Pairings

To drink and to moo
«Gastronom» №3(38) March 2005

Beef dishes stand little competition when you want to highlight the beauty of red wines.

This marriage is simply made in heaven. We can only draw your attention to the most exciting pairs.

We’ll start with old English traditions. Roast beef and claret served on a Sunday lunch remain to be the symbol of wealth and the sign of belonging to the upper society. But you don’t have to be an aristocrat to feel the harmony between roasted meat and red Bordeaux wine. The simpler the dish is made, the better the wine will show itself. Do not be afraid to spend on an expensive bottle — this gastronomic match will exceed your expectations. For an everyday meal claret can be replaced with any wine made in the style of Bordeaux. Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot from Italy, Spain, Chile, USA, and Australia will be quite appropriate.

Mature fine wines which require gentle handling are served with delicate meat, such as beef fillet cooked with minimum of ingredients. The younger the wine, the more expressive its acidity and tannins are, the richer the dish should be.

Juicy Merlot is a preference for rare meat. French tartare steak or Italian carpaccio have a surprisingly delicate taste. Soft fruity wines — Beaujolais, Valpolicella, light Chianti — go best with them. For steak tartare the choice can be a white Burgundy. You will get an unexpected match, especially if the meat is served with mushroom sauce. By the way, white wines are the prime choice for beef in Austria. One of the renowned dishes in the Austrian cuisine is tafelschpitz (boiled prime beef), and it is traditionally served with full-bodied, peppery-spicy Gruner Veltliners.

More common stews and ragouts have very rich taste. When choosing a wine partner, you should take into account herbs and spices in the dish. The most universal partners are rustic southern French wines — from the Rhone, Bandol, Minervois and Provence. Famous French beof bourgignon — with pearl onions, mushrooms and bacon stewed in local Pinot Noir is, naturally, served with noble red Burgundy. Such choice leaves even the most demanding guest satisfied.

Beef on coals is popular in many countries and the choice of wines is just as enormous. Barbequed beef goes well with American Zinfandel, Chilean Carmenere, South African Pinotage, Australian Shiraz, red Portuguese wines, Spanish Rioja, wines of southern France and Italy… The list doesn’t stop here. By the way, statistically Argentineans are the biggest beef consumers. They have a huge variety of dishes, but the favourite remains to be asado, beef cooked on the open fire. It is invariably served with Malbec, a powerful red wine, which is considered to be national treasure.

Veal, notwithstanding its close connections with beef, needs different wine partners. The meat texture is more delicate, and it can be served with white wines. The options are Riesling and Pinot Gris from Alsace, Semillon and Chenin Blanc from the Loire, Albarino from Spain… Just remember that they should be full enough not to be lost on the meat background.

Veal is often served with cream sauce. A worthy accompaniment is rich, barrel-aged Chardonnay. Along with white Burgundy, you can take elegant New World wines — New Zealand, for instance.

Flavours of fried and roasted veal are heavier, and the choice should lie with red wines. Pinot Noir and Merlot are two reliable varieties with match harmoniously with these dishes. Try Southern Rhone wines based on Grenache and Mourvedre for smoky barbeques.