Top pairings
Which wine (or beer) to pair with roast beef
Roast beef has the virtue of being one of the easiest dishes to match with wine. You can really drink any medium- to full-bodied red you enjoy. There are a couple of points to bear in mind, however, which might affect the style of wine you choose.
First of all, how will the beef be cooked? Will it be very rare or medium to well done?
That will partly depend on the cut - you’re probably likely to serve a very lean piece of meat or one that’s cooked at a low temperature more underdone that a joint with a fair amount of fat like a sirloin.
The rarer the meat is - and the more of a deeply savoury crust it has - the better it will deal with tannins and high levels of alcohol.
In other words rare beef suits young, full-bodied reds while older, more delicate reds are sometimes better with beef that’s cooked a little longer
Secondly, how is it sauced? With a typically English gravy or a concentrated wine-based ‘jus’?
If the sauce is intensely winey it again tends to suit full-bodied youthful reds like Syrah/Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon. If it’s served with gravy you’re better off with a more classic wine like a red Bordeaux or a Rioja - or of course, a traditional ale or porter (an under-estimated match with roast beef).
Horseradish sauce will also affect your wine match - not so much if it’s a ready-made creamy sauce but if it’s made with fresh horseradish I’d choose a wine that has intense enough fruit to handle it. A Douro red or a Malbec would fit the bill
Thirdly what are you serving in the way of vegetables? Not necessarily a crucial factor unless they’re strongly strongly flavoured like red cabbage but the more veg you have the more likely it is that some ingredient will throw your wine off-balance. If you’re pulling out a special bottle keep your accompaniments simple.
Personally I think roast beef is a great opportunity to open a good Bordeaux or other Cabernet/Merlot or Malbec blend. Or a great syrah or shiraz. Much the same wines that go with steak, in other words.
And in terms of beer? I’d probably go for a barrel-aged beer but there’s nothing wrong with a good traditional ale. A porter would also be good.
Note: Yorkshire pudding won’t make much of a difference to the match other than increasing the amount of carbs on the plate which probably makes beer an even more logical choice.
Photo ©Brent Hofacker at shutterstock.com
How Thanksgiving sides can inspire your wine pairing
Although we all talk turkey at Thanksgiving, in fact it’s the sides that tend to steal the show.
Finding a wine that can cope with them all is never easy but you may just find your favourite side or dressing can inspire your choice.
Sweet sides
Sweet potatoes with their maple syrup glaze or a marshmallow topped casserole like this one are likely to be the sweetest element of the meal - and a tricky one to match with wine.
Given the savoury elements of the meal a sweet wine is probably overkill for most but try a refreshing spätlése or other medium-dry riesling or a rich chardonnay.
Grenache is a grape with a lot of natural sweetness if you want to serve a red wine or, if you have a sweet tooth, go for one of the new wave of sweeter reds like Apothic.
Corn is another sweet-tasting vegetable that goes particularly well with chardonnay or try a rich young viognier like Laurent Miquel’s Verité from Languedoc in southern France
Creamy sides
Lots of Thanksgiving sides have creamy sauces which should again incline you towards chardonnay - a grape variety that simply loves cream. If you’re planning an oyster casserole, Chablis would be a great pairing.
Fruity sides
There’s usually a cranberry relish somewhere in the equation, sometimes with a hint of orange - so if that’s your favourite Thanksgiving flavour choose an equally bright fruity red.
A young zinfandel or merlot, a really fruity pinot noir or even what the Australians often drink with their Christmas dinner, a sparkling shiraz
Green sides
Maybe we’re becoming more health conscious but green vegetables such as green beans, collard greens, sprouts and kale seem to play a bigger role in the Thanksgiving feast these days. (OK, sometimes with cream!)
There are two grapes that have a touch of green about them themselves - carmenère from Chile and cabernet franc - even cabernet sauvignon can pick up on those dark leafy flavours.
Savoury sides
If you’ve a taste for the more savoury aspects of the Thanksgiving feast like the sausage stuffing or dressing think of pouring syrah or shiraz, maybe combined with grenache and mourvèdre as it is in the Rhône and southern France (in Chateauneuf-du-Pape for example). If there’s a mushroom element that’s another reason to reach for the pinot noir.
There are of course huge variations in sides as this marvellous feature from the New York Times, The United States of Thanksgiving, shows so do adapt these suggestions to your local specialities - maybe even picking a local wine, beer or cider if you have a producer near you.
Photo © Ezee pics studio - Fotolia.com
6 perfect pairings for pumpkin pie
if you’re planning to make a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving here are some great wine and other pairings to serve with it.
Pumpkin pie tends to be very sweet and often a little bit spicy which means that it will overwhelm a lot of lighter dessert wines so you might as well go for broke and serve something equally luscious.
Think fortified wines rather than conventional dessert wines ...
Australian Liqueur muscat
So what could be better than a treacley Australian liqueur muscat otherwise known as a sticky? Stanton & Killeen do a great Rutherglen Muscat or try De Bortoli’s Show Liqueur Muscat.
Aussie ‘port’
The Aussies also make great tawny-port style wines which are a sweeter and less woody than the traditional Portuguese versions. Try the utterly delicious Grant Burge Old Boys tawny (also a great match for Stilton if you’re thinking ahead to Christmas) or Bleasdale’s The Wise One tawny.
Dark cream or sweet oloroso sherry
Delectable raisiny sherry is also a great match for pumpkin pie - and incredibly good value. Your local supermarket should have an own-label one. Sweet malmsey madeiras and marsala dolce will do a similar job.
Sweet riesling
If you find these suggestions just too sweet or if your pie is made in a lighter style like Rowley Leigh’s version here you could go for the contrasting acidity of a late harvest riesling. Or try a French muscat like St Jean de Minervois.
Barley wine
. . .which is not wine but a strong sweet beer - absolutely brilliant with pumpkin pie. Try J W Lees Harvest Ale.
and finally . . . a tot of rich, sweet dark rum
In fact a spiced rums would work particularly well - The Kraken Black Spiced rum would be a great colour contrast for Hallowe’en. Serve in small shot or liqueur glasses.
Here’s my own recipe for a roast pumpkin and pecan pie together with some other suggestions for Hallowe’en entertaining if you’re not having to trick or treat!
Photo ©leekris - Fotolia.com
What to drink with an omelette (or frittata)
There aren’t many wine pairings that form the subject of a book title but Elizabeth David’s Omelette and a Glass of Wine immortalised the combination.
Unlike other egg dishes wine actually does go pretty well with omelettes but should it be red or white?
*David herself expressed a preference for an Alsace ‘Traminer’ or a glass of Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé. I’m not sure I’d fancy the former (a bit too lush and aromatic) but the latter would certainly go with a light omelette fines herbes, an asparagus omelette or one with seafood or goats cheese - as would other crisp dry whites like Chablis and Italian dry whites like Soave and Gavi di Gavi.
*With other kinds of cheese omelettes I’d go for an Alsace Pinot Blanc or a lighter style of Chardonnay like a Mâcon-Villages.
*Sparkling wines like Cava - and, of course, Champagne - are always a popular choice with eggs. Blanc de blancs or other all-Chardonnay fizz seems to work best.
*Reds come into play if you have a more robust filling such as mushrooms or bacon - or even chorizo as you might in a frittata. A young Rhône red or Rioja - nothing too fancy - would do the trick.
*Belgian-style witbier or a bière blanche is a great match with lighter omelettes too.
See also Which Wines Pair Best with Eggs
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The best food pairings for amarone (new)
Amarone or Amarone della Valpolicella is a full-bodied red wine from the Veneto region of Italy that gets its richness and slight sweetness from being partially fermented on the skins of dried grapes, a process referred to in Italian as appassimento.
Although styles vary it can reach alcohol levels as high as 16% which obviously dictates the style of food it pairs with best.
What food you enjoy with it depends a bit on your personal taste. If you appreciate its sweetness you’ll probably be happy drinking it with richly sauced meat dishes like ox cheek and beef shortribs, even a Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey
If you find it a bit overwhelming with savoury dishes you might want to treat it more like port and drink it with cheese, especially blue cheese.
Some people enjoy it with dark chocolate but I personally don’t find it quite sweet enough for that. A Recioto della Valpolicella works better in my opinion.
But it does particularly lend itself to rich red wine sauces especially if they’re made with amarone.
Because of its capacity to age it tends to fetch a premium price so save older vintages for a special occasion.
Traditional food pairings from the region
I doubt you’re going to want to serve pastisade de caval (horsemeat stew) or tripe but you might enjoy
Risotto all’amarone (a favourite of the River Café). You can find a recipe here
Strong cheeses including mature parmegiano reggiano (parmesan), Ubriaco all’Amarone (cheese matured in amarone grape must), Gorgonzola and other blue cheeses
Other good pairings, especially with rich red wine sauces
Braised ox or veal cheek and oxtail
Braised beef short-ribs
Wagyu beef
Dishes accompanied by roast bone marrow
Robust pasta dishes, e.g. with hare sauce (pappardelle alla lepre) or other rich ragus.
Pigeon
Duck cooked in balsamic vinegar (balsamic chimes in well with amarone)
Grouse
Wild boar
Venison - as you can see from this match of the week though the roast beetroot also contributed to the pairing
Reindeer and elk (amarone is apparently popular in Scandinavia)
American-style barbecue e.g. smoked brisket
Photo by Ipek Celik at shutterstock.com
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