Top pairings
The best food pairings for Sauternes
Sauternes is a famously luscious sweet wine from the Bordeaux region of France but what kind of food should you pair with it? This post deep dives into what you should eat with Sauternes, both sweet and savoury.
The French would immediately say either foie gras or Roquefort - two savoury pairings for Sauternes and Barsac that may or may not appeal to you (not me, in the former case, because I don’t - or try not to - eat foie gras).
There’s also a history in the region of pairing Sauternes with poultry. “Poultry of all kinds marries well with sweet wines; one of the most famous dishes of the region is roast chicken liberally basted with Sauternes, and then served with a bottle of the same wine” writes Jill Norman in an archive post on Sweet Bordeaux and Savoury Food you might find interesting.
Sauternes producers often match their wines with Chinese and other Asian dishes such as lacquered pork to broaden its appeal but while these pairings can undoubtedly work it generally takes a skilled chef working with a specific wine to make it risk-free.
What about pairing Sauternes with desserts though? Oddly the French don’t seem too keen on the idea though to me it makes perfect sense especially with fresh fruit.
So here are my top pairings which are by and large quite simple. The same sort of pairings would work with other sweet wines from the region such as Cadillac and, Loupiac though the latter don’t have the same intensity (more of a problem with savoury dishes than with sweet ones).
One other thing to bear in mind: the best pairing will also depend on how old a wine is - an old Sauternes needs more respectful treatment - perhaps even no food at all - than a young one. Maybe cooked rather than fresh fruit for example (see the roast pineapple suggestion below)
What to eat with Sauternes
Dessert pairings for Sauternes
Ripe peaches and nectarines
Strawberries and cream
Simple French fruit tarts - especially apple and apricot tart
Roast pineapple - maybe the perfect match for Chateau d’Yquem on one of the rare occasions I’ve drunk it. I suspect a pineapple upside down cake would be rather delicious too.
Creamy desserts such as crème brûlée and panna cotta (especially with passionfruit, mango or early season forced rhubarb - see this post on Sauternes and Rhubarb).
Mille-feuille, custard tarts and other simple patisserie
Savoury pairings for Sauternes
Foie gras - if you must - but I always think it’s hard to start a meal with a sweet wine. As a high class snack though, maybe. It will also work with similar dishes like a duck or chicken liver parfait
Sauternes and cheese pairing
Not just salty blue cheeses like Roquefort and Beenleigh Blue but, more surprisingly, washed rind cheeses like Epoisses, provided they’re not too mature and gooey.
Creamy blue cheese spreads or terrines work too as does a creamy savoury cheescake
Glazed or lacquered pork or quail
Shellfish dishes with a sweet edge such as scallops and grilled lobster (better with older vintages)
Hot/sweet Thai dishes with younger Sauternes
Savoury dishes that include tropical fruit such as duck and mango
Sweet-flavoured vegetables such as confit’d fennel, roast carrots and sweet potato can assist a Sauternes pairing with ingredients such as chicken or pork
What temperature should you serve Sauternes?
The ideal serving temperature for Sauternes and similar sweet Bordeaux whites is about 10-12°C (50-54°F), at the upper end of that scale for an older wine, bearing in mind a half bottle will chill more quickly than a full-size one.
You may also be interested in this post from the archives
Sweet or savoury - what is the perfect match for Sauternes?
Photo © Pascal Moulin at fotolia.com
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
8 great food pairings for stout and porter
Although there are obviously differences between the two types of beer, dark stouts and porters tend to pair with similar types of food. Here are my top matches ...
Oysters and Guinness is one of the beer world’s classic pairings only bettered in my experience by an oyster rarebit. A creamy chowder with oysters and scallops is also great with a lighter stout
Dark beefy or venison stews like my recipe for braised beef with port and porter. Ox cheeks, ox tail all love stouts and porters
Steak pies such as this steak and stilton pie I enjoyed with a London porter or a hot game pie
Boiled bacon and cabbage - a classic St Patrick’s Day pairing with a smooth dark creamy Irish stout. Mmmm.
American-style barbecue especially BBQd ribs or smoked brisket - one for an American-style porter - even a smoked one if you want to layer on some extra smokey flavour.
Stilton and similar mellow blue cheeses - porter works in the same way as port: a strong dark contrast. Brilliant.
Dark chocolate cakes and desserts - If you don’t have a very sweet tooth and enjoy black coffee with your chocolate you’ll enjoy a porter too. A stronger, sweeter imperial stout is arguably better still. Especially with brownies.
Vanilla ice cream - Imperial stout and ice cream makes a great float. Here’s Garrett Oliver’s Imperial Stout Float from the Brooklyn Brewery
If you found this post useful you may also enjoy:
Food pairings for hefeweizen and other German-style wheat beers
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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
Image © Brent Hofacker - Fotolia.com
Best pairings with sticky toffee pudding
One of the all-time favourite British desserts sticky toffee pudding is super-sweet so will overwhelm most wines you might think of pairing with it so what should you choose?
Your best bet is a sweet fortified wine like tawny port, sherry or Madeira, a beer (believe it or not!) or a whisky liqueur.
* An Australian liqueur muscat has similar toffeed flavours but you might find it just a bit too much of a good thing.
* The same goes for a sweet oloroso or cream sherry. Yummy though. One producer, Barbadillo, even produced a Sticky Pudding Wine.
* You could try a 10 year old tawny port which will be slightly nuttier. Some are sweeter than others.
* I have had (well-chilled) Canadian ice wine with STP. Amazing.
* And great suggestion from The Lemon Tree in Bishop's Stortford: Vin Santo. Haven't tried it but am sure it would work.
* For those who don’t have such a sweet tooth a ginger flavoured beer like Blandford’s Ginger Fly can be a delicious match.
* Or try a ginger wine or liqueur - either on its own or served as a Whisky Mac
* Or, if you fancy something a bit stronger, a nip of Drambuie or other whisky liqueur, a cognac or an armagnac.
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