If you don’t eat meat what should you pair with your best red wines?

This was a question that popped up in our Matching Food & Wine Facebook group so I’ve included a couple of our members' suggestions but it’s well worth following the full thread

Q We have all but stopped buying and cooking meat (especially red meat) at home and this has led to a massive decline in our red wine intake. I now have many “special” bottles which are in danger of not getting drunk, or, maybe I should just drink them without food?

My normal go-to veggie dishes are just way too intensely flavoured or spicy for me to risk pairing a fabulous wine with them.

Side note, I don’t like mushrooms

A Shame about the mushrooms* but there are other options - fish for a start! There are many fish dishes that work really well with red wine, especially fish dishes that are seared like a steak

When to pair red wine with fish

In fact anything that is grilled, roast or charred in a similar way to red meat has a fighting chance. Roast cauliflower or charred hispi cabbage, for example

Then there are other vegetables than mushrooms to consider. Aubergines are generally good with red wine (though I gather your husband is not that keen on them!) as are beetroot and other root veg - again roasting them or serving them with a savoury onion gravy or red wine-based sauce will help.

Cheese of course though some can present problems with red wine. Hard sheep cheeses like Manchego work best.

The surprising one is pulses. Anything bean or lentil-based, provided it's not too spicy pairs really well with a serious red - think particularly Tuscan bean and chickpea dishes and I’d say Spanish ones too though they often contain ham or chorizo which in Spain seems to count as an honorary vegetable! Check out our post on the best wine pairing with beans.

One of our members suggested that one of her favourite dishes to pair with a spicy Rhone-style wine was a lentil and tahini recipe from Ottolenghi. “The smoky paprika creates a great bridge to the wine” she said. She also recommends pasta puttanesca with syrah.

And one of my followers on Twitter recommended a seitan burger so should have said products that mimic meat will obviously do the job too.

Join in the conversation! If you’d like to chat to fellow food and wine enthusiasts about what you’ve been eating and drinking and maybe get their advice do sign up to our Matching Food & Wine Facebook group

*maybe it would be worth trying dried mushrooms aka porcini though which don't have the same slightly slithery texture as mushrooms. Or even adding porcini or cep powder to a dish.

Photo by l i g h t p o e t at shutterstock.com

What wine to drink with a Scottish (or English) breakfast

A question from one of the members of our Facebook group which you may want to join if you enjoy chatting about what you've been eating and drinking.

Q I’ve just taken delivery of some Stornaway black pudding, Lorne (square) and smoked bacon from Scotland so am going to have a brunch dinner with sauté potatoes, mushrooms etc. Any wine thoughts on that?

A Sounds like a full-Scottish to me and given the amount of meat it’s not that hard to match with wine, more what you feel like drinking at that time of day. If it were genuinely brunch then you might want a lighter wine than you would later in the day.

It’s a question of personal preference but I’d probably go for a decent Bordeaux or a rioja reserva with this simply because I don’t fancy the dollop of sweet fruit that, say, a Chilean or Australian cabernet would represent with a fry-up. (But then I’m not a big lover of ketchup which would kick both of those into touch.) That said I’d be more than happy with an Argentinian malbec which goes particularly well with black pudding.

See also Top wine - and other - matches for sausages

Image by Natalia Lisovskaya at shutterstock.com (of an English breakfast rather than a Scottish one and minus the Lorne sausage. Apologies, Scots!)

What’s the best wine to drink with french fries?

Here’s a great question from Anna Boulton, the owner of a gîte in the Limousin

Q We need advice on what to drink with our favourite “takeaway” dinner. To clarify its not actually a takeaway at all, as that would involve a 160km round trip to our nearest takeaway in Limoges! So it’s our version! When we are tired and can’t be bothered to cook - we do Aga chips. So, big, thick, hand cut, chunky, skin-on chips that go in the Aga at 250 degrees. Sometimes if we have bread we can make a buttie, but if not its just chips, freshly gound sel de Guérande and mayonnaise - and obviously wine!

But what wine would be your advice? We have tried a riesling - not so good - and a Touraine sauvignon which was actually really great. Any other ideas?

A There’s one type of wine that is pretty well always spot on with fried food and that’s sparkling! Champagne or English sparkling wine if you’re feeling extravagant, cava if you’re not though if you’re in France the more affordable option would be a crémant. (I particularly like cremant d’Alsace)

Add truffles,as in this dish of huevos rotos I had in Barcelona and you can justify quite a serious bottle!

Image by Ande_Hazel from Pixabay

Should you chill red wine?

Q. Should you chill red wine? And if so for how long?

A. Most people would say emphatically yes, particularly in hot weather but does it apply to all red wines?

The general wisdom is that you should chill light reds such as Beaujolais, pinot noir and Loire cabernet francs such as Saumur and Bourgeuil by popping them in the fridge for 30-40 minutes, the idea bringing to bring out their fresh fruit character.

The length of time obviously depends on the temperature of the bottle when you put it in but you should be aiming for about 12-14°C (53-57°F), slightly warmer than you'd serve a rosé.

That said not all wines from these grape varieties and regions are the same. You might want to chill a Beaujolais Villages or a young Fleurie from a recent vintage, for example, but not a more serious aged Morgon so look at the vintage and ABV (alcohol level)

But at some times of year medium- to full-bodied reds can do with cooling down a bit as well - in fact we often serve them too warm. (Look at the back labels of even a full-bodied malbec and it will often recommend serving at 17-18°C (62-64°F) - quite a bit cooler than the average room temperature these days.

The benefit of chilling a full-bodied red is that it will appear fresher and less alcoholic than it would otherwise do if left outside in warm weather, even in the shade. (As I write it’s an unusually hot 31°C in my home town of Bristol). The only types of red I wouldn’t chill are mature oak aged reds such as rioja gran reserva or an oaky young cabernet where chilling would accentuate its tannins but that still doesn’t mean I’d want either too warm.

Think about it this way - if it’s the kind of weather when you’d rather have a grill and a salad than a classic Sunday roast you’d probably rather drink your wine cool. (I say probably because I’m guessing some of you still like your red at room temperature whatever the weather! There are no rules, remember!)

If you want to bring the temperature down quickly dunk the bottle for 5-10 minutes in a bucket full of water and ice (more effective than ice on its own)

I’ve even been known to drop a couple of ice cubes in my glass, stir and fish them straight out again to bring the temperature down. But sssshhhh - don’t tell anyone

See also What is the best serving temperature for wine?

photo By Lord Beard at shutterstock.com