Wine and Food Matches

Gavin Trott · Post by **Gavin Trott** » Thu Sep 04, 2003 9:16 am

Hello

Trying to inject a little food discussion in with the wine here at auswine. Thought I'd start a general thread about your favourite food matches with each wine style and wine variety.

This question gets asked quite often here, so let's see if we can create a really vibrant and worthwhile thread that later, I can archive.

So what are some of the classic matches?

For me, lamb and Coonawarra/Margaret River Cabernet are a terrific mix. Personally lamb cooked medium (still pink in the middle) with a little of the red wine in the gravy works well.

What do you think?

Feel free to include recipes if you wish.

What do you eat with wines like Sauvignon Blanc for example?

rose terra · Post by **rose terra** » Thu Sep 04, 2003 5:21 pm

for me one of the best food & wine matches would have to be fresh south australian whiting pan fried with a crisp Clare Riesling.

Or roast duck with a good pinot prefferably Burgundy or a very old Hunter Shiraz

as for SB although not a fan
Fresh Mussels steamed in a littel sb with a bit of garlic & chilli with a side order of french frys with a garlic aoli & crusty bread had this in france a fabo
cheers
Rose

rose terra · Post by **rose terra** » Thu Sep 04, 2003 5:21 pm

for me one of the best food & wine matches would have to be fresh south australian whiting pan fried with a crisp Clare Riesling.

Or roast duck with a good pinot prefferably Burgundy or a very old Hunter Shiraz

as for SB although not a fan
Fresh Mussels steamed in a littel sb with a bit of garlic & chilli with a side order of french frys with a garlic aoli & crusty bread had this in france a fabo
cheers
Rose

Gavin Trott · Post by **Gavin Trott** » Thu Sep 04, 2003 5:34 pm

rose terra wrote:
Or roast duck with a good pinot prefferably Burgundy or a very old Hunter Shiraz

Hi Rose

Anyone interested in a fool proof recipe for cooking Duck?

Known in the Trott household as

F$%K Up Proof Duck!

Phil Shorten · Post by **Phil Shorten** » Thu Sep 04, 2003 6:17 pm

Agreed on the King George Whiting (pan fried, steamed or battered) with Clare Valley riesling.

For a good full bodied chardonnay...

- Whole Barossa chicken poached in white wine then roasted
- Rabbit with prunes and pine nuts (also works well with a good pinot)
- Smoked haddock macaroni cheese (needs a chardonnay with a bit of oak to work with the smokiness - have tried the Kumeu River and it worked a treat)
- Steamed salmon fillets with dill mayonnaise (can also take a Semillon Sauvignon Blanc Blend that's had a bit of oak treatment)

Gewurtztraminer

- Other than the classics of Munster cheese and foie gras, I think a decent gewurtz is the perfect match for Thai green curry and can even step up to Indian food, unlike most other wines. It is also a decent match for Vietnamese and some Japanese food.

Viognier

- The fatter examples - the Yalumba Y series for example - work a treat with Vietnamese

Sauvignon Blanc

- For me, Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc often works well with Thai food, as well as shellfish and fish based salads.

Southern Rhone blends and more savoury Aussie examples

- Perfect for a good thick rare steak with bearnaise sauce
- Beef/lamb based braises, casseroles and pies
- Syrah/shiraz can work well also, but I think they (in general) need to be French oaked (without excessive vanilla/coconut oak driven characters) and with a bit of age on them - however, a Scarpantoni Block 3 was a good match for a whopping t-bone.
- I've matched richer spicy Barossan GSM blends with 5-spice pork belly before with some success - some could also work with certain duck dishes

Shiraz/Syrah

- For me, far better combination with venison, hare and kangaroo

Pinot

- Probably one of the most adaptable food wines
- Often match with Mushroom risotto, but for mine the perfect match for risotto con funghi has to be a decent barbera - nice soft rounded fruit with the necessary acidity to cut through the richness of the dish, et, as Basil Faulty would say, voila!

Well, we've only just got started....as to ethereal food and wine matches...I can think of Duck confit and sour cherries accompanied by a glass of a decent 5 Puttonyos Tokaji.....however, the most memorable and perfect wine and food experience has to be Ragout of Possum with Roasted Root Vegetables matched with a bottle of 1986 Grange at The Grange Restaurant - perfection!

Cheers
Phil

Gavin Trott · Post by **Gavin Trott** » Thu Sep 04, 2003 6:22 pm

[quote="Phil Shorten"]Agreed on the King George Whiting (pan fried, steamed or battered) with Clare Valley riesling.

Sauvignon Blanc

- For me, Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc often works well with Thai food, as well as shellfish and fish based salads.

Caesar Salad and Sav Blanc is a very good combination, especially my Caesar Salad (home made Olive oil based dressing).

AndrewS · Post by **AndrewS** » Thu Sep 04, 2003 6:38 pm

Gavin Trott wrote:
Anyone interested in a fool proof recipe for cooking Duck?

Known in the Trott household as

F$%K Up Proof Duck!

Hi Gavin,

I wouldnt mind the rec. Ill swap it for my fav. lamb/cabernet recipe. See http://food.epicurious.com/run/recipe/view?id=11831 (skip the beans).

Besides lamb and cabernet, Ill vote for:

Salmon (butter/cream sauce) and Chardonnay
Sticky and blue cheese

Cheers,
Andrew.

Kieran · Post by **Kieran** » Thu Sep 04, 2003 8:05 pm

Grenache and Grenache blends with spicy food. One which was surprisingly effective - Chain of Ponds Novello Nero (Barbera/Grenache) with Tandoori Lamb Cutlets. Must try Grenache with Portuguese chicken, but most Oporto outlets don't serve wine.

Gewurz with Chilli Potato Chips.

Mount Edelstone with whatever I have to eat because I spent my money on Mount Edelstone.

Morris Cellar Reserve Tokay with absolutely nothing.

AlanK · Post by **AlanK** » Thu Sep 04, 2003 11:00 pm

Wild Mushroom or Duck Risotto with Pinot

Spicy food with Clare Riesling

Hot curry with semi-dry Chenin Blanc (e.g. vouvray) or semi dry Riesling

Agree on SB with Thai food

TORB · Post by **TORB** » Fri Sep 05, 2003 5:52 am

BBQ Salmon goes well with an aged Cabernet Sauvignon.

Pasta with a tomato based sauce with a high quality aged GSM.

Thai with a young fruit rich low in tannin Shiraz.

Liqueur Tokay with dark chocolate.

Sparkling Shiraz with roast chicken or turkey.

A top notch aged cab or Shiraz with duck.

Champagne with breakfast or brunch of bagels and smoked salmon. Its also good with eggs Benedict.

Shiraz when ever you feel like a glass of wine. :wink:

David Lole · Post by **David Lole** » Fri Sep 05, 2003 6:54 am

Champagne goes remarkably well with popcorn - seriously :!:

Fire Duck and a good fuller pinot is a marriage made in heaven

Agree with the lamb and Cabernet combo.

A big Shiraz needs a hearty stew or osso bucco.

Riesling or Semillon and pan-fried/grilled whiting (strong sauces kill the fine flavours of this delectable fish, let alone the wines, though)

Vintage Port and walnuts works well. Stilton surprises also.

Top notch Tokay/Muscat can handle fine chocolate and does nicely as a pre-dinner drink to in winter, or served lightly chilled in summer.

Sauternes and a salty/mature cheese like Roquefort

Above all, if it suits your palate, just go for it :!:

JamieBahrain · Post by **JamieBahrain** » Fri Sep 05, 2003 7:04 am

hmmmm! How do I delete this??

JamieBahrain · Post by **JamieBahrain** » Fri Sep 05, 2003 7:04 am

I found sitting on the balcony of the beachouse near Byron, eating Bowen mangoes and sipping Australian stickies very pleasant.

The 2000 Noble One a little cloying on it's own, try with a mango! Southerners mind the mango rash though.