Morrish and Banham Wine Merchants offer some stellar advice for pairing wines with your dinner…
SEAFOOD WINE MATCHING
There is
one top trade tip when it comes to matching wine with seafood: ‘Is it an oily
or not?’
Oily fish, such
as mackerel or herring, will need a crisp, fresh white wine such as a Muscadet
from France or a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc to cut through their richness.
White fish, such a seabass, hake or turbot, can support a much more rounded
wine such a classic White Burgundy from France or a lightly oaked New World
Chardonnay from Chile or South Africa.
WINES FOR RED MEAT
When selecting wines to accompany red meats, a top tip is to try to balance the weight of the wine with the weight of the dish. A delicate cannon of pink West Country lamb will be swamped by a thumping Californian Zinfandel but will be complemented by a full flavoured but light weight Rioja Reserva from Spain or even a delicate Pinot Noir from New Zealand. A lightweight Beaujolais from France will not have the body to complement a hearty beef stew but a Primitivo from Italy will be just the job.
WINES FOR SALADS & VEGETABLES
Salads, vegetables and vegetarian dishes are often a perfect partner for a good glass of wine, but it is important to choose carefully. Think about the contents of the dressing, the leaves in the salad and the main component of the veggie dishes. From personal experience, our home-made broad bean besto with chargrilled sour dough and tomato oil dressing is superb with a bottle of Furleigh Estate Bacchus Dry.
SWEET WINES FOR PUDDING
The principle top tip for matching a dessert wine to a pudding is to make sure that the wine is at least as sweet and rounded in body as the pudding itself. A traditional summer fruit pudding has an element of sweetness but is balanced with brisk acidity from the sharp fruits. Therefore, a sweet yet fresh Brachetto d’Acqui from Piemonte in Italy would be a perfect! A Sticky Toffee Pudding needs a wine with much more heft……try a Rutherglen Muscat from Victoria, Australia.
Find out more at morrishandbanham.com