Wine and Food

It all depends on your starting point: there are conventional matches for overseas classics such as caviar (Champagne), fresh foie gras (Sauternes, Riesling or Rose), and new season Italian white truffles (any medium-bodied red). Here the food flavour is all important, the wine merely incidental.

At the other extreme come 50-year-old classic red wines: Grange, or Grand Cru Burgundy or, First Growth Bordeaux, or a Maurice O'Shea Mount Pleasant Shiraz. Here the food is, or should be, merely a low-key foil, but at the same time must be of high quality.

In the Australian context I believe not enough attention is paid to the time of year, which - particularly in the southern states - is or should be a major determinant in the choice of both food and wine. And so I shall present my suggestions in this way, always bearing in mind how many ways there are to skin a cat.

Spring
Sparkling
Oysters, cold crustacea, tapas, any cold hors d'oeuvres 		Rose
Caesar salad, trout mousse
Young Riesling
Cold salads, sashimi 		Young Pinot Noir
Seared kangaroo fillet, grilled quail
Gewurztraminer
Asian 		Merlot
Pastrami, warm smoked chicken
Young Semillon
Antipasto, vegetable terrine 		Young Medium-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon
Rack of baby lamb
Pinot Gris, Colombard
Crab cakes, whitebait 		Light- To Medium-bodied Cool Climate Shiraz
Rare eye fillet of beef
Verdelho, Chenin Blanc
Cold smoked chicken, gravlax 		Young Botrytised Wines
Fresh fruits, cake
Mature Chardonnay
Grilled chicken, chicken pasta, turkey, pheasant 		 

 

Summer
Chilled Fino
Cold consommé		 Young Light-bodied Pinot Noir
Grilled salmon
2-3-year-old Semillon
Gazpacho		 Aged Pinot Noir (5+ Years)
Coq au vin, wild duck
2-3-year-old Riesling
Seared tuna		 Young Grenache/Sangiovese
Osso bucco
Young Barrel-fermented Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
Seafood or vegetable tempura		 Mature Chardonnay (5+ Years)
Braised rabbit
Young Off-dry Riesling
Prosciutto & melon/pear		 Hunter Valley Shiraz (5-10 years)
Beef spare ribs
Cool-climate Chardonnay
Abalone, lobster, Chinese-style prawns		 Merlot
Saltimbocca, roast pheasant
10-year-old Semillon or Riesling
Braised pork neck		 Medium-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon (5 Years)
Barbecued butterfly leg of lamb
Mature Chardonnay
Smoked eel, smoked roe		 All Wines
Parmagiana
Off-dry Rose
Chilled fresh fruit		  

 

Autumn
Amontillado
Warm consomme		 Aged Pinot Noir
Grilled calf's liver, roast kid, lamb or pig's kidneys
Barrel-fermented Mature Whites
Smoked roe, bouillabaisse		 Mature Margaret River Cabernet Merlot
Lamb fillet, roast leg of lamb with garlic and herbs
Complex Mature Chardonnay
Sweetbreads, brains		 Cool Climate Merlot
Lamb loin chops
Fully Aged Riesling
Chargrilled eggplant, stuffed capsicum		 Mature Grenache/rhone Blends
Moroccan lamb
Aged Marsanne
Seafood risotto, Lebanese		 Rich, Full-bodied Heathcote Shiraz
Beef casserole
Southern Victorian Pinot Noir
Peking duck		 Young Muscat
Plum pudding

 

Winter
Dry Oloroso Sherry
Full-flavoured hors d'oeuvres		 Mature Pinot Noir
Mushroom ragout, ravioli
Sparkling Burgundy
Borscht		 Mature Merlot
Pot au feu
Viognier
Pea and ham soup		 10-year-old Heathcote Shiraz
Char-grilled rump steak
Aged (10+ Years) Semillon
Vichysoisse (hot) 		15-20-year-old Full-bodied Barossa Shiraz
Venison, kangaroo fillet
Sauvignon Blanc
Coquilles St Jacques, pan-fried scallops		 Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon
Braised lamb shanks/shoulder
Mature Chardonnay
Quiche Lorraine		 Muscat (Old)
Chocolate-based desserts
Chardonnay (10+ Years)
Cassoulet		 Tokay (Old)
Creme brûlée
Mature Semillon Sauvignon Blanc
Seafood pasta 		Vintage Port
Dried fruits, salty cheese
Young Tasmanian Pinot Noir
Squab, duck breast		  

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