenton. I enjoy a grenache with a goulash - and it would certainly go with milder curries like a rogan josh though I wouldn’t serve it with lighter Indian dishes. Grenache-based wines tend to go well with the slight sweetness of Moroccan tagines too.
British pub classics
A simple grenache or grenache blend like a Côtes du Rhône is a versatile match for many British pub classics like sausage and mash, shepherds pie and steak and kidney pie. Its absence of tough tannins also it a more accommodating match for cheese than many more structured reds, especially British regional cheeses such as Cheddar and Red Leicester. Grenache also pairs well with cooked dishes like macaroni cheese and with veggie bakes and lentil or bean-based dishes. Lighter, fruitier styles such as cheap Garnachas from Spain make good barbecue drinking - Grenache seems to like a bit of smoke.
Even the Christmas turkey!
A serious Grenache dominated red such as Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe is good with richer and gamier birds - I think it makes a great match for the Christmas turkey but you could also pair it successfully with guineafowl, pheasant or pigeon, especially if accompanied by caramelised roast root vegetables like carrots, beets and parsnips.
Priorat can take even more robust dishes such as venison and oxtail as you can see from this post though other grapes may have a more dominant influence.
There are of course also Grenache - or Garnacha - whites (characteristically earthy/Rhôneish) and strong, dry rosés - good partners for charcuterie and Spanish classics like paella and pork and beans and porty southern vin doux naturels like Maury, Banyuls and Rasteau which, like port, pair particularly well with chocolate, grilled figs and blue cheese (not all together, obviously!)
What not to pair with red grenache?
Well, it’s usually pretty high in alcohol so it wouldn’t be my ideal choice for steamed or raw dishes such as seabass or salads - even ones including meat - or subtle cuisines such as Cantonese or Japanese. It’s not great with citrus either which, for me, rules out Thai. And I think there are better matches for Italian food (most Italian ones) although Grenache is oddly good with dishes that contain cooked tomato and aubergine. But it’s a great seasonal wine - a warming, welcoming bottle to serve for the coming days of autumn and winter. Grenache should have its place in every cellar.
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What wine to drink with gazpacho
If there’s one dish more difficult to pair with wine than already tricky tomatoes it’s gazpacho, the chilled Spanish summer soup that includes raw onion and peppers as well. So what wine should you match with it?
White rather than red I suggest and make it young, crisp and fresh without any oak influence. Bear in mind that if you’re in the mood for gazpacho you’re in the mood for a refreshing drink
6 of the best wine pairings for gazpacho
Rueda or sauvignon blanc
Good Rueda (and I wouldn’t buy the cheapest one you can lay your hands on) is a great match with the same bright citrussy flavours as a sauvignon blanc which of course would do too. I suggest one of the more restrained styles such as Reuilly from the Loire rather than a full-on New Zealand sauvignon blanc
Albarino
Galicia’s elegant versatile white is always a good option
Picpoul de Pinet
As is Picpoul from the south of France (good value too)
Dry Italian whites
Always spring into life with food - anything from a good pinot grigio from the Alto Adige to a Falanghina, Pecorino or Greco di Tufo from the south
Manzanilla sherry
You might be surprised to find sherry so far down the list given it’s a go to match with soup but that’s because it’s unpredictable, depending on the sherry and the recipe. When it works it’s brilliant but it just might misfire. My favourite style would be well chilled manzanilla from a freshly opened bottle though with white gazpacho (ajo blanco) I would go for a fino - or even a dry moscatel.
Provence rosé - which is more like a dry white wine - is also a pretty good option if it’s not too fruity which generally would be the case.
And read about this surprise pairing with smoked vodka!
See also
The best wine matches for tomatoes
Photo © Ramon Grosso @fotolia.com
The best wine matches for sardines
Freshly caught grilled sardines are a treat at this time of year but how easy is it fo find a wine that will go with them? Look to the French and Portuguese for inspiration!
In the Languedoc, for example ‘sardinades’ - big communal feasts with chargrilled sardines as the centrepiece - are regular features of the holiday season accompanied by the local crisp Picpoul de Pinet.
In northern Portugal, you may be surprised to find they often drink red wine with them - the local dark frothy Vinho Verde - though white Vinho Verde, which also has a slight spritz, may be more to your taste as might its more upmarket manifestation alvarinho - the Portuguese cousin of Spain’s albarino
Other crisp white wines will work equally well - simple sauvignon blancs (especially from Bordeaux or the Loire), Muscadet, the sharp, lemony Basque wine Txacoli and assyrtiko from Greece though I’d personally steer clear of off-dry and aromatic wines such as riesling and pinot gris (sardines will make them taste sweeter) and oaky whites such as chardonnay.
And a good dry Provençal or Portuguese rosé will suit sardines just fine ...
Photograph © anjokan
The best wine pairings for seabass
Seabass is one of the most popular fish on restaurant menus these days - usually treated quite simply and rarely sauced. But what wine should you pair with it?
Crisp unoaked whites
Because it has a delicate flavour I would generally choose a crisp, unoaked white of some quality from a recent vintage so the wine’s clean minerality is still on show. A good Loire sauvignon blanc such as Sancerre or Pouilly Fumé would be a good choice as would a premier cru Chablis, a Spanish albarino or an Italian vermentino or Greco di Tufo especially if the recipe is accompanied by a salsa verde.
Other good quality sauvignon blancs work well too as in this pairing of a seabass ‘crudo’ with a Fontodi Meriggio at the River Cafe but I think the pairing owed as much to the gorgeous olive oil as the fish.
Dry aromatic whites
When seabass is cooked Chinese-style with soy and spring onions turn to a more aromatic white such as a grüner veltliner or a dry riesling from the Pfalz, Alsace or Austria.
Pale, crisp dry rosés
Pale Côtes de Provence rosés are also delicious with seabass but again ensure they’re from a recent vintage, 2016 at the time of writing
Sake
More robust preparations such as this Chilean seabass with white miso would be better with a good quality chilled sake.
Photo © zinaidasopina112 @fotolia.com
What to drink with chicken wings (and your other Superbowl snacks)
Let’s face it a well-honed wine pairing probably isn’t top priority on Superbowl night but there’s no reason why you can’t sip something delicious as you’re nervously nibbling your chicken wings (or your nails).
Chicken wings can of course come many different guises - with a honey marinade, classic barbecue, buffalo wings or with this hot and spicy siracha sauce but the common factor is likely to be that they’re spicy, more than a little sweet (and sticky) and maybe crunchy too.
I know chicken wings aren’t likely to be the only food on offer but it's not like these drinks won’t pair with anything else . . .
* Lager. Gotta be, really hasn’t it and that doesn’t mean the most tasteless, cheapest brew on the market. A good lager from your local microbrewery - like Meantime if you’re in London.
* Pale Ale - I usually recommend an IPA over a pale ale but if you’re looking for a session beer, a lower alcohol pale ale is probably a better choice on this occasion. And there’s enough flavour going on in the food not to need a massive wallop of hops
* Prosecco or - be patriotic! - an all-American sparkling wine. Possibly not one for the boys but fizz totally hits the spot with crunchy, crispy foods.
* Rosé - OK, it’s not summer but that doesn’t mean you can’t drink rosé - it’s great with party food. Maybe even sparkling rosé. Maybe - gulp! - even white zin . . .
* Off-dry riesling especially if the wings have an Asian twist
* A soft fruity red like a Zinfandel which is particularly good with smoky barbecue flavours.I’d keep the alcohol under 14% ABV though. It’s going to be a looooong night ...
For a totally off-the-wall pairing for wings check out this brilliant cocktail match I came across in Portland's Pok Pok.
You might also enjoy The Best Wine (and Cocktail) Pairings for Garlic Cheesy Bread
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