Festive food-matching special
67 Pall Mall’s head of wine Ronan Sayburn MS and head chef Marcus Verberne present four stylish appetiser recipes, complete with wine-matching tips
Food and wine-matching expertise doesn’t come much more accomplished than at London members’ club 67 Pall Mall. Top sommelier and Decanter judge Ronan Sayburn MS explains how he worked with the club’s head chef, Marcus Verberne, to produce an in-depth reference on the subject, and selects four of their superb in-house recipes with tips on wine-matching
Food and wine-matching can be as complicated or as easy as you want to make it: either drink the wine you like with the food you like and don’t worry about it, or have fun and try to create something with a synergy that can elevate the combination to another level.
Personally, I look at good matches that either compare or contrast – echoing the flavours of the wine in the food’s ingredients, or contrasting flavours to cleanse the palate and refresh for the next bite.
To create a truly memorable experience, it’s important to consider the ingredients and cooking techniques, richness and flavour of sauces, garnishes and even the order of service of foods and wines. Chargrilled venison has a very different depth of flavour and texture to that of a poached Dover sole, and the wine match needs to take this into consideration.
Classic combinations
Comparable flavours may include fresh green herbs with lemons and capers on fish, matched with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc or Verdicchio. Match the creamy lactic flavours found in cream or cheese sauces with an oaky style of wine that has been through its malolactic fermentation and developed softer acidity and a broader, richer palate – classic oaky Chardonnay from Burgundy or California would fit this. Deep and intense Asian flavours of fish sauce and palm sugar with chilli pair well with off-dry wines such as German Riesling or Alsace Gewurztraminer; roast leg of lamb with an elegant, mature Bordeaux; barbecued and charred ribs and sticky glaze with a full-bodied Zinfandel. All follow simple guidelines of matching flavours, weight and intensity without overpowering one another.
Contrasting flavours can be acidic wines counterbalancing fatty or oily foods, such as smoked salmon with Chablis; charcuterie and pâtés with a young Beaujolais; the salty flavour of Stilton cheese with sweet Port; or rich Christmas pudding with a light Moscato d’Asti.
For our book Food and Wine: The Perfect Match, 67 Pall Mall chef Marcus Verberne and I approached the pairings in different ways. Some were classics: moules marinière with Muscadet and choucroute garni with Alsace Riesling, for example. For others, we thought about flavours and ingredients from the country of origin and worked them into dishes around the wine’s flavours: beef skirt rubbed with merkén spice and served with stuffed green peppers and sweetcorn to match Chilean Carmenère. Plus our favourite, where we threw caution to the wind and made a canapé/bar snack to go with Madeira, mirroring flavours of pecan nuts, prunes, smoked bacon and star anise with chicken ( see recipe, opposite).
Here we share with you four recipes that make bite-sized portions – ideal for the festive season ahead – accompanied by wine match ideas that we believe work extremely well. Season’s greetings!
Ronan Sayburn MS is head of wine for members’ club 67 Pall Mall in central London, as well as CEO of the Court of Master Sommeliers Europe. He is a regular judge at the Decanter World Wine Awards and in 2020 took up the role of Regional Chair for Alsace. He also runs his own RS Wine Academy, a consultancy specialising in wine training for the trade and wine events.