Is cider more food-friendly than wine?

Susanna Forbes of Drink Britain reports on a vigorously fought contest over dinner at The Thatchers Arms near Colchester last month

"As one of the organisers, along with our host, the affable landlord Mitch Adams, I was confident that cider could hold its own against even the most tastiest of dishes. But even I didn’t think it could win 4: 1, particularly once I saw the big guns our wine champions were recruiting to their cause.

But first a little background. Mitch loves all drinks. A host with the most, he is a beer’n’food matcher extraordinaire. He organised a lively Beer vs Wine charity dinner back in 2011, with telly’s Tim Atkin MW squaring up against writer and beer expert, Adrian Tierney-Jones.

So The Thatchers Arms seemed the perfect home for this, the first contest between wine and cider. Eighth-generation Aspall cidermaker Henry Chevallier-Guild joined Beer Writer of the Year Pete Brown who was in the midst of finalising the first major global book on cider, World’s Best Cider, to champion cider, while Harper’s Best Sommelier of the Year, Emily O’Hare of the River Café, teamed up with Dan Probert, manager of Adnams’ Holt Cellar & Kitchen store in the wine camp.

The scene was set. Before dinner, guests enjoyed a glass of Aspall Cuvée Chevallier, an elegant, light sparkling cider made in the methode traditionelle. Once seated, a show of hands revealed that only a handful of people had ever tried cider with food. Even fewer felt it could win the evening’s match.

Following a few introductory words, the gloves were off, and battle commenced.

Broccoli & Parmesan Soup with Homemade Chilli Foccaccia

Vallobera Rioja Blanco 2011, Spain; £7.99, Adnams
El Gaitero, Spain, 5.5%; £1.55 33cl; Slurp.co.uk, Waitrose

Cider hits home first – 44:17

A creamy broccoli soup given a salty tang with Parmesan, was won by El Gaitero, from Asturias, northern Spain, where the cidermaking tradition goes back centuries. Production is ‘very strictly controlled’, said Pete, before explaining that El Gaitero was chosen for its slight pepperiness. The Vallobera Rioja Blanco 2011 had been aged in oak, giving it a pleasant creamy weight. To my mind, the soup stripped the wine’s aromatics, deadening the match, whereas the light, baked apple notes of El Gaitero with its sparkle provided a good balance to both soup and foccaccia.

Mackerel Fillet with a Fennel, Mint & Parsley Salsa & a Pont Neuf Potato

Gouguenheim Torrentés 2011, Mendoza, Argentina; £6.99, Adnams
Aspall Premier Cru, Suffolk; £2.59/50cl; Aspall, Adnams

Wine strikes back – 43:18

An exceptional dish a with vast array of flavours, demanded complexity in the glass. This was achieved with both Aspall’s Premier Cru, with its elegant, balanced tannins, and the Gouguenheim Torrontes, with its expressive aromatics. Floral notes on a backbone of gentle but textured acidity provided a fine counterpoint to the dish’s uplifting green notes.

Slow Roast Blythburgh Pork Belly with a Homemade Duck, Pork & Sage Sausage & Tomato & Mixed Bean Cassoulet

Quinto do Crasto, Crasto Tinto 2010, Douro Valley, Portugal; £9.49; Adnams
Henney's Vintage 2011, Herefordshire; £2.09/50cl; BeersofEurope.co.uk

Crunchtime – Cider pulls it off – by just one point – 31:30

As arms went up with the Red (for wine) and Green (for cider) cards – we’d gone all Ready, Steady, Cook – table by table, the room silenced. Two recounts later, cider took the course, by just one point. Created by former-Bulmers cidermaker, Mike Henneys, his Vintage 2011 presented a three-pronged attack: a solid but balanced tannic backbone to match the strength of flavours on our plate, a pleasing cider apple sweetness to complement the sweetness of the pork, and a good astringency to partner the tricky, but tasty, bean cassoulet.

Quinta do Crasto’s Douro red 2010 was no slouch, as the score indicates. Its time in oak gave it a good texture and depth, while its pure fruit flavours sang alongside the pork. Perhaps a little young for this match, in my view it was overwhelmed by the cassoulet.

Eddy’s Sour Cherry Cheesecake

Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé NV Champagne, France; £52.99; Berry Bros & Rudd, selected independents
Aspall Imperial Cyder, Suffolk; £3.08/50cl; aspall.co.uk; BeersofEurope.co.uk

Wine fails to break back, losing 21: 32

Perhaps the trickiest match, pastry chef Eddy is renowned for his cheesecake. One bite and we could see why. A light cream mousse is set off beautifully by sour cherries. The Billecart-Salmon Rosé showed class, with sprightly connotations of red berries, and an elegant but persistent sparkle. It seduced many of us, including Mitch and myself, and our two Cider advocates.

However the room disagreed, voting for Henry’s grandfather’s recipe, Aspall Imperial Cyder, with its mix of bittersweet and dessert apples plus a dash of muscovado sugar. Its medium nature and good depth matched the sour cherry while the fine sparkle cut through the creaminess of the pud.

Suffolk Gold & Binham Blue Cheeses with chutney & biscuits

Gonzales Byass 'Vina AB' Amontillado, Jerez, Spain; £13.59; Adnams
Once Upon a Tree Blenheim Superb 2011; Herefordshire; £16/37.5cl; Once Upon a Tree

Match of the day – 58: 3

Cider now had an unassaible lead, but could Wine redeem itself on the cheese course? Err… no. 58: 3 to cider

Rather than play safe and opt for Sauternes or Port, the Wine team went out on a limb, choosing a solera-aged sherry, replete with nuts and dried peel. The only trouble was, it was way too dry for the two local cheeses.

Instead Once Upon a Tree’s dessert cider, the Dragon Tree Blenhim Superb, ran away with the Match of the Day tankard. The honeyed sweetness and depth of cooked apple plus the ripe mandarin and peach flavours complemented both the salty tang of the Binham Blue and cutting through the creamy texture of Suffolk Gold, a semi-hard farmhouse cheese. No wonder they call this sort of ice cider the apple world’s equivalent of Sauternes.

I’d like to thank…

Thanks go to all involved, including Aspall, Adnams, Billecart-Salmon, our cider and wine champions plus the marvellous crew, both front of house and in the kitchen, at The Thatchers Arms.

DrinkBritain.com champions all British drinks, specialising in artisanal producers, and those who offer a warm welcome to visitors. To keep in touch with drinks news, events such as the above, and great places to visit, subscribe to its newsletter, or get in touch via Twitter (@DrinkBritain) and Facebook.

Dominic and Ashley, student members of the Offshoot Films Club, captured the evening on film. You can watch it here on YouTube.

Other retail stockists for the wines can be found on winesearcher.com

Susanna Forbes is editor of Drink Britain website.

 

 

German wine and Scandi food - natural born partners

Scandinavian food is becoming increasingly popular but what type of wine should you drink with it? Lucy Bridgers reports on how German wine fares.

With their clean, pure, precise flavours and geographical proximity, German wine and Scandinavian cuisine sounds like an obvious partnership, but until recently, one I hadn’t had the chance to try. That was until earlier this week when I was invited to do just that by Wines of Germany at their Scandinavian supperclub led by cook, food anthropologist and author Signe Johansen of Scandilicious.

We kicked off the evening with some tasty canapés: spiced Norwegian veal and lamb meatballs, mini toast Skagen topped with prawns, caviar and lemon mayonnaise and with goats cheese, pomegranate and vanilla salt. Two Mosel Rieslings and a Pfalz Pinot Noir were served with these: Dr Loosen Urziger Würzgarten Kabinett 2011, Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Riesling Trocken 2011 and Palataia 2011.

The versatile Von Kesselstatt worked with all the canapés, especially the mini toasts and made a mouthwateringly fresh, zesty aperitif. The Urziger Würzgarten (‘Spice Garden’) was more fleshy, spicy and honeyed which chimed nicely with the sweetness of the prawns. The Palataia Pinot Noir selected to accompany the meatballs was a good match, but lacked the appetizing zip of the Rieslings at this stage of the meal.

The starter of cured salmon with wild dill pollen, Peter’s Yard sourdough crispbread, Scandinavian pickles and horseradish crème fraîche was served with Weingut Winter Riesling Trocken 2009 (Rheinhessen) and Balthasar Ress Hattenheimer Schutzenhaus Riesling Kabinett 2011 (Rheingau). The Rheinhessen, deeply coloured with lush peachy fruit, yet dry, stood up magnificently to the spicy horseradish and pickles and had enough weight on the palate to balance the richly textured sashimi-grade fish (the ABV was a full-strength 13%). In contrast, the lighter and more traditional Rheingau (10% ABV) was overwhelmed by the dish.

The main course, a wintery spread of braised finnbiff (Norwegian venison) with mushrooms and pearled spelt, salt-baked celeriac, beetroot salad with fruit vinegar and seasonal greens was served with two Pinot Noirs, Peter & Peter 2011 (Pfalz) from Zimmermann-Graeff & Muller and Meyer-Näkel Spätburgunder Blauschiefer 2010 (Ahr). Both showed well with the earthy flavours of the dish, but the complex, Burgundian Meyer-Näkel was a more memorable partner than the easy-drinking and juicy Peter & Peter.

After a refreshing palate cleanser of blood orange sorbet, we were served a two-part dessert of rhubarb and almond torte and freshly baked citrus and nutmeg madeleines with Studert Prüm’s Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 2009 (Mosel) and Schloss Johannisberger Riesling Spätlese 2011 (Rheingau). Neither wine was obviously sweet, but they worked brilliantly with the desserts which were far from sugary themselves. The vibrant, almost tropical Schloss Johannisberger was a particular treat with the torte, its tingling acidity beautifully highlighting the rhubarb.

With such a range of styles now being produced in Germany – drier whites and an increasing proportion of reds – it was fascinating to experience their renewed versatility with food. (Historically in the UK German wines were more highly prized than French).

And, as expected, there is a great synergy between Scandinavian cuisine and German wine. It’s perhaps not surprising that Germany’s most important export markets include Sweden and especially Norway where they are market leaders.

Lucy Bridgers attended the event as guest of Wines of Germany

 

Choc Tales: Chocolate and Cocktail Matching for Chocolate Week

One of my favourite food bloggers Helen Graves of Food Stories selflessly subjected herself to an evening of chocolate and cocktail pairing at Choc Tales, a highlight of London's recent Chocolate Week which saw some of the country’s best chocolatiers paired with premier booze hounds. Here’s her report:

A creaky old candlelit townhouse in Soho. Five rooms, five different chocolate and cocktail experiences:

Damian Allsop joined forces with Martin Miller’s Gin; a truly engaging speaker, Damian talked through the proper method for tasting chocolate by way of a single unadulterated disc of Pacari Raw melting on the tongue. First acidity, then fruit, sharp blackcurrant, tea and finally, leather. Next, his ganache, made using water instead of cream and butter, which dilute the true flavours of the chocolate. Examples were smooth as silk, smeared on a bed rock of honeycomb textured blackberry and matcha tea strips; like neon Crunchie bars, picking up on two of Allsop’s favourite flavours in the raw product.

Chocolate initiated, the first cocktail was received, as ever, with much enthusiasm; a ‘deconstructed bramble’ containing oleo saccharum (lemon oil extracted by pounding the zest with sugar), green tea (see a pattern here?), Miller’s gin and fancy ass spheres of cassis twinkling at the bottom of the glass. Dangerously fresh, it was knocked back like water.

The Grenada Chocolate Company paired their 71% chocolate and Gran Reserva rum ganache with hot buttered rum; the drink of dreams. How nice of the weather to match the drink so perfectly I thought, as the rain battered the windows and my hands wrapped around a steaming glass of spiced booze. This drink could effortlessly cure most problems, except, perhaps, obesity. A thumping bass of Santa Teresa gold rum, spiced apple juice, the bitter caramel flavour of treacle, schmoozed into submission by the magical hand of melted butter. Smooth ganache slid around my butter-coated mouth leaving, somehow, a hint of banana.

Smoky Johnny Walker Blue Label whisky came with a fluffy chocolate pyramid hiding a centre of crème brulée, and an apricot sauce flecked with vanilla. ‘It’s real vanilla!’ we were told. I should think so, too. I enjoyed the classic combination of whisky and apricots; a safe match but none the worse for it.

An Artisan du Chocolat ‘wafer’ snapped satisfyingly in the mouth releasing its sultry salted caramel centre. An accompanying Aperol spritz and cocoa pulp sorbet cocktail was visually dramatic; a glam version of an old school coke float, basically. The cocoa pulp sorbet, subtle with almond flavour excited the fizz until it spilled over the rim of glass inviting giggles and frantic slurps.

Finally, Paul A Young paired his stunning shiny chocolates with margaritas made by Cleo Rocos, of Aqua Riva tequila (no, I didn’t know she made tequila either). This effervescent pair are as entertaining as their products; the tequila makes a clean tasting margarita without a hint of burn, while Paul’s chocolates picked up the citrus theme using kalamansi, a South East Asian fruit with the appearance of a lime but a more complex flavour profile. We were encouraged to eat the chocolate whole then take a sip of the margarita to initiate a taste experience bordering on the explicit. This was one of my favourite matches of the evening, although in the end, it was a close call with that hot buttered rum . . .

Here’s the recipe from Felix Cohen of Manhattans Project.

Hot Buttered Rum

1 litre apple juice

125 grams butter

100ml golden syrup

25ml treacle

1 teaspoon allspice

Golden rum (Felix used Santa Teresa Anejo)

Heat the apple juice, and add the butter in chunks, stir in the golden syrup and treacle and once everything is mixed well, add the allspice. Once it's at about 80 degrees, the mixture is ready to mix with the rum.

Add a shot of rum to each glass then ladle over the hot buttered mixture - about 4:1 i.e. 100ml butter mixture to 25ml rum. It’s nice to serve this with a cinnamon stick in the glass, to use as a stirrer. Make sure the mixture is well stirred at all times.

Manhattans Project is located downstairs on Fridays and Saturdays at Off Broadway, Broadway Market.

Photographs © Paul Winch-Furness

 

Is red wine a good match for chocolate?

I’ve never totally bought into the idea but a recent wine and chocolate tasting put on by Australian Wine at Australia House in London went halfway to convincing me.

They put together a number of pairings with chocolates from Rococo who make some of the most delicious chocolates in London.

First off we actually tried two dry whites, a De Bortoli PHI Chardonnay, Yarra Valley 2007 which was paired with a Chocolate: Sea Salt Wafer and a 2011 Skillogalee Gewürztraminer, Clare Valley with a Chocolate: Rose Ganache.

The first was a case of ‘you could but why would you?’ There are so many other delicious things to drink with a classy chardonnay like that. I just found myself dreaming of scallops. The Gewürztraminer was more interesting though, really picking up on the rose flavours in the chocolate. I could get used to that . . .

Next two big reds, the 2008 d’Arenberg The Custodian Grenache from McLaren Vale 2008 with a Red Berry Ganache and a 2009 Mitolo GAM Shiraz with a Chocolate Blackcurrant and Violet Ganache. These both worked, amazingly, though I felt the almost porty 15% Mitolo had the edge. And again it was lovely with the filling.

We then moved on to two more conventional choices, the pretty Innocent Bystander Moscato with a really unusual White chocolate Cardamom and Saffron Ganache and Brown Brothers 2009 Orange Muscat and Flora, Victoria with a Mango, Passion Fruit and Orange Ganache.

Oddly these didn’t work as well for me. The orange flavours in the chocolate knocked out the same flavours in the Muscat and at 5.5% the Moscato was just a bit light for such a rich, exotic chocolate. But I took a sip of the Skillagolee Gewürztraminer with it which was terrific. I can imagine a slightly sweeter Gewürz being an amazing match for these flavours.

And finally, more familiar territory - a couple of ‘stickies’, the Campbells Classic Rutherglen Muscat with a Pecan and Spice Praline and a rich, toffeed Grant Burge 10 year old Tawny NV with a Coffee and Cardamom Marzipan chocolate - both cracking pairings but as I don’t have a particularly sweet tooth I preferred the Grant Burge.

Pushing the boundaries of food and wine matching is always fun but doesn’t quite take into account how much mood is tied up with chocolate. If you had a gorgeous bottle of Chardonnay would you eat chocolate with it? Or would you hand chocolates round with the Shiraz at a dinner party? I suspect not.

That said, it worked better than I thought it would and the very original character of the chocolates with their exotic, spicy, floral fillings made it a hedonistic experience by any standards. Food for thought and a bit more experimentation here.