Unorthodox Wine-Food Pairings

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Ian Fitzsimmons

Ian Fitzsimmons
I've been reading a volume of Dorthy Sayers's Lord Peter Wimsey detective stories, staged in the 1920s. Wimsey is presented as, among other things, a connaisseur of fine wines, and offers his closest friends combinations like Yquem with roast beef and Niersteiner with lamb.

In our house, we sheep-like adhere to the fashion of the day. It would not cross our minds, say, to drink Cheval Blanc out of styrofoam cups with McDonalds hamburgers, or red Loire wine with fish. Our definition of risque is acidic white wine with tomato sauce. I feel like letting my freak flag fly this holiday season, though, and wonder what kind of strange and aberrant admixtures others have encountered, and to what effect.
 
I've had red Loire wine with fish with great success. It depends on the fish and the sauce (as always). And it depends on the Loire red wine.

I've never found tomato sauce to be that big of a problem. Perhaps because I go for long slow cooking and deep flavors.
 
I've never tried it but I've read about the combination of Sauternes with beef before. I can attest that port and beef go together beautifully.
 
I feel like letting my freak flag fly this holiday season, though, and wonder what kind of strange and aberrant admixtures others have encountered, and to what effect.
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Some of my favorite offbeat matches of recent years:
--Oloroso sherry with pulled pork sandwich
--big dry Gewurz with bacon, pear and gorgonzola risotto
--Ridge Lytton Springs Zin with anchovy, sausage and onion pizza
--Strub 2002 Spatlese with grilled duck
--yeasty champagne with bread dipped in pumpkinseed oil
 
most of mine come from leftovers, emergency corked-bottle-replacements, and cross-contaminated happy accidents

Champagne and fried chicken
LdH blanco with (fancified) PB&J
second on the sherry and bbq, though mine was shredded chicken and Palo Cortado
rose of Nebbiolo with cold flank steak chimichuri
Sfursat with tuna belly sashimi
demi Chenin with tea-smoked lamb

and of course, off-dry rose of Pineau d'Aunis with just about anything
 
a really old bottle of bourgueil went suprisigly well with a simple green sald last new years eve.

puffeney pinot noir with strawberries macerated in mint.

a glass of mersault with a roast beef sandwich last week.
 
2004 Peillot Mondeuse :: Detroit Coney Dogs (with onions and mustard.)

Anything Gamay or Pinot Noir from either CRB or one of Puzelat's enterprises :: slow smoked pork, any Appalchian/Ozark style.

Pinon 2003 Cuvee Novembre :: soft boiled eggs and bolillos

actually, that last one shouldn't be a surprise
 
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
a really old bottle of bourgueil went suprisigly well with a simple green sald last new years eve.

puffeney pinot noir with strawberries macerated in mint.

a glass of mersault with a roast beef sandwich last week.
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Well, a really old bottle of Bourgueil itself is a green salad and puffeney pinot noir is strawberries macerated in mint.

The Meursault thing is a bit more off the wall.
 
had a cremant de bourgogne brut rose last week that paired beautifully with fermented daikon radish pickles (which are crunchy, yet soft, buttery and slightly sweet). the daiginjo junmai sake on the table slunk away in shame...
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
a really old bottle of bourgueil went suprisigly well with a simple green sald last new years eve.

puffeney pinot noir with strawberries macerated in mint.

a glass of mersault with a roast beef sandwich last week.
Click to expand...

Well, a really old bottle of Bourgueil itself is a green salad and puffeney pinot noir is strawberries macerated in mint.

The Meursault thing is a bit more off the wall.
Click to expand...

the bottle of 30 year bourgueil i drank had a helluva lot more going on than green salad. it was an unorthodox match that i thought was the intent of this thread.
 
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
the bottle of 30 year bourgueil i drank had a helluva lot more going on than green salad..
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Sounds good. Who was the producer?

I'm actually a fan of these wines and appreciate very well that they have many elements besides vegetal flavors.

But the point stuck out to me.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
the bottle of 30 year bourgueil i drank had a helluva lot more going on than green salad..
Click to expand...

Sounds good. Who was the producer?

I'm actually a fan of these wines and appreciate very well that they have many elements besides vegetal flavors.

But the point stuck out to me.
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i don't know. it was a gift from the cellar of a gite owner we stayed at outside of tours a few years ago. all he would say is that a friend made it.
 
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