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Pairing suggestion needed


Kiz

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My Aussie partner has been talking up the glories of Penfolds' reds to friends of his, and I promised I'd invite them over for dinner and wine. The problem: I'd like to cook a dish that complements the wine (we'll probably have either the Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz or the Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz), but I don't eat red meat, ruling out the obvious steak pairing. Anyway have any suggestions? Roast chicken in a rich sauce is my next guess, but I thought I'd ask and see what there is I'm not thinking of.

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Roast Duck with a dry rub on it that has some spices that would compliment the spicy flavors in the wine.

Katie M. Loeb
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It's my opinion that there's not much that doesn't go with roast chicken, so it's a pretty safe choice.

But I've gotten fond of pairing Shiraz with slow-cooked or smoked meats. Lots of these are red meats (assuming you don't buy the pork producer line that pig is white meat), but certainly almost any poultry or rabbit would work. I also like Shiraz with Cajun foods, especially those that call for really dark roux -- etouffees and gumbos featuring duck, chicken, shrimp and the like often work well as long as the wine isn't too rich.

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Eat more chicken skin.

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The low tannins and big fruit of Australian Shiraz can be a fine match for rare grilled tuna - au poive is a good touch when going with a rich red. Make the side dish red wine friendly like herb-roasted tomatoes and your should be all set. Finish with a cheese course to finish the bottle.

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Agree about duck, especially wild. In fact, most any game bird will do the trick. Given the right prep (e.g. spice rubbed and grilled or marinated in soy, white wine, oil, ginger and honey and broiled), domestic quail would work too. To my palate, chicken plus shiraz does not compute.

If pork is a white meat in your books, you might also consider BBQ ribs. Other possibilities: upmarket pizza, sausages, cassoulet, veal goulash, couscous, satay. Shiraz also pairs with strongly flavoured hard cheeses like aged farmhouse cheddar.

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But I've gotten fond of pairing Shiraz with slow-cooked or smoked meats. Lots of these are red meats (assuming you don't buy the pork producer line that pig is white meat), ...

Here in Argentina there are many good Shiraz as well. Recently I found a Carranza Shiraz that was really very good - though with a bitter undertaste.

I also think that it would pair well with pork. But I had it with antipasti consisting of some wonderful cured meats - on the premise that the bitterness of rucola nicely sets off the flavour of bresaola drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with black pepper.

It was a successful combination, but probably not what you are looking for.

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