Pairings

Coals and Chablis
«Gastronom» №6(29) June 2004

Unfading love of the mankind for food prepared on the open fire has created such a diversity of national gastronomic traditions that it will take more than one summer and more than one fireplace to cook them all.

There is a different way of doing it though. Take the best wines for barbeque from various countries — and for once experience the unmatched harmony of smoky food and wine like it happens in Italy, Australia or South Africa.

Naturally, we will start with our traditional shashlyks and just as traditional Georgian wines. Every summer a paradox happens in Russia. Whilst most of the red wines lose their popularity for a season, Georgian wines sals seriously increase. Why? Because you cannot do without them when out in the nature. Wines based on Saperavi, an authentic Georgian grape, is a true classic of the shashlyk food. All because it gives a unique pomegranate flavour and powerful structure to the wines. Such strong partner best accompanies heavy, well-done meats, mutton, beef and pork.

Bulgaria is also a good place for its tradition to serve local Cabernet Sauvignons with barbeques. The wine made with this classical grape variety is rich in tannins which provide very god structure. Thanks to tannins Cabernet Sauvignon holds well heavy textures of meat, creating in turn an impeccable eno-gastronomic match. Kadarka grape is also traditional for Bulgaria. Soft spicy wine with the same name is just as obligatory for barbequed meat as Cabernet Sauvignon.

Two more ideal wines for barbeque are Australian Shiraz and South African Pinotage. One of the best Australian winemakers once noticed that Shiraz is meant for ‘chargrilled kangaroo fillet garnished with mint polenta and quandong chili sauce’. Let’s take his word for it, however given our conditions we will take lamb instead of kangaroo heavily spiced with powdered black pepper — the result will be just as impressive. A strong structure and concentration of black berries toppled with the same black pepper in Shiraz create an excellent background for rich, smoky lamb.

South African braai normally consisting of antelope, deer, lamb, sausages and beef, is unimaginable without the local wine specialty, red Pinotage. This cross which first appeared in South Africa in the last century is marked by its wide, somewhat rustic character with smoky flavours which make a great match with the flavours of barbequed meat.

If we had a villa somewhere in Italy and roasted a good chunk of beef in the open fire, then we would certainly serve a Tuscan wine with it based on Sangiovese grape, i.e. Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile de Montepulciano or a supertuscan. Thanks to its bright acidity and a hint of salt Sangiovese facilitates a complete gastronomic satisfaction from rich, fatty flavour of meat.

Next door in Spain grilled steaks are matched with classic Rioja. This medium-bodied wine with fruit and spices is made from Tempranillo with its bright fresh profile. Again, such combination of red wine and meat will hardly leave anybody untouched.

In California where everyone is mad about things from the grill, the sacred rule is to serve red Zinfandel with them. Easygoing fruity-jammy taste of Zinfandel turns it into an unmatched companion for vegetables, chicken and even grilled cheese sandwiches. By the way, like with our Georgian wines, this red Californian is an absolute summer leader.

Under the influence of the West we more often put burgers and wursts on the grill. When you take fatty sausages (as they should be for barbeques to get a rich taste) they should be served with full-bodied wines with high acidity, like usual grilled meat. Acidity is necessary for the wine to ‘dissolve’ fatty taste on the palate. Those are red Rhone wines from France, southern wines of Puglia from Italy, and Shiraz, Grenache, Zinfandel or Malbec from the New World countries. You can do like Germans, though, and drink your sausages with beer.

Another red partner for barbeque, this time for fish, is Pinot Noir. Choosing a fatty fish, like salmon, and subjecting it to new taste through the open fire, we can underline all the beauty of grilled fish through medium-bodied Pinot Noir with earthy flavours and not many tannins. The best proof of such food and wine match is a yearly festival of Pinot Noir in Oregon, when on the last day they grill about 300 kg of salmon and drink innumerable amount of bottles of the local Pinot.

If you prefer white wines, then the French Chablis is the appropriate choice for grilled chicken and seafood. Fresh fruity-minerally taste of wine makes a good background for lighter grills.

As for vegetables, aubergines, zuccinis, tomatoes and onions acquire a sweetish taste from the grill which is not detectable in fresh and boiled versions. Such dishes can also benefit from a proper accompaniment. First of all one should look for light white Italian wines from Verdicchio and Pinot Bianco which can penetrate the sweetness without distorting the taste of vegetables.

For the lovers of fruit who are ready to place peaches or pineapples on the fire, I recommend to intensify your dessert with late harvest wines, for example german spatlesen or New World late harvest wines. They are rather sweet but not too powerful to overshadow the fruits. If your sprinkle fruit with sugar, then for full perfection you can drink concentrated French Sauternes, German auslesen or same-fruit liqueurs. And if you drizzle your dessert with these wines, you’ll get such an exquisite thing that even top chefs will look at them with envy…