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10 tips for cold weather drinking
With temperatures falling well below freezing over the coming week it’s a timely reminder that matching drinks is not just about flavour but temperature and alcohol levels too.
A glass of crisp Mosel riesling for example may be a great aperitif and a fine match for smoked trout or a spicy Asian salad but it just doesn’t feel right in this type of weather, just as a 14.5% Shiraz can be overwhelming in the middle of a heat wave.
Obviously it still depends on the food you’re eating and that itself tends to be robust at this time of year but there are subtle changes you can make to make your drinking frostproof. Here are my top 10 tactics
1. Serve your whites a degree or two warmer. We do have a tendency to serve whites overchilled, particularly if you leave a half-open bottle in the fridge.
2. Carafe your fuller whites. Oak-aged whites such as barrel-matured chardonnays benefit from decanting just as much as a full-bodied red
3. Bring out those blockbuster reds! Just as winter is the time of year to be eating hearty roasts, stews and casseroles so it is for drinking what the wine trade loves to call ‘winter warmers’ (and the Australians ‘grunty wines’) Think big Cabs, Aussie and South African Shiraz, Zinfandel, Pinotage, Jumilla, Madiran, Amarone and big porty Douro reds.
4. Drink warming nutty amontillado or palo cortado sherry with your tapas instead of chilled manzanilla or fino.
5. Drink malt whisky instead of champagne with your smoked salmon. (And Lagavulin rather than Sauternes with your Roquefort . . .)
6. Treat yourself to a Whisky Mac. And go to bed with a hot toddy - even if you haven’t got the flu.
7. Rediscover (if you’ve ever forgotten them) the joys of ‘brown’ spirits like Cognac, Armagnac and Demerara Rum. Delicious with dark chocolate or rich, dense fruit cake
.
8. Learn howto make a Blazer. Or - perhaps a safer strategy - go to a bar where they know how to make one . . .
9. Drink porter, stout and other hearty winter brews with your stews and pies. (Possibly even make them with them too). Smoked beers are also a great pick when it's cold outside.
10. Drink iced vodka shots. Sounds chilly but the alcohol will make you feel warm inside as any Russian or Pole I’m sure will tell you. Invite friends round for zakuski (Russian-style tapas) and make a party of it.
Craft beer and BBQ
Although I regularly recommend wines to pair with barbecue - most recently in my Guardian column - I’m actually an equal fan of beer. In fact I think many types of barbecue work better with it.
It appears that a majority of you agree. Craft beer came out top in a straw poll I put up on my Facebook page last week with almost twice as many votes as the most successful style of wine, a gutsy shiraz. You have to allow, of course, that beer fans are always more ready to fight their corner than winelovers but still . . .
So what kind of beer? It depends who’s coming and what kind of barbecue it is. If it’s all about the event - just a relaxed cook-up for family and friends I’d say the emphasis should be on a beer that’s refreshing and by that I don’t mean an ice-cold flavourless lager (not a popular choice in my poll).
If you’re looking for something different why not try a cloudy witbier or wheat beer, maybe even with a slice of lemon as they serve it in Lille or a citrussy single hop beer made from citra hops. Those would also work well with a seafood barbecue. A seasonal summer beer would be a good one to kick off with too.
For a real crowd-pleaser I’d pick a hoppy IPA, my favourite match with pulled pork and sausages. Amber ales and lagers are also good all-rounders and a saison or saison-style beer should impress any beer geek - a good match for beer-can or barbequed chicken.
With American-style barbecue like slow-cooked ribs or brisket I’d prefer something darker. A brown ale, a dark lager, a stout, porter or even an on-trend black IPA. And if you like to ramp up the smoky flavour you could try a smoked beer but that might be a little too much of a good thing.
You might notice that I’ve mentioned almost every style of beer. The message? Beer goes with barbecue. Period.
Image © saschi79 - Fotolia.com
If you don't agree - or want some wine options - see my article on which wine pairs best with barbecue.
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