Thinking outside the square - try this food and wine match at home

Last week my blog was all about food and wine matching and it proved to be very popular so I thought I'd share the food and wine match entry I submitted for the '2011 Yarrabank Sommelier of the Year' which is run in conjunction with Gourmet Traveller Magazine.

This match is left of centre,  but I wanted something unique and interesting while still being practical.  I was lucky enough to be this year's runner up and below you'll see what I put forward.

And the great thing is at the bottom of this post is everything you need to re-create both this dish and the wine match at home - if your up for the challenge!

Recipe Name:  Roast breast of pasture fed chicken with chicken oysters, 'mac and cheeese', mushrooms, leeks and turnips.

Chefs:  Matt Moran and Ben Turner

Wine Match: I chose the 2001 Yarrabank 'late disgorged' Cuvée (sparkling wine made from a blend of chardonnay and pinot noir at Yering Station in Victoria) to match this dish from ARIA Sydney's menu to put a new spin on the classic marriage of sparkling wine and cheese.  This wine has added complexity for 8 years on lees.

The chicken (from Bega NSW) is succulently sweet and melts in your mouth, the chicken oyster beignets bring savoury, herbal characters whilst the 'mac and cheese' adds complexity.  The jus gras tops the dish alongside mushrooms sautéed with eschallots, garlic and cream.

The 2001 Yarrabank 'Late Disgorged' Cuvée works so well with this dish because it keeps a good line of acidity, cutting through the cheese component, whilst still working in harmony with the chicken and the more savoury elements in the mushroom duxelle.

This wine match has two key concepts - texture and temperature.  That's why I chose to serve the Yarrabank in two different glasses, at two different temperatures, but at the same time.

Glass 1
Ten minutes prior to the dish being served, carefully decant a quarter of the bottle of Yarrabank into the 'Ovarius' decanter - a decanter originally developed in the Jura region of France, designed to enhance sparkling wine to showcase 'true terroir' characters through kinetic energy. (These are all hand blown decanters and are endorsed by some big name champagne producers). A taste can then be poured into a Red Burgundy glass just before the dish arrives.

Glass 2
Once the decanted Yarrabank is poured, immediately serve the same amount from the chilled bottle into a clean Champagne flute for the same person.

Explanation
When tasting this dish you get two small portions of the 2001 Yarrabank, in two different glasses, at two different temperatures.  The decanted Yarrabank is more specifically for the two meat components of the dish, the breast and the chicken oyster biegnets.  The bubbles are diffused in the decanter, resulting in a more 'creamy' texture, therefore showcasing more secondary characters such a brioche and also some earthy, herbal characters, which ties in well with the dish.  This glass is to be tried first and for me it's great to see this almost as a 'still' wine.

The second taste is from the Champagne flute and this is to be tried shortly after.  For me, this is more suited to the 'mac and cheese' and mushroom duxelle in this dish as it not only cuts through the richness from these ingredients, it leave the palate feeling fresh, enticing you to take another bite.

Idea behind the match
The idea of this match was to celebrate sparkling wine and to show how it can be enjoyed be over the course of a whole meal, as opposed to having it as an aperitif or for the first course.  In addition I wanted to show how a decanted glass of sparkling wine can take you on a different journey than that of a traditionally served 'glass of bubbles'. This can become a talking point for you and your friends and open the door to a larger spectrum of food and wine combinations.
                                                                                           
To cook: To cook pasture fed chicken with chicken oysters, 'mac and cheese', mushrooms, leeks and turnips click here. 


To drink:  To buy the 2001 Yarrabank 'Late Disgorged' Cuvée Sparkling  ($45 per bottle), Click here.


To decant: To buy a groovy Ovarius decanters, Click here.  Can be used for whites and reds too..

Tell your guests: Yering Station is Yarra Valley's first vineyard  (planted in 1838) and Yarrabank is a joint venture between Yering Station and Champagne house Devaux, making for one heck of team.

And finally, congratulations to Matt Brooke from Circa in Melbourne who pipped me at the post to be this year's winner - well done!  To check out more about the competition, the finalists, and some other great recipes and matches, click here.

Food and Wine Matching Demystified

Food and wine matching has been practised around the world for thousands of years and it's one of the most pleasurable yet challenging aspects of my job.

As head sommelier of ARIA I'm lucky enough to get feedback from customers on our matches.  It's often the match you think will work that doesn't and vice versa - but that's half the fun.  At the end of the day it's a matter of personal opinion what works and what doesn't but here are some thoughts to get you started.

1. The 'old school' train of thought is to match wines with food that has a similar or shared intensity  (eg rich food with rich wine,  or more delicate dishes with more elegant wines).  Wine and food pair well when they share common ground or backbone, just like people.  For example, twice cooked pork belly with glazed apple would typically marry well with an off-dry chenin blanc from the Loire Valley. This is because on the palate there are similar textures but the fruit sweetness of this wine would marry perfectly with the stickiness of the pork and the subtle apple component.
2. The 'opposites attract' (yin and yang) strategy was a revelation about 20 years ago and is still used and followed today.. this is where you might have a rich ingredient and use a wine to essentially 'cut' through it..  Such a match would be ripe Brie de Meaux cow's milk cheese paired with a non-vintage blanc de blancs champagne to go against the grain and cut through the oily richness.
3. Temperature and timing-  are you serving the wine at the correct temperature?  A red or white served too cold or warm may impair its true profile and hinder its partnership with the food.  Decanting white (yes whites) and red (and even sparkling) is a good way to bring wines to their optimum drinking temperatures and can also change/enhance their textures, flavour profiles and mouthfeel, making for more versatile options across a whole meal as opposed to just one course.
4. Always try to consider the focal point.. are you wanting to showcase a 'special' wine to your friends? In that case the food should work around the wine and play second fiddle, or are you promoting a certain dish or theme, in which case the wine should be part of the backstage crew.
5. You need to consider the cooking techniques (eg is it confit or grilled), plus what condiments/sauces (acidic or creamy?) are used as these all influence how a wine will pair 'overall'.  A simple dish with a potent sauce can often over-power a wine and the same can be said on the flipside.
6. For sweet foods... serve a riper style of wine from a warmer vintage, or choose a wine that has a similar degree of sweetness so they are on the same page (eg German Riesling from 2003).
7. For salty foods.... look at an off-dry or slightly sweet wine as they compliment each other.  Avoid high-alcohol wines or those with dominant oak. (eg try Alsace Pinot Gris or Joven Tempranillo).   
8. For spicy foods.... go for wines with some residual sugar or fruit sweetness, or dry and fresh Rosé (Bandol from Provence) is always a good option.  Gewürztraminer often has the spicy backbone to cover all bases but as a back-up I'd recommend you buy some beer as your secret weapon.
9. For bitter foods.... opt for wines high in acidity and that perhaps have a bit of oak dominance, drying tannins or a savoury finish (Italy is good.. Nebbiolo for red or for white try a Vermentino). 
10. For foods that are tart.... go for a wine with similar astringency or with greener characters.  Give red wine a miss here. (whites of choice: Adelaide Hills sauvignon blanc or young hunter semillon)

Try the following experiments out on your friends - it's far better to get as many people involved as possible so I reckon its a good excuse for a dinner party!  And as always I'd love to hear your comments on what you uncovered.

• Try the same wine but in two different glasses to compare contrasting aromas, textures and flavours.  Glassware can make a massive difference so best to experiment.
• Try the same dish but with three different wines and go through a process of elimination, from worst to best. Do they sing on the palate with the dish or does one stick out more than it should?
• It's amazing what sight can do to 'trick' your mind.  It might make for a strange looking dinner party, but try a dish and the wine while blindfolded.  Pre-conceived ideas can limit a 'match made in heaven'.  Let the aromas and your taste buds do the talking.

One of the most inspiring 'wine and food' days I have had this year was with Catherine Faller of Domaine Weinbach in Alsace, France in June.  Her passion and enthusiasm blew me away and I really like her philosophy of producing wines of 'emotion' and 'pleasure'. When Catherine talked about their wines she kept listing great food matches.  She also had a great analogy: "the best wines I've tried are like a fine painting - everything is in balance and harmony.  The closer you get the more complex it is".  Catherine younger sister, Laurence, makes the wines now and a white of particular interest I tried that day was the 2009 Reserve Gewürztraminer which they paired with some Choucroute (local pork specialty), Foie Gras and Gruyere.  Pretty senstational stuff - one of the best I've tried...Gewürztraminer is the most aromatic grape variety in Alsace, on the nose there was a seductive perfume of pink florals (rose petals) with spicy sandlewood and candied orange peel, whilst the palate was silky with opulent stone fruits (white peach).  Powerful wine with some residual sugar but balanced by impeccable acidity.

The 2009 vintage of this wine is arriving on Australian shores soon. Click here to purchase. ($67 per bottle)

At the end of day keep food and wine matching fun - it's awesome to see faces light up when you get it right. If you can think outside the square and try some new techniques then you can experience a new journey, or perhaps re-live a favourite memory or blast from the past that can transport you to that special time or place.

Go on - I dare you to try a Riesling!

Riesling originates from Germany, first appearing in the Rhiengau region in 1435.  Its popularity is improving but it continues to be 'hot and cold' in the Australian market and with so many different styles people often still have the notion that it's going to be sweet.  In our restaurant it does have a following but it's often only sold by recommendation.  Many sweeter styles are produced (Australia included) but I challenge you to grab a bottle of a 'dryer' style, such as a young Clare Valley Riesling, and give it a red hot go.  Why?  Because in my mind, Riesling is one of the most versatile wines with food due to its acidity, plus it can live a long life and to see it evolve over time is both intriguing and rewarding.

So what is 'dry' Riesling? In Australia it's generally a Riesling with less than 8 grams of residual sugar per litre. Meanwhile the European Union classifies 'dry' as no more than 4 grams of residual sugar per litre.. no wonder things get confusing!  German wines labelled as 'trocken' (dry) are a good place to start, and are generally softer in their youth than most Australian Rieslings, usually there is a bit more fruit sweetness and the alcohol is a bit lower.

Kerri Thompson makes some of the best and purest Riesling in Australia.  Kerri is the owner/winemaker for 'wines by KT' in the Clare Valley and her CV includes previously being winemaker at Leasingham and working abroad both in Tuscany and France (Beaujolais). Kerri only picked 1 in 3 bunches during the very wet 2011 harvest, thus the yields are down on the previous vintage.  I have just tried her latest single vineyard releases and they are wines that will challenge your previous perceptions of Riesling.

This set of KT Riesling is on the 'dryer' scale and I like them because they have personality, energy and precision.  They also have a 'calmness' about them.  Kerri has adopted a natural farming philosophy going down the path of biodynamic practices.  This has lead to more microflora activity in the soil and improved that quality of the fruit.  Here's a run down of some of her latest gems:


2011 'Peglidis Vineyard' Watervale Riesling by KT  ($32 per bottle)
- highly aromatic and fresh with tangy citrus punch upfront (limey slate) and a dry, chalky finish.

2011 'Churinga Vineyard' Watervale Riesling by KT ($32 per bottle)
- riper than the Peglidis with floral fennel notes and lime/lemon freshness. Some more exotic yellow fruit characters.  Finishes dry and clean.

2011 'Melva' Watervale Riesling by KT  ($28 per bottle)
- contains about 9 grams of residual sugar, more of an off-dry style (slight sweetness).  Same citric profile with with a more pillowy texture and softer framework.  More opulence and upfront primary fruits.

Tasting Notes for Dryer Rieslings
 Goes well with:  Japanese cuisine (particularly sushi), quiche (holds up to egg really well), sweet shellfish. Gruyere style cheeses are also great with aged Riesling.


Try this with your guests:  Serve a young Riesling blind to your friends against a Sauvignon Blanc (same vintage) and ask them to pick which they prefer.  But the catch is... they must decide which they like better with and without food!  Then come back and leave us some comments on what you find - I think you'll be surprised!

Cellaring potential:  3-20+ years, depending on region and vintage. As Riesling ages it typically becomes riper, darker and more textural, with softening acidity and less upfront fruit characters. Sometimes the older vintages have distinct kerosene characters on the nose. This can create great synergy with the honey and toasty notes on the palate.

To buy:  If you want a dryer style of Riesling you need to look for a wine with lower sugar levels.  Many Aussie producers now show the 'RS' (Residual Sugar) amount on the front label (eg RS 16).  So keep an eye out for an RS that's 8 or less for a dryer wine. Otherwise if you're unsure then consult with the sommelier/wine merchant to guide you in your choice.  Cheers!