Guide to Food and Wine Matching

Matching wine with food. Customers often ask about "which wine with which food?" Suggestions below should be of some help.

Aperitives

Greet your guests with Sekt sparkling wine or better still Champagne. Alternatively, if you really want to be with it, serve Lillet either as a Vesper Cocktail, made famous by James Bond in the film Casino Royale or simply on its own.
Schafer Classic Riesling Sekt
Champagne Gardet Brut Reserve
Lillet Aperitif

Weddings and Celebrations

Champagne Gardet is family owned with a comparatively small production. Their rich, stylish Champagne, with a high percentage of reserve wine in the blends is the choice for weddings and the more sophisticated parties. NV Georges Gardet Champagne, Brut Special
Champagne Gardet Brut Reserve

Vegetarian Food

We regularly receive requests for wines to accompany vegetarian foods and I list below my suggestions. Wines that are not too strong in flavour and therefore would not overpower but would add to the often delicate and subtle tastes of delicious vegetarian food. Unoaked and lightly oaked Chardonnays.
Silvaner Classic
Macon Gengoux
Gewurztraminer

Red Meats

I list below medium to full bodied red wines which would be well suited to compliment the majority of beef dishes. If, however, the dish is particularly spicy or peppery it might be an idea to choose from the section on wines to be enjoyed with game.
Chateau Maine-Gazin
Chateau Parenchere
Chateau Lamarche-Canon
Capucho Cabernet Sauvignon

Game

Here follows my own personal favourites to enjoy with very rich meat dishes such as venison, hare, pheasant etc. Most of the wines are over 13% alcohol with particularly distinct "animal" type bouquets of the farmyard and really strong flavours.
Crozes Hermitage
Vacqueyras Dom de Verde

Lamb, Pork and White Meats

This selection of wines contains mostly Chardonnay for the whites and Beaujolais wines for the reds but also includes an example of a lighter style Bordeaux red. These wines will enhance lamb, pork or chicken dishes beautifully.
St Yvette Chardonnay
Falcoaria Dry White
Anjou Rouge les Roches
Brouilly Dom Cret des Garanches
Ch Maine-Gazin

Fish

For fish I like to keep it simple, either Chardonnay or Sauvignon and here are some light, delicate examples to accompany your fish dishes.
Macon Gengoux
Chateau Lamothe-Vincent Blanc
Anjou Blanc, Chat. de Fesles

Seafood

Seafoods generally require drier styles of white wine, Sauvignons from the Loire, for example, to bring out the best flavours in the dish. I list below 2 whites which are guaranteed to please.
Sancerre Dom Delaporte

World Foods

In this country, curries have become more popular than fish and chips. The popularity of Chinese style noodle bars and the British liking of Thai curries has increased as well.  These meals all use a varying degrees of chilli in their preparation.  Do wines suit these 'hot' meals, the answer is a qualified yes.

The hottest Madras or Vindaloo style curries demand water or ice cold lager, however more the flavoursome Rogan Josh, Balti and mild Korma curries will be complimented by aromatic white wines such as our Omihi Road Pinot Gris and Willy Gisselbrecht Gewurztraminer.  I've personally enjoyed a rich Indian curry with a delicious Australian Chardonnay!

Thai and Chinese dishes are perfect with New Zealand Pinot Gris or an Alsace Gewurztraminer.

Gewurztraminer

Desserts

For most desserts, fine quality German Spatlese and Auslese wines will do the job beautifully. However we also have the best kept secret in the Loire:- 2003 Ch. de la Roulerie Chaume 1er Cru!
Dorsheimer Pittermannchen Riesling Spatlese
Dorsheimer Pittermannchen Riesling Auslese
Chaume 1er Cru, Ch de la Roulerie Half bottles