Wine pairings if you please

[300rwhp]

Hello all,

I have a valentine menu for a special someone and would like to be able to say that i have actually paired wines instead of just being arbitrary. Could you please point me in the right direction.

Starting of with a parmesan reggiano and goat cheese canneloni with basil oil

small small portion just a taste

then i am doing a small soup of carrot and blue stilton

which i assume may not be a great combination but any wines to coincide let me know

Then i swtich to a cold appey with a terrine of deer and i added sour cherries to it.

before moving onto the largers course i have a chicken leg that i have prepared with a good deal of presentation bone, i then wrap it in proscuitto. I also have a trio of sauces for this dish. They are honey, tomato sweetened, and grain mustard.

Next i have a lamb tenderloin that is cooked in madagascan peppercorns, with crushed minted new potatoes and carrots. This has garlic in it.

Then for class i have added tiger prawns head on becuase what women doesnt think they are classy (who am i kidding !!!! lucky the date does) this is served with a risotti and roasted butternut squash.

Thanks and if you think the menu has some serious backfires let me know aswell.

[KatieLoeb]

I would change the order of the courses so you're moving toward richer heavier foods that pair with richer heavier wines.

Prawns and chicken before the venison terrine and lamb tenderloin.

Once you've rearranged the menu this way you can decide to move from richer white wine to rose or a lighter red like Pinot Noir prior to switching to red wines for the red meat courses.

I'd personally pair a wine with some cherry flavors in the profile with the venison terrine. Perhaps a Syrah or a Rhone blend. Then save the big paint stripping cabernet or bordeaux blend for the lamb course which should definitely be served last or at least prior to dessert.

[SBonner]

Hello all,

I have a valentine menu for a special someone and would like to be able to say that i have actually paired wines instead of just being arbitrary.  Could you please point me in the right direction.

Starting of with a parmesan reggiano and goat cheese canneloni with basil oil

small small portion just a taste

New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc...the pungent flavours and zippy acidity are a nice foil to the pasta and goats cheese

then i am doing a small soup of carrot and blue stilton

which i assume may not be a great combination but any wines to coincide let me know  Try a German Riesling like Lingenfelder Bird Label...the hint of sweetness in this wine will meld with the carrots and contrast nicley with the salty Stilton

Then i  swtich to a cold appey with a terrine of deer and i added sour cherries to it.

Masi Campofoirn... a medium bodied red with a silky like texture

before moving onto the largers course i have a chicken leg that i have prepared with a good deal of presentation bone, i then wrap it in proscuitto.  I also have a trio of sauces for this dish. They are honey, tomato sweetened, and grain mustard.Try a rich new world Viognier...better than an oaky Chardonnay or red. Get one with alot of malo so it's creamy textured

Next i have a lamb tenderloin that is cooked in madagascan peppercorns, with crushed minted new potatoes and carrots. This has garlic in it.Aussi Shiraz...personal choice I just love the fruit forward Aussi Shiraz with lamb

Then for class i have added tiger prawns head on becuase what women doesnt think they are classy (who am i kidding !!!! lucky the date  does) this is served with a risotti and roasted butternut squash. Alsace Gewurztraminer...the Pfaffenheim is richly textured and exotic

Thanks and if you think the menu has some serious backfires let me know aswell.

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Edited February 1, 2006 by SBonner (log)

[300rwhp]

Thanks to both of you for the help, especially the notes about changing the courses, i can not believe i didnt see that. As for both of you but more particularly bonner, if i am in your neck of the woods or vice versa, let me offer you some wine. As for bonner it seems to me, you spend a wack of time in van and london (uk) perhaps ill catch you in one or the other and offer you pint or preferably a bit of wine.

Thanks again

[KatieLoeb]

Your special someone has a real treat in store for them. It's nice to see someone has put so much thought and love into a menu.

Cheers and enjoy your V-day!

[Brad Ballinger]

I'd leave the venison terrine where it is. But I'd put the prawns in front of the chicken. Then I'd do the following.

For the first three courses, I'd serve the NV Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose. The bottle screams "Valentine's Day," plus it has bubbles, and it's pink.

For the prawns, I'd go with a lush riesling, such as Josmeyer's "The Dragon." Alternate choices would be a Roero Arneis from Giacosa or a Falanghina from Taburno. All will have a bit of floral and mineral, with good fruit.

I'd use the chicken leg as a transition to finish the white and start on the red. Then continue the red into the lamb. For the red, I recommend Calon Segur, a Bordeaux wine with a heart on the label. I like Bordeaux with lamb anyway, and the heart is a good Valentine's Day touch.