Match maker

Find the perfect dish to go with your favourite drop, writes wine writer Tony Love

When it’s dinner party time, usually the plan goes like this: we’re having a leg of lamb, what shall we drink?

Usually that means searching the house wine rack or a trip to the bottle-o for a classic cabernet or smart shiraz.

If it’s roast chicken, then the next step is to choose a white, logically a chardonnay.

Now let’s look at this from a wine lover’s perspective.

How about starting the dinner conversation like this: “I’ve got a great bottle of Heathcote shiraz that we should drink tonight — what should we serve with it?”

That’s my kind of pre-dinner conversation.

The colder months may scream out for big, bold wines but there are other pairings that strike a perfect balance. Let’s begin by treading lightly.

FINESSE FIRST

Pinot noir and grenache (and blends) might appear lighter in colour to start, and perhaps a little gentler in their power and weight ratios, but they make up for that in their aromatic prettiness and fragrance.

Don’t be tricked into thinking that these are less serious wines.

Pinot noir is celebrated for its finesse and subtle complexities, so its best companions at the table are those cooked without fuss or myriad ingredients, a perfect piece of roast beef with a red wine jus, or a great steak cooked simply, at most with a freshly chopped herb coating.

Pinot and duck is the legendary match-up, from Chinese smoky and salty versions to old school breast French style with a berry sauce.

Other choices include coq au vin, and also pinker-fleshed fish like salmon and tuna, again treated with a spray of herbs.

Now for a little surprise: that same bright fruit excitement from a young pinot finds a true friend at the other end of a meal as well, with of all things white chocolate. Think of all those desserts with raspberries and white chocolate and you’ll get why this pairing works a treat.

Grenache is similar to pinot though it also suits more robust to gamier style dishes like lamb that has been roasted with plenty of herbs and garlic. Vegetable dishes such as ratatouille scented with thyme and oregano also go well.

That duck will also soar beside grenache, and likewise quail in a Vietnamese style.

CRANK UP THE BARBECUE

Shiraz steps into a heavier wine weight division and demands food that is more robust to handle it.

Shiraz is a great barbecue wine, and when you’re eating outdoors, or tearing away on a charry steak, you don’t have to spend big.

A simple, juicy style will cover most needs.

Burgers, lamb chops, a marinated rump steak all go well, especially if rubbed with dried herbs like thyme. Those same flavours hooked into eggplant, zucchini, even tomatoes, can play well with riper, sweeter fruited shiraz.

With those ripe characters, think too about a great Aussie slab of saltbush lamb, the sweet/ salt contrast a natural fit.

And of all the reds, shiraz is the one that suits curry, and even chilli dishes — again alcohol and fruit-driven “sweetness” tempers the spice.

When cabernet sauvignon and its various blends become the wine of the night, turn to the red meat section and go no further.

The traditional partner to lamb, cabernet often shows a regional mint character which suits that old school mint sauce addition for a roast leg — and the wine will also rock stronger saltbush and mutton stews.

And, of course, cabernet and beef go hand-in-hand, again in its simpler most familiar roast fillet or rib, all the way to slow braises of shoulder and brisket.

If you’ve found a cabernet that has a slight vegetal aromatic, add snow peas or beans to your vegetables on the side. Or include a bunch of baby beetroots which offer earthier impressions of the wine.

PASTA REDS

One of the big moves in our wine culture has been the arrival of a wave of Italian and Spanish red varieties now established here for decades and slotting happily into our casual Aussie cuisine that loves pasta, pizza and paella.

Let’s start with sangiovese, the heart and soul of what we know out of Italy as chianti. Its typical notes range from cherry to tobacco and chocolate-like savoury elements as well as black tea — you also may get a feel of tannin similar to tea, and that means rustic meat dishes from rabbit to game and ragu.

One quirk here is that tomato-based sauces and braises, often tricky to match with wine because of their acidity, go well with a robust little sangio.

Another Italian grape of importance is nebbiolo, which you need to approach

firstly by abandoning all ideas of wines having fruit-driven qualities. This is savoury wine at its best: mushrooms go well, and so do lighter meat dishes like pork and veal. Truffles are considered the magic partner, so save up for both.

The Spanish native tempranillo can range from young, bright wines you’ll see often with label details calling it a “joven” (a youthful style) all the way to more reserve style reds though with softer tannin senses, so they suit meats braised to meltingly soft.

Cured and gently smoked meats also pair up well with tempranillo, and so too do rice and tomato dishes — that’s where paella comes into play.

WHITE LIGHTS

Wines like riesling and sauvignon blanc wake up the senses with their vibrant aromas and bracing acidity.

Crisp and palate-crunchy, they can be perfect with our fabulous seafood and fish dishes — oysters to King George whiting fillets, the latter grilled or battered, lemon squashed over the lot. Of course, if the budget doesn’t stretch to KGs, try garfish, or gurnard and flathead.

Richer, oilier fish like tommy ruff (herring), salmon or trout are great in more flavoured settings like salad niçoise or chopped finely into fish cakes, from grandma’s classic to more exotic Thai styles, and they too shine with a refreshing white.

With Asian inspired dishes, just be careful with the chilli when you’re drinking super-dry whites, as the heat and the acidity strip away anything resembling wine flavours. There are plenty of tasty Asian ingredients that still work like ginger, coriander, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves so load up with those. If you can’t do without nuclear chilli heat, choose a sweeter styled riesling.

Sauvignon blanc fans can also go green in a salad kind of way, with the herbal and grassy notes of leaves and raw, sliced vegies. One of its best partners is asparagus, but think also of goat cheese — why not both together. Tomatoes, too, with their natural acidity, are a smart match with these crunchy wines, that also can include young chenin blanc, semillon and a crisper-style pinot grigio.

Pasta does a great job too, from richer carbonara to a tangy pesto. The same applies with other Italian native

varieties now growing here such as fiano and vermentino, which work a treat across lighter seafood dishes, pastas, and when there’s a wide range of plates such as Italian antipasti or a Chinese banquet.

STRIKE IT RICH

Chardonnay comes in a wide range of styles, from the big oaky and buttery versions that have now all but gone out of fashion to more vibrant, leaner, and fresher variations, though with exciting layers and complexities.

Number one match up is deliciously roasted or barbecued chicken, and better again if there’s a flavour-rich jus or creamier sauce to go with it.

It’s one of the few wines that really suits egg dishes like a rich buttery quiche with bacon and corn, and you’ll also find a great pairing with richer fish and seafood dishes that are served with creamier sauces.

While we’re talking richer dishes, roast pork, crackling and sticky roast root vegetables belong here as well, as does another variety that sits at the more opulent end of the white wine spectrum — viognier.

It can display a floral and spicy aroma, even musk sometimes, which suggests it can go with many of the same dishes but with perhaps some more exotic flavour points. A tagine with peach or apricot reflects exactly the fruit notes viognier displays.

And talking exotic, that most Germanic sounding variety,

gewurztraminer, wafts with scents of rose petals, musk and often lychee. It’s a cracker with Thai and Vietnamese dishes where the wild aromas of ginger, lemongrass and coriander respond immediately.

SWEET ENDINGS

Gewurz’ , as it’s often shortened to in classic Aussie slang, can also come in a sweet styler. Check the label to see whether the wines are either late harvested or affected by Botrytis or “noble rot” which intensifies sugars and flavours into a powerfully flavoured and often “sticky” drink.

Late-harvest styles are less intense and suit lighter desserts, fruits, panna cotta, pavlovas. Heavier botrytis variations demand more intense dishes like golden syrupy puds and creme brulee.

Fortified wines, those luxurious muscats and tawnies, and lesser known vintage fortifieds (OK, we still call them ports) take us into the world of rich chocolate desserts, mousse, tarts and truffles.

Once you venture into older and more complex fortifieds, there’s perhaps no need to think of anything to eat as they are so engaging all on their own.

Likewise fine sparklings, especially elite methode traditionelle or champenoise. They will pair with virtually any food style imaginable — though in the right place at the right time with best friends, just open the bottle and the rest will take care of itself.