The best food pairings for Mencia

When I scoured the website for existing pairings with mencia I was amazed how many dishes I’d suggested it with. It really is an incredibly versatile food wine.

For those of you who are not familiar with it it’s a grape variety which is grown in the Bierzo and Ribeira Sacra regions of north-west Spain and produces a vibrantly juicy red that reminds me of Beaujolais with a dash of Loire cabernet franc.

Top food matches for mencia

Cecina

Cecina is a really delicious deeply savoury cured smoked beef from the same region as mencia and goes brilliantly with it as you can see from this match of the week. So does chorizo and rough country hams

Almost any kind of grilled meat especially pork and lamb

Which makes it a good wine for a barbecue. That also applies to spiced meat like kebabs or these seftali

Hearty stews

The Spanish are not renowned for their vegetarian dishes so I’m thinking meat here. Robust dishes of pork and beans for example.

Empanadas

Again from the area they have these delicious tuna and red pepper pies called empanadas. Mencia would be good with the smaller Latin American version too

Sheep cheese

Mencia is a good all-rounder with cheese but especially hard sheep cheeses which are what you tend to find in the area.

Warm salads

I suggested mencia as a pairing with this warm lamb salad with a pea, mint and feta cheese dressing. It would be great with other warm salads too.

Pizza and pasta

Almost any kind of pasta with a meaty sauce. Spaghetti and meatballs for example. It’s the perfect pizza wine too.

Roast turkey

I know there are a lot of other great pairings for roast turkey but a vibrant mencia works surprisingly well with all the sides as I discovered one Christmas.

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.

Imam bayildi by Didebashvili.GE at shutterstock.com

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

photo by Slawomir Fajer at shutterstock.com

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

photo by Ale02 at shutterstock.com

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 wines and beers to pair with meaty stews and casseroles

Meaty stews and casseroles are hearty, comfort food so what type of wine should you pair with them or is beer a better match?

When it comes to pairing wine with a stew most of us would instinctively turn to a red, the big issue being how full-bodied it should be.

There are two ways of looking at it. Stews tend to be intensely flavoured with a rich thick sauce so you could argue that you need a big wine to hold its own. But that can be overwhelming. I prefer a slightly lighter more rustic red - grape varieties such as Syrah, Grenache, Malbec and Tempranillo hit the spot for me.

Of course it does depend what liquid’s in the stew. If it’s beer, as in a classic Belgian carbonnade then it’s almost wilful to drink anything else. Stews that have a savoury, meaty almost marmitey taste pair better with ales than with wine.

If they’re made with wine however. as in the classic French daube, it’s best to choose a similar style but slightly better quality of the wine you used for the dish. (Though not everyone agrees - see Marc Millon's argument in favour of cooking with Barolo)

If the stew is spicy like goulash or a tagine I would choose slightly sweeter style of red such as an Australian Shiraz, Zinfandel, Pinotage or a modern Spanish red, wines that also come into play when you serve sweet flavoured veg such as sweet potatoes, butternut squash and corn alongside. But watch out for big tannins which can combine with spicy flavours to create a palate overload.

Best wines for stews

• Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages, or, better still, village wines with their own denomination such as Cairanne or Vacqueyras

• Other Rhône appellations such as Crozes-Hermitage, Gigondas and Lirac

• Languedoc reds such as Corbières, Faugères and Minervois

• Rioja crianza and similar Spanish reds from e.g. Navarra

• Reds from the Douro in Portugal

• Barbera from Piedmont - or elsewhere

• Argentinian Malbec (and French Cahors)

• Australian or South African Shiraz

• Zinfandel - especially for rich stews such as braised oxtail or ox cheek

• Pinotage (particularly for spicier stews)

Best beers for stews

• Classic British ales such as Young’s Special London Ale, Timothy Taylor Landlord and Theakston's Old Peculier

• Strong Belgian beers such as Chimay and northern French beers from the Pas de Calais region

• Brown ales (for simple, old-fashioned stews without too much seasoning)

• Stout or porter - if that’s what the dish is cooked in.

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The best food pairings for cabernet franc

Cabernet franc can be the most food-friendly of wines, as good with fish and veggies as it is with meat but it comes in several styles. If you’re looking for a food match for cabernet franc I’d be mainly thinking of the lighter more fragrant Loire type which stars on its own in such appellations as Saumur, Saumur-Champigny, Bourgeuil, St Nicolas de Bourgeuil and Chinon. Even then it can vary from vintage to vintage and from lighter wines to more serious oak-aged examples. 

In this post, you’ll find the best food pairings (and some favourite recipes) for

* Fresh, young Loire cabernet franc

* Mature, oak-aged Loire cabernet franc

* More full-bodied cabernet franc from countries such as Argentina, California and South Africa

Fresh young Loire cabernet franc

Young cabernet franc has a distinctly herbal quality and tends to pair well with dishes flavoured with herbs, especially dill, fennel, rosemary and tarragon. Think chicken with herbs like roast chicken with herby crème fraîche or this lavash, chicken and herb pie with barberries, both from Olia Hercules, a herb-crusted rack of lamb or a navarin of lamb

It also has an affinity with green vegetables especially when they’re grilled or roasted - such as grilled asparagus (as you can see here), purple sprouting broccoli and even grilled artichokes. If you’ve got a vegetarian dish of spring vegetables such as asparagus, peas and broad beans you should reach for a bottle. And while it wouldn’t be my first choice with a spanakopita (Greek-style spinach pie) - I’d rather drink a crisp white - it would definitely work.

Pair it with herby Ottolengi-ish salads with bulgur, freekeh or other grains, especially with a herb dressing.

Evan Goldstein in his book Daring Pairings suggests enchiladas verdes, a combination I haven’t tried but I can definitely see would work. Anything with a tomatillo salsa too.

Like gamay, Loire cabernet franc also works well with charcuterie especially terrines and patés

Lightly chilled it can be a really useful pairing for fish, especially grilled tuna or salmon

It’s also good with goats cheese, young pecorino and other young sheep cheeses

and like Beaujolais you can pour it over or drink it with strawberries

More mature oak aged Loire cabernet franc

I’d be thinking of lamb again though maybe slow roast shoulder or a butterflied leg of lamb rather than rosy little lamb cutlets. Steak frites too.

I’d be more inclined to go for duck than chicken and feathered game such as pigeon (squab) pheasant and partridge

It would also work with light offal dishes such as kidneys or sweetbreads. Classic French bistro food.

Riper, more full-bodied cabernet franc from countries such as Argentina, California and South Africa

These behave quite like malbec in terms of wine pairing so red meat, especially steak, is an obvious go to. You could easily drink it with a barbecue including spicy sausages such as chorizo and merguez or with kebabs.

Read more about my take on cabernet franc in my recent Guardian column.

Note: Cabernet franc also plays a major part in Bordeaux blends including some of the most famous Bordeaux reds such as Cheval Blanc and in South America where it is generally riper and more full-bodied.

If you’re looking for a match for Bordeaux blends check out this post: What food to pair with red Bordeaux 

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