The best wine pairings for partridge

I sometimes think partridge is my favourite game bird - less full-on and ‘gamey’ than pheasant, more subtle and delicate than chicken. But what wine should you drink with it?

The options are in fact similar to my recommended wine pairings for pheasant but because it’s a more delicate meat think lighter, finer-textured wines - a gran reserva rather than a reserva rioja, for instance. As you’ll see from the suggestions below 2009 and 2010 were good across the board

Whether you go for pretty youthful fruit or a more complex aged wine depends how you cook it (for me simply roasted is best) your personal taste and your bank balance but these would be my preferred options:

If you have a treasured red burgundy partridge is a good excuse for cracking it open. (2009 or ’10 should be drinking deliciously now). Or a top pinot noir (German spåtburgunder, for example). A ‘natural’ low sulphur pinot - or gamay - would be especially interesting.

* A mature red bordeaux which could be even a touch older, say a 2005.

* A top barolo (again the 09s and 10s were good from this region but beware, there’s a lot of dull barolo around)

* A gran reserva rioja - 2004, 2005 and 2010 were all good vintages. 2001 even better but it needs to have been stored well.

* A Jura chardonnay (which is less fruity, more savoury than most chardonnays) would be especially good with perdrix au chou (partridge with cabbage)

* Dry oloroso sherry - a spectacular pairing I once had in Jerez (see here) - maybe not for your pals but great as part of a sherry dinner -

* A Flemish red ale like Rodenbach, Duchesse de Bourgogne or the Wild Beer Company’s Modus Operandi would be the perfect beer match

You may also find these posts useful

Top wine and beer matches for game

Must grouse wine matches be classic?

The best wine pairings for pheasant

The photo is of partridge with cabbage as cooked by Stephen Markwick of the sadly now closed Culinaria in Bristol. © Fiona Beckett

What’s the best wine pairing for tuna?

Tuna is a meaty fish which adapts just as well to a red wine as to a white. So which to choose?

There are two guidelines to consider when it comes to pairing wine with tuna: 

* First, how it’s cooked. Is it rare, seared or preserved (canned or bottled)?

* Second, the style of the dish. Does it incorporate Japanese flavours? Are there other ingredients on the plate that might influence the match such as a citrussy glaze or salsa?

In this guide, I’ll delve into the best wines to pair with different styles of tuna, covering everything from crisp whites that cut through the richness to bold reds that stand up to more intense preparations. You’ll also find links to some specific matches that were particularly worth remembering.

Wine with tuna quick guide:

• Raw tuna: Chilled sake or a very dry white (e.g. Chablis)
• Seared tuna: A light red (e.g. Chinon) or Spanish rosé
• Grilled tuna: Syrah or Barbera
• Canned tuna: Dry Italian white (e.g. Verdicchio) or Provençal rosé

Of course, it all depends on the specific dish. Read on for my favourite wine pairings for tuna you might like to try.

Popular ways of serving tuna and the wines to go with them

Seared tuna
A light red or strong dry southern French or Spanish rosé is perfect with seared tuna - a Loire red such as a Chinon or Bourgueil or a light red burgundy if it’s simply seasoned, a fruitier New World Pinot Noir if you’re giving it a spicier treatment. If it’s chargrilled on the barbecue and served rare like a steak you can bring on a beefier red such as a Syrah or Barbera.

Seared tuna with sesame and Elephant Hill Syrah

Raw or near-raw tuna e.g. sashimi. tuna tartare
Popular in Japanese-style dishes so may well include Japanese ingredients with a touch of sweetness such as mirin or Japanese rice vinegar. I personally enjoy chilled sake with this style of presentation but a very dry white such as a Chablis, Muscadet-sur-lie or Grüner Veltliner also works well as does, more surprisingly, a lush white grenache

Tuna tataki and grenache blanc

Tuna tartare with wasabi aioli and grüner veltliner

Tuna carpaccio
Sliced raw tuna, often dressed with olive oil and lemon juice. It’s light and delicate so needs a wine that doesn’t overpower the fish. Similar pairings to tuna tartare work here, particularly a mineral-driven dry white. You could also go for a light bodied Pinot Grigio or even champagne. 

Glazed tuna with citrus e.g. with yuzu or lime and coriander
Still possible to serve a light red (citrus will accentuate its fruitiness) but you might also want to consider a fruity white such as a Semillon-Sauvignon blend, an oaked Sauvignon Blanc, a Verdelho or a dry Riesling.

Salads with tinned or bottled tuna e.g. salade Niçoise, tonno e fagioli
Something quite light and quaffable. A inexpensive dry Italian white such as a Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi or a dry Provençal rosé such as a Bandol rosé

Salade niçoise and rosé

Tuna pasta bake
Not my favourite way of eating tuna, if truth be told, but as it’s creamy and slightly cheesy an unoaked or lightly oaked Chardonnay should hit the spot.

Photo ©petrrgoskov at fotolia.com

What wine to pair with corn

Eating corn on the cob is one of the pleasures of high summer especially now there are so many different ways to cook it. But if you love corn or sweetcorn what wine should you pair with it?

There’s one wine that really stands out for me and that’s chardonnay - especially when you slather the corn in butter. But grilled corn too works well especially with a full bodied oaky chardonnay (though see my note below about south-east asian flavours)

Really it depends whether you’re having the corn on its own or, more likely, with other elements of a meal as in a barbecue

Other rich whites worth trying are oaked white rioja, Spanish godello, fiano from southern Italy and old vine chenin blanc or Cape white blends from South Africa

Corn is of course a key ingredient in Mexican cuisine - think tortillas, tacos and tamales which may all inspire you to drink beer but wine can work too depending on the filling. (See this post on tacos)

If you’re serving corn alongside barbecued meat, on the other hand, you may want to go for a red like a mencia (again from Spain), rioja or a grenache or GSM blend

Griddled corn with chilli and lime and other south-east Asian flavours

Once you introduce zesty lime, chilli coriander or other Asian flavours think dry riesling or New Zealand sauvignon blanc rather than chardonnay.

Sauvignon would work with a corn salad with feta too, as would assyrtiko.

Corn fritters

Fried food goes with bubbles and fritters are no exception. Nothing fancy - a cava or a crémant would be perfect

Or for a non-alcoholic pairing you might want to try these sweetcorn, feta and green chilli waffles with pink grapefruit juice, a previous match of the week.

Cornbread or muffins

Unlikely to be served on their own so pair with whatever else is on the plate whether it’s a barbecue or brunch. As a matter of interest I once found a coffee-infused pale ale was brilliant with a jalapeno cornbread! Coffee too if it’s brunch, obviously.

Creamed corn or corn chowder

We’re back at chardonnay again - a fresh creamy one rather than a full-bodied oaky one, I suggest. Chablis, for example. Or a smooth Italian white like a Gavi di Gavi or a Soave

Tamales

Although the stuffing is based on corn (masa) it’s generally mixed with another ingredient which may be more important to match. Chardonnay again would work with seafood or chicken but if it’s pork, beef or lamb try a young rioja or other tempranillo, a petite sirah or a malbec. (There’s a good explanation about tamales on the Spruce Eats website for those of you who are not familiar with them)

See also Ottolenghi’s slow-cooked chicken with a crisp corn crust

Polenta

Generally served with a stew or roast meat so I’d again be inclined to focus on that though maybe make it an Italian red like barbera.

Image by Rimma Bondarenko at shutterstock.com

The best pairings for prawns or shrimp

A freezer staple in my house, prawns or shrimp are quick and easy to cook but what should you drink with them?

Like other ingredients it depends how you cook them.

The simple plate or tankard of cooked prawns in the shell is a different customer from a spicy Thai prawn curry but in general prawns or shrimp have a delicate flavour that you want to respect. Your wine should act like a squeeze of lemon which generally points to a white or a crisp rosé.

Great wine pairings for prawns

Prawns or shrimp on the shell

A seasonal treat so the simpler the wine the better. I love those French seaside whites like Muscadet or Picpoul de Pinet with freshly cooked prawns. Italian whites like Pinot Grigio and Greco di Tufo also work well as do Vinho Verde, Albarino or a crisp Sancerre. Unoaked fresh whites in other words. Nothing wrong with a glass of prosecco though, obviously.

Prawn or shrimp salad

Similar wines to the above should also work unless the salad has a richer ingredient like mango or a spicy or zesty dressing in which case I’d be looking for a white with more personality like a sauvignon or semillon or a blend of the two.

Prawn or shrimp cocktail

Again it’s more about the sauce than the prawns, especially if it’s the classic marie-rose sauce. I haven’t found a better pairing than an off-dry riesling though a fruity rosé works well too (and has the virtue of being pink if you’re colour-theming your pairings ;-)

Garlicky prawns or shrimp

Garlic LOVES sauvignon blanc so that’s a good starting point. Other citrussy whites like Rueda, unoaked white Rioja, Godello, southern Italian whites like Fiano and Falanghina and English Bacchus will all work. Goodness, almost anything barring a big oaky chardonnay will do. Try manzanilla or fino sherry too.

Prawn or shrimp curry

How hot is the curry? If it’s a korma or dry tandoori try a fruity rosé, if it’s a Thai green curry, a pinot gris or a medium dry riesling may be the better pairing.

Spanish prawn or shrimp rice dishes like paella

Often contain chorizo, certainly seasonings like saffron, garlic and pimenton so they can be quite spicy. Dry Spanish rosados such as those from Rioja and Navarra work well but you could even try a young (joven) red Rioja.

Prawn or shrimp linguine - or other pasta

If your sauce is tomato-based like this one I’d lean towards a dry Italian white or light rosé like a Provence rosé or Bardolino. If it’s creamy like this tagliolini with prawns and treviso try a white with a litlle bit more weight and roundness like a Soave, Gavi, Chenin Blanc or Chablis

See also

Prawns and Greco di Tufo

Prawn raviole and white Bordeaux

photo © bit24 - Fotolia.com