FOOD and WINE PAIRING—Christmas Pudding
(continuation from blog  “ Food and Wine pairing”  dated12 December 2011)

 INTRODUCTION:—–this blog and the many more following will examine the pleasurable and often complex relationship between good food and wine, with the ultimate aim to assist our many discerning customers evolve the convivial bonding of good food and wine.

 FOOD BEING FEATURED:—–We are featuring Christmas Pudding, but the wines recommended also pair well with Christmas Cake , Mince Pies or Chocolate Log and even a rich Sherry Trifle.

 CHALLENGES:—–Fortified wines and full bodied dessert wines are the ones to meet the challenge of rich Puddings and Cakes which could be accompanied by Brandy Sauces, Cream or Custard. Since it is Christmas, be bold and have more than one style of wine available to please your family or/and your special guests.

 RECOMMENDATIONS:—–The first recommendation would be Campbells Rutherglen Muscat, it has the depth and rich sweetness to match any big pudding. Try leaving the wine in the freezer for one or two hours before serving. Another rich full bodied accompaniment would be Pedro Ximenez Sherry, served chilled. Yes it is unusual to chill sherry, but works very well and your guests will be refreshingly and pleasantly surprised. A traditional recommendation has to be a quality Sauternes from the Bordeaux Region, chill a bottle of Chateau Rolland and enjoy a wine with a good balance of rich fruit, acidity and long lingering aftertaste. This wine is also a great companion of Blue Cheese, if you have any room left  
 
MAIN DIRECTORY:—–click on The Marriage of Food and Wine  to access our quick search facility to locate hundreds of other food/wine/food pairing options, including hors-d’oeuvres, starters, soups, main courses and desserts. Also Great Friends-Cheese and Wine  for cheese and wine pairing.
 
NEXT ARTICLE:—–Cold Meats

 HAPPY CHRISTMAS PUDDING PAIRING DAYS

 Graham D

FOOD and WINE PAIRING—Christmas Poultry
(continuation from blog  “ Food and Wine pairing”  dated 12 December 2011)

 INTRODUCTION:—–this blog and the many more following will examine the pleasurable and often complex relationship between good food and wine, with the ultimate aim to assist our many discerning customers evolve the convivial bonding of good food and wine.

 FOOD BEING FEATURED:—–Whether its a traditional roast turkey, or chicken, or goose, or even wild game such as pheasant or partridge, one can easily choose wines that will suitably match all of the meats in question.

 CHALLENGES:—–If the above birds are roasted with the traditional vegetable accompaniments and sauces , then matching appropriate wines will not be a huge challenge. On a special occassion such as Christmas, it often pays to offer more than one style of wine, it will certainly keep all parties very happy.

 RECOMMENDATIONS:—–Listed below are four wines that will make great partners for any of the dishes being featured. One superb wine for white wine lovers would be a classical big rich wine from the Rhone Valley - Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc. Another fine white wine to go with poultry would be a Viognier from Australia, this wine has finesse and distinction and a perfect match for  game birds and turkey or chicken. Moving on to red wines, preference would be to the lighter and more fruity reds such as Fleurie, this fresh vivid red will bring delight to most white meats. Staying with the same theme, a final recommendation would be a plummy Merlot from the New World, Merlot Reserva Santa Cecilia Estate, this wine has depth of flavour with a long fresh fruity aftertaste, but not too overpowering for the delicate and flavoursome white meats being served.   
 
MAIN DIRECTORY:—–click on The Marriage of Food and Wine  to access our quick search facility to locate hundreds of other food/wine/food pairing options, including hors-d’oeuvres, starters, soups, main courses and desserts. Also Great Friends-Cheese and Wine  for cheese and wine pairing.
 
NEXT ARTICLE:—–Christmas Pudding

 HAPPY CHRISTMAS POULTRY PAIRING DAYS

 Graham D

FOOD and WINE PAIRING—Christmas Seafood Starter
(continuation from blog  “ Food and Wine pairing”  dated 28 November 2011)

 INTRODUCTION:—–this blog and the many more following will examine the pleasurable and often complex relationship between good food and wine, with the ultimate aim to assist our many discerning customers evolve the convivial bonding of good food and wine.

 FOOD BEING FEATURED:—–With Christmas Dinner’s main dish being so wholesome and filling, often a light starter such as prawns with avocado, green salad and a seafood mayonaise base sauce is certainly more than sufficient. One can substitute the prawns for either crab, lobster or fresh water crayfish.

 CHALLENGES:—–The challenges are not too difficult if one selects a dry or medium dry white wine. When matching white wine with crustaceans, try to favour wines with a fruity bias, since they can add much piquancy to the food in question. If the dish contains no seafood mayonaise sauce and only green salad, then a much drier white wine can be accomodated.

 RECOMMENDATIONS:—–Whether its prawns, crab, lobster or crayfish a rich fruity wine from the Loire such as Vouvray cannot be faulted as a great partner. A similar wine, but more flowery, which definitely would make a good friend of seafood and happens to be my favorite white wine, a  Gewurztraminer from Alsace.  The last but not least  recommendation would have to be a wine from New Zealand the land of seafood, Chardonnay , this wine has the correct balance of fruit and acidity to support any rich seafood dishes and also, its most enjoyable on its own.
 
MAIN DIRECTORY:—–click on The Marriage of Food and Wine to access our quick search facility to locate hundreds of other food/wine/food pairing options, including hors-d’oeuvres, starters, soups, main courses and desserts. Also Great Friends-Cheese and Wine  for cheese and wine pairing.
 
NEXT ARTICLE:—–Poultry for Christmas

HAPPY CHRISTMAS SEAFOOD STARTER PAIRING DAYS

Graham D

FOOD and WINE PAIRING—Casseroles and Hearty Meat Stews (continuation from blog “ Food and Wine pairing” dated 20 November 2011)

INTRODUCTION:—–this blog and the many more following will examine the pleasurable and often complex relationship between good food and wine, with the ultimate aim to assist our many discerning customers evolve the convivial bonding of good food and wine.

FOOD BEING FEATURED:—–Casseroles and hearty meat stews are often made from cuts from the leg, neck and shoulder. If you are slow braising then shin of beef or older game birds are perfect for providing the rich flavoursome sauces these dishes produce and are often cooked in wine.

CHALLENGES:—–The challenges are not that great-always pair powerful wines with these types of meat dishes that also have powerful flavours, strong aromas and great depth. These wines must take kindly to both the intense meaty flavours and the complexity of the added herbs and spices.

RECOMMENDATIONS:—–For strong and powerful beef, lamb or venison stews (with or without spices) select either a full bodied Bordeaux such as Chateau Haut Pougnan 1er Cotes de Bordeaux or a similar big boy from the Rhone such as Vacqueyras Les Collegiales. If you are considering a casserole utilising games birds such as pheasant or partridge, try Santa Cecilia Merlot from the Maule Valley in Chile or a flavoursome Pirie South Pinot Noir from Tasmania.

MAIN DIRECTORY:—–click on The Marriage of Food and Wine to access our quick search facility to locate hundreds of other food/wine/food pairing options, including hors-d’oeuvres, starters, soups, main courses and desserts. Also Great Friends-Cheese and Wine for cheese and wine pairing.

NEXT ARTICLE:—–Poultry for Christmas

HAPPY CASSEROLES AND HEARTY MEAT STEWS AND WINE PAIRING DAYS

Graham D

FOOD and WINE PAIRING—DESSERTS - (continuation from blog “ Food and Wine Pairing” dated 8 November 2011)

INTRODUCTION:—–this blog and the many more following will examine the pleasurable and often complex relationship between good food and wine, with the ultimate aim to assist our many discerning customers evolve the convivial bonding of good food and wine.
FOOD BEING FEATURED:—–DESSERTS, many organises of dinner parties forget or ignore pairing desserts and wine. Making the effort to successfully pair this course will no doubt be a wonderful finale to a great evening.
CHALLENGES:—–The challenges are not too difficult. Play safe and follow convention i.e. pair sweet wine with sweet dessert. The next rule is to select a wine that is sweeter that the dessert being served. Get the balance right and one will not overpower the other, harmony will prevail.
RECOMMENDATIONS:—–To assist wine pairing, three contrasting desserts have been chosen. First a simple fruit salad served with fresh cream, but not ice cream. A tasty fruit salad can be classed as slightly sweet or sweetish - a matching wine would have balanced acidity with sweetness and the recommendation would be a Spatlese from Germany, Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese. Our second dessert is a creme caramel with a crispy sugary top. A perfect match would be a wine with less acidity and more sweetness than the German Spatlese and to fit the bill try Chateau Peyruchet 1er Cotes de Bordeaux Molleux. For the final dessert, we have selected a sweet and heavy flavoured Chocolate and Cafe Roulade - for this rich dessert, we need to match with a full bodied, silky and luscious wine. My recommendation would be either Maury Solera 1928 or Elysium Black Muscat.

MAIN DIRECTORY:—–click on The Marriage of Food and Wine to access our quick search facility to locate hundreds of other food/wine/food pairing options, including hors-d’oeuvres, starters, soups, main courses and desserts. Also Great Friends-Cheese and Wine for cheese and wine pairing.

NEXT ARTICLE:—–Casseroles and hearty meat stews

HAPPY DESSERT AND WINE PAIRING DAYS

Graham D

FOOD and WINE PAIRING—VEGETARIAN DISHES
(continuation from blog “ Food and Wine Pairing” dated 3rd October 2011)

INTRODUCTION:—–this blog and the many more following will examine the pleasurable and often complex relationship between good food and wine, with the ultimate aim to assist our many discerning customers evolve the convivial bonding of good food and wine.

FOOD BEING FEATURED:—–VEGETARIAN DISHES have become much more popular in recent years and restaurant chefs are far more creative with their vegetarian recipes than perhaps a decade ago. With many different and wonderful flavours matching these dishes with wine is now a serious subject.

CHALLENGES:—–The main challenges are identifying what dishes are strong in flavour, such as a nut loaf or caramelised root vegetables or lighter flavoured dishes like salads or spring vegetable soup. Once you have catagorized your dishes then pairing with the right wines become much much easier.

RECOMMENDATIONS:—–With a light tasting soup such as pea or potato why not try a light bodied unoaked white wine such as Luztville Chenin Blanc from South Africa. For pulses like lentiles which have been enriched with cream or butter, go for a medium bodied red wine such as Pinot Noir by Tindall Vineyards in New Zealand. With strong flavoured dishes such as roasted vegetables, a powerful nut roast or stews which contain soya sauce or marmite to replicate meaty flavours, then a full bodied Bordeaux red such as Chateau Semonlon Haut Medoc or a new world wine like Carmenere Reserva from Chile will certainly do the trick.

MAIN DIRECTORY:—–click on The Marriage of Food and Wine to access our quick search facility to locate hundreds of other food/wine/food pairing options, including hors-d’oeuvres, starters, soups, main courses and deserts. Also view Great Friends-Cheese and Wine for cheese and wine pairing.

NEXT ARTICLE:—–Desserts

HAPPY VEGETARIAN DISHES AND WINE PAIRING DAYS

Graham D

Food and Wine Pairings: Pasta dishes (Continued from Blog “Food and Wine Pairing”)

Introduction:- This Blog and the many more following will examine the pleasurable and often complex relationship between good food and wine, with the utlimate aim to assist our many discerning customers evolve the convivial bonding of good food and wine.

Food Being Featured:- Pasta dishes a a big favourite of so many around the world. A favourable feature dishes contain tastey sauces and these sauces create great flexibility regarding the choice of wine.

Challenges:- The challenge of pairing pasta dishes with wine can be exciting and enjoyable because of the accomodating nature of pasta. Many dishes will equally match a red, white, rose or sparkling wine. Where people have preferences, then you may wish to alter choices of different wine when serving you pasta dishes.

Recommendations:- Pasta is synonymos with Italy and convention often suggests serving Italian wines with Italian pasta dishes.Staying with tradition why not select a full bodied Chianti with a rich meat based dish such as lasagne or pasta with meatballs. Staying with the red wines and being a little experimental, why not pair a lite fruity Valpolicella or Brouilly with a seafood pasta dish flavoursome cheese sauce, the match can be perfect. For white wine lovers, try Pinot Grigio with Fellucine, Alfredo or Macaroni Cheese. For Rose wine lovers, try Le Pas de la Rhone, it’s the perfect match.

Main Directory :- Click on The Marriage of Food and Wine to access our quick search facility to locate hundreds of other food/wine/food pairing options, including hors-d’oeurves, starters, soups, main courses and deserts. Also view Great Friends-Cheese and Wine for cheese and wine pairing.

Next Article :- Vegetarian Dishes

Happy Pasta Dishes and Wine Pairing Days

Graham D

FOOD AND WINE PAIRING - WHITE FISH (continuation from BLOG “FOOD AND WINE PAIRING” dated 2nd December 2010)

INTRODUCTION :- This blog and the many more following will examine the pleasurable and often complex relationship between good food and wine, with the ultimate aim to assist our many discerning customers evolve the convivial bonding of good food and wine

FOOD BEING FEATURED :- WHITE FISH, white fleshed fish such as Lemon Sole, Flounder, Dover Sole, Dab, Turbot, Halibut and Brill have the lightest, sweetish and most delicate flesh of all the fish family

CHALLENGES :- Finding the perfect match for fish can be challenging since a very dry and acidic wine could go well with oily fish like Mackerel or Sardines, but could destroy subtle dishes like Poached Halibut or Sole Meuniere. Go for mellow and fruity white wines with little or no oak. Stay clear of red wines, although light red wines like Fleurie can go well with meaty, dark fleshed oily fish

RECOMMENDATIONS:- It’s not only traditional , but white wine certainly supports most fish dishes, especially white fish. So white wine with pan fried fish like sole or plaice are exceptinally well suited to a good quality Chenin Blanc such as Luztville from South Africa. Poached Halibut in olive oil and match with a Chilean Gewurztraminer from Vina Segu, the slight acidity from this wine works very nicely. Wild Sea Bass will respond well to a firm, fruity Italian white wine like Gavi de Gavi from the Piedmonte region of Italy.

Your choice of sauce or accompaniment can also be influential to a fish dish. A heavy tomato based sauce or a side dish with spice would welcome a white wine with high intensity and substance such as a white Chateauneuf du Pape or a full bodied Chardonnay such as those made in the Barossa Valley, Australia.

MAIN DIRECTORY :- Click on THE MARRIAGE OF FOOD AND WINE to access our quick search facility to locate hundreds of other food/wine/food pairing options, including hors-d’oeuvres, starters, soups, main courses and desserts. Also view GREAT FRIENDS-CHEESE AND WINE for cheese and wine pairing.

NEXT ARTICLE :- PASTA DISHES

HAPPY FISH AND WINE PAIRING DAYS

GRAHAM D

 FOOD and WINE PAIRING—Chinese Food (continuation from blog  “ Food and Wine Pairing”  dated 24 October  2010)

 INTRODUCTION:—–this blog and the many more following will examine the pleasurable and often complex relationship between good food and wine, with the ultimate aim to assist our many discerning customers evolve the convivial bonding of good food and wine.

 
FOOD BEING FEATURED:—–CHINESE FOOD, Cuisine that encompasses many different styles of cooking -noodles,dumplings and the sizzling meats of North China, lightly spiced seafood dishes of the eastern coastal regions, very hot and spicy dishes from Sichuan and then the huge variety of stir-fries which are popular in and around Canton.

 
CHALLENGES:—–The common perception is that Chinese Foods pair better with beer than wine -this is not true. With such a variety of tastes and flavours as highlighted above, the challenge is tricky, but certainly not impossible. We do need to consider wines that are all rounders, wines that pair well with the delicate dim sum dishes as well as sharp and spicy dishes which utilize much pepper and chilli. 

 
RECOMMENDATIONS:—–There are a number of wines that work well with most Chinese dishes - the conventional wisdom of matching a medium bodied Gewurztraminer W. Gisselbrecht with either light fish dishes or hot Sichuan dishes does work very well. A German Riesling of Kabinett quality such as Johannisberger Erntebringer has similar attributes in pairing with the variety of tastes and flavours of Chinese food. For lovers of red wines, try a New World full bodied Merlot from Santa Cecilia Chile, the wine has a good balance of fruit and tannins which will compliment light dishes of the South and the more robust and spicy dishes of Northern China.

A little tip - similar to Indian or Thai food, sip a little water between different wines and different courses. It helps a lot in introducing a new wine or changing from a spicy to more delicate dish.

 
MAIN DIRECTORY:—–click on The Marriage of Food and Wine to access our quick search facility to locate hundreds of other food/wine/food pairing options, including hors-d’oeuvres, starters, soups, main courses and deserts. Also view Great Friends-Cheese and Wine for cheese and wine pairing.

NEXT ARTICLE:—–White Fish
 

HAPPY CHINESE FOOD and WINE PAIRING DAYS

Graham D

FOOD AND WINE PAIRING - SPANISH TAPAS (continuation from BLOG “FOOD AND WINE PAIRING” dated 5th June 2010

INTRODUCTION:- This blog and the many more following will examine the pleasurable and often complex relationship between good food and wine, with the ultimate aim to assist our many discerning customers evolve the convivial bonding of good food and wine

FOOD BEING FEATURED:- SPANISH TAPAS, delicious small dishes most suitable for sharing, often early evening at a bar before a late dinner. A good range of tapas would probably include red and white meats, seafood, egg and cheese dishes and many vegetable delights.

CHALLENGES:- The big challenge is the vast range of different dishes and flavours that can be consumed in just one or two hours. In a short period of time, one could have enjoyed dishes made from red meat, white meat, shellfish, grilled oily fish, cheese and eggs, and a mixture of light to strong tasting vegetables. These dishes will be paired with sauces of many flavours and textures with examples being Tomato and Garlic sauce, white wine sauce, sweet and chilli sauces, and citrus sauces just a few to mention.

RECOMMENDATIONS:- Tradition suggests sherry was served with Tapas originally in bars througout Andalusia. So why not enjoy your tapas with a good Manzanilla sherry such as Las Medallas de Argueso Manzanilla Half Bottle      or a dry Oloroso sherry like Williams & Humbert 12 years old Dry Oloroso Sherry      . But, if you prefer wine, then the challenge is pairing wines with so many varying tastes and flavours e.g. Potato or Chicken Croquettes, Lamb Meatballs, Deep Fried Squid, Prawns in Garlic, Artichoke Hearts with garlic mayonnaise, slices of spanish omlette and also the many different olive dishes. A fruity and tasty rose wine from Marques de Caceres, Rioja     might just cover all permentations. If that is not your preference and there are more than four in your party, then select a quality medium bodied white wine from Mallorca  such as  L’Antull, Vins de Mortitx  and a quality medium bodied red wine from  Rioja  such as  Anares Reserva Rioja, Bodegas Olarra  .  Neither of these wines will let you down.

MAIN DIRECTORY:- click on THE MARRIAGE OF FOOD AND WINE to access our quick search facility to locate hundreds of other food/wine/food pairing options, including hors-d’Oeuvres, starters, soups, main courses, and desserts. Also view GREAT FRIENDS-CHEESE AND WINE for cheese and wine PAIRING.

NEXT ARTICLE:- CHINESE FOOD

HAPPY SPANISH TAPAS AND WINE PAIRING DAYS

GRAHAM D