Match of the week
Sweetbreads, morels and madeira
Lots of good food and wine combinations this week but I’m picking out the one with the most unusual wine: Barbeito's Rainwater 5 year old reserva medium-dry madeira which I had at Bell’s Diner in Bristol on Friday night
It has much the same sort of nutty character as a dry amontillado but is less oxidised and a little fruitier.
We drank it with a range of small plates including salt cod croquetas but the outstanding match was a dish of sweetbreads, morels and broad beans with a rich sauce that I’m guessing had also seen a splash of madeira or sherry. Just wonderful.
Why the name Rainwater? Well there's a couple of interesting hypotheses on the Fareham Wine Cellars blog. They stock the Barbeito for £11.99 a 50cl bottle. You can also buy it from The Solent Cellar for £12.99.
Barbeito is apparently one of the more traditional producers on the island and doesn’t de-acidify or add caramel to their madeiras.
If you’d like be able to check out all the food and wine pairings on the site you can buy a bundle of credits here to access my premium content.
And/or for regular updates on what and where I’ve been eating, drinking and travelling sign up for my weekly newsletter Eat This, Drink That, Live Well.