With the end of year festivities nearly upon us, so we turn our
thoughts to what culinary delights we are going to serve. And when
we've gone to all the effort of preparing a special meal, it's only
natural to open a good bottle of wine, or the bottle of wine that
you've been saving up for just such an occasion! A good meal in
good company can become an unforgettable moment, so it's well worth
putting that extra little bit of thought in. And a few simple rules
can help the task.
The basics
When serving several different types of wine during a meal, it's
usually best to work your way up in quality as the meal
progresses, or else you run the risk of being disappointed with
anything that comes after the first wine served. Often, it's best
to start with a more acidic wine, and to then go up in power,
finishing with the smoothest wine, but of course, nothing is ever
set in stone.
Sometimes the most obvious pairings are indeed the best. Regional
dishes served with a local wine are often a winning bet. Wine
paired with food of the same colour often goes well together. Red
wines for red meats, and white wines with fish to cite the most
obvious examples. Naturally, it doesn't mean that colours can
never been mixed!
There are however a few combinations that are best avoided.
Vinaigrette's generally don't go well with any type of wine, and
red wines bring out the bitter side of exotic fruit.
Pairing ideas for Christmas
The apéritif and the dessert
Often, a sweet wine is served to start with the aperitif or
starter. You need to be careful though not to saturate the taste
buds, which will then be less receptive to the dishes that
follow.
Sometimes champagne is served with the dessert. Whilst this can
work, it can be preferable to serve the champagne at the
beginning of the meal, as the bubbles will bring freshness and an
acidic sensation to help sharpen the taste buds in preparation
for the meal to come.
Oysters
We usually match oysters with dry white wines. Fresh, acidic
white wines go well, as do slightly saline wines. Riesling wines
from Alsace, Chablis and some white Crozes Hermitage can be
great, as well of course as a good Muscadet aged on its lees.
Game
Wild game is often strong in flavour and accompanied by a rich
and spicy sauce. More complex red wines will go best with this
type of dish. For example a Saint-Joseph, a Pic Saint Loup or a
Medoc for feathered game, or a Saint-Emilion, Fitou or Minervois
for bigger game.
Turkey
To avoid accentuating the dryness of the meat from this bird, its
best to go for an elegant wine, red or white, that will bring
some freshness. A good red wine from Beaujolais or the Loire, or
a white wine from Burgundy or the Cotes du Jura should do you
well. For a fruitier wine, try a Mercurey or a Maçon.
Desserts and chocolate
It's time to bring out the sweeter wines, and in France there are
a few which go really well, such as a Maury, Banyuls, Rasteau or
Madiran.
A few less classic matches
Cheese and white wine
More and more people are choosing to serve a white wine with
cheese. At Christmas time, some cheeses go particularly well with
this association. For example a Vacherin de Mont d'Or with a
Côtes du Jura, or a Comté with a "Vin de Paille". Blue cheeses
such as a Roquefort go very well with a Sauternes or a port.
Fish and red wine
With its tender and delicate flesh, fish is best suited to
delicate wines. A Pinot Noir from Beaune or Volnay can help
underline its subtlety.
An original example of food and wine pairing from our
partner winery, Allegria
A few months ago now, Domaine Allegria, near Pézenas, worked
together with the Cigalon restaurant in Geneva to create a
special food and wine tasting evening. The following is the
description of their original menu.
To start with, a trio of tuna, salmon and oysters served in a
paupiette, matched with the Cinsault Abuelo 2012 red wine from
the winery. The tannins of the Cinsault Abuelo are very soft, and
the wine has a slightly saline touch on the palate which marries
very well with seafood.
The second course was roasted wild prawn on a bed of green
papaya, accompanied by the Tribu d'A 2012 white wine. The
association with the note of fennel present in the white wine is
great. The green papaya brings an acidic touch, making for a very
fresh dish.
For the main course, the most unexpected of the evening's
pairings. A fillet of red mullet on a bed of wild rice from the
Piémont, accompanied by La Belle Histoire 2009. On the powerful
meat of the red mullet, the Belle Histoire 2009, revealed velvety
tannins, and sumptuous intense aromas.
For pudding, poached pear with spices, served with the Miel
Monastrel 2011, a naturally sweet red wine.
Of course pairing food and wine is limitless, and fortunately so!
There are as many possible pairings as people around the table,
and we each have our personal preferences. One thing that is sure
though, is that to find that pearl of a match, you have to test
different combinations of food and wine, and you have to admit
that there are worse ways to spend your time
