One of the best things about food in winter is that you typically don’t rush while preparing it. If you’re a traditionalist like me, you’ll be thinking of slow-cooking dishes in ovens and large pots atop stoves. The target is of course a dish steeped in the rich flavours of tender, fall-apart meats, seasonal root vegetables and thick, concentrated sauces. And it you’re a cooking amateur like I am, the slow pace of the process means you’re less likely to stuff it up.
It’s easy to think of wines that best handle this kind of dish. Start by thinking of density and concentration of flavour, and whether or not the wine needs to be more savoury or more fruit-driven, ie more of a European or a traditional Australian style. Then consider specific aspects of contrast and complement – whether or not you might need a wine whose acidity can help refresh after the richness of a dish, or whether or not a wine needs some tannin and structure to avoid simply being washed away. Maybe some traditional Australian shirazes with their nuances roasting meats might provide a flavour connection with the dish itself.
Here are some suggestions I’m making to respond to some winter food suggestions from Rani and Neli in the Oliver’s Wines team.
Roast pork
A classic. A moderately rich, sweetly flavoured dish that’s crying out for a medium-bodied red with brightness of fruit and a fine-grained texture. I’m thinking the Coulter Sangiovese Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 or Ox Hardy’s fragrant and grainy McLaren Vale Grenache 2022. Both are vibrant, long and savoury, with just the right intensity and weight. If you want to lash out a little, the Coudoulet de Beaucastel Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge from 2020 would be perfect.
Mushroom risotto
Creamy, earthy and meaty, offering an alluring variety of scents and flavours. It’s hard to go past varieties like pinot noir and nebbiolo in this instance, especially because they offer so much perfume and texture to perfectly knit with this dish, and both are typically medium-ish in weight. The Langhe Nebbiolo 2021 from Borgogno is simply perfect with this dish, while the Domaine Faively Joseph Faiveley Bourgogne Rouge 2021 will handle it just as easily. Give plenty of aeration to both. And if you wanted to go a little more exotic, the Mencia de Paraje ‘Lugar Valbuxán’ 2019 from Telmo Rodriguez would work a treat.
Massaman beef curry
One of my favourite Asian dishes, this is actually more suited to a round, generous white wine than a red. Something of a cross between a Thai and Indian curries, with influences from cumin, coriander, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamom, plus lemongrass, coconut and peanuts, it’s rich, creamy and sometimes smoky. So a maturing chardonnay, a fuller expression of Barossa or Clare semillon or even a viognier could work just perfectly. Think about the Clarnette Viognier 2022, the Peccavi Chardonnay 2021, the Scorpo Chardonnay 2022 or a Tim Adams Semillon 2019.
Shepherd’s pie
Rich, meaty, maybe spicy and overlaid by creamy mashed potatoes, this hearty and very English winter’s dish is crying out for a red with depth, richness, structure and flavour. I’d step back from an elite wine here – maybe pull one out for the cheese platter afterwards, but here’s something ideal for a polished but traditional mid-market red from Australia, Tuscany or Bordeaux. Think about the excellent Saltram Mamre Brook Shiraz 2021 from the Barossa, Corymbia’s generous Rocket’s Vineyard Tempranillo Malbec from 2022, the incredible Isole e Olena Chianti Classico from 2020 or the dark and gravelly Chateau Mauvesin Barton Moulis en Medoc from 2018.
