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Pairings | Rioja crianza

The best food pairings for rioja

The best food pairings for rioja

Posted on October 30 2019 at 06:02

Rioja - and by that I mean red rioja - is one of the UK's best-loved wines and one of the easiest ones to match with food too.

Tags: red peppers partridge pheasant food:game tagines paella lamb tagine saffron paprika goulash pimenton morcilla Spanish ham jamon chorizo pork and beans rogan josh moussaka shepherd's pie lamb shanks grilled lamb roast lamb lamb beef rioja gran reserva rioja joven rioja crianza rioja reserva rioja drink:red wine
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When to pair red wine with fish

When to pair red wine with fish

Posted on July 10 2020 at 10:40

Few people now throw up their hands in horror at the idea of matching red wine with fish. But how many realise just how often you can pair the two?

Tags: red wine and fish Merlot Languedoc reds Rioja crianza Loire reds Saumur-Champigny Bourgeuil Chinon Cabernet Franc red burgundy burgundy Pinot Noir drink:red wine salade Niçoise turbot halibut bouillabaisse fish stew Mediterranean fish soup fish soup food:soups & starters lobster surf 'n' turf hake chorizo mushrooms lentils roast monkfish red wine with fish roast fish food:pork barbecue marinade marinated fish sardines mackerel barbecue barbecued fish grilled fish seared fish salmon monkfish swordfish tuna food:fish & shellfish
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Beer vs wine: experiments with cheddar

Posted on August 11 2010 at 15:27

The other evening I had an interesting session with a few food bloggers matching Davidstow cheddar for which I’d been asked to come up with some drink pairings*. My task was to talk about the wine. The company’s Head Grader Mark Pitts-Tucker brought along a couple of Cornish ales - Sharp’s Doombar and St Austell Tribute.

Tags: drink:sweet & fortified wine Rhône reds Vacqueyras Australian shiraz-cabernet rioja crianza drink:red wine Australian chardonnay drink:white wine drink:beer & cider ploughman's British ale Cornish ale ale drink:beer & cider medium-dry cider Valdespino Contrabandista Grenache Madeira amontillado dry amontillado sherry drink:sweet & fortified wine Shiraz Cabernet Shiraz-Cabernet Rhône Vacquéyras Rioja drink:red wine Australia Chardonnay drink:white wine hard cheese Davidstow artisinal cheddar cheddar food:cheese dry amontillado sherry cheddar cheddar cheese
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I’m totally with @rocketandsquash* that a well-judged side makes a meal. Last night’s cold roast chicken (revisiting the @zunicafe method which is SO good) enlivened by generously buttered new potatoes and broad beans with lashings of parsley. I double podded most of the beans but kept the skin on a few of the smaller ones for contrast cos I’m not a bean skin fascist and tbh I like the taste. Do you ALWAYS double pod them these days? * who has written a brilliant book called On the Side from which this is not a recipe but I’m channelling the inspo. . . . #beans #broadbeans #favabeans #potatoes #newpotatoes #sidedish #ontheside #mondaynight #bowlI’m tasting wines online with @thewinesociety1874 this morning and so far this sherry has got my highest mark. It’s a really nutty dry amontillado from @williamshumbert (think grilled hazelnuts and salted treacle toffee) and at £17 for a full size bottle ridiculously good value for a 12 year old wine. If you’re not a member of the Wine Society you should be (I am myself). They’re a non-profit making co-operative with really experienced buyers and offer brilliant value for money. This is the best sherry I’ve tasted all year and that’s saying something from a hardcore sherry fan. What to eat with it? Well meaty tapas like chorizo and albondigas but above all a really good mature sheep cheese, Manchego being the obvious example . . . #sherry #sherrylover #amontillado #thewinesociety #notsponsored #wine #winetasting #instawine #winestagramIt may have felt more like a fairground tent than the French bistro we were used to but that didn’t stop @littlefrench_bristol being its usual warm, welcoming self on the first night back after lockdown and - as it happened - their first anniversary. As you can see they now occupy an outdoor space outside the church next door. Too excited to take decent photographs of the food but did manage to snap @freddybirdfood’s famous scallops. We also shared lamb chops and kidneys, crab, roast chicken and chips and onglet and chips - and an excellent green salad in case you think we were being unhealthy (heaven forbid!). Massive kudos too to all the waiting staff who adapted to the new situation with great charm and cheerfulness. It’s taking a huge financial investment for restaurants like Freddy and @nessa_bird’s to make themselves COVID-safe and keep on their staff so if we want them to be there for us in another year’s time we need to support them over the coming weeks and months. If you live in or near #Bristol I hope you will. . . . #littlefrench #bistro #scallops #freddybird #restaurant #restaurantsareback #eatlocal #eatout #supportsmallbusinessI really like this thicker cut smoked salmon which you can serve Russian-style with chopped egg, red onion and capers - and also a shot or two of frozen vodka were it not lunch time. The salmon is from a new smokery to me called @smokin_brothers and really is quite smoky - which Is a Good Thing In my book. Thinking a lightly peated whisky would be nice with it too. You may notice the lemon wedge looks a bit stunted but I was clean out of lemons which shows I’m really not a pro at this game. Still, this is what I’m actually having for lunch. #notsponsored but #gifted so thank you very much @smokin_brothers. Good luck to you. PS If you wanted to embellish this a little further I’m thinking a few blinis or mini new potatoes topped with sour cream and caviar (or, more realistically, lumpfish roe) would be a good addition. Or some dark rye bread (I had wholewheat sourdough on the side) . . . #salmon #smokedsalmon ##smokingbrothers #lunch #instafood #foodstagram Follow on Instagram

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