| Wine Pairings for April’s Recipes |
| Recipe | Course | Eric’s Recommended Wine Pairing |
| Poached white asparagus | Entrée | Le Clos de la Meslerie, Peter Hahn, AOC Vouvray, semi dry (depending on vintage) |
| Spiced Leg of Lamb confit, fondant potatoes, mixed pepper and red onion sauté, herby ranch-like dressing | Plat | Château Les Croisille Calcaire 2016 |
| Mango Vinaigrette | N/A | |
| Strawberry mousse verrine | N/A |
The April Recipe Pairings, by Eric ANTHONISSEN
Entrée (1st course) – White Asparagus
Asparagus are notorious for being somewhat tough to pair with a wine. Avoid red wines – they will lead to an unpleasant mix in your mouth! It would be the “anti-pairing”! The tannins would bring out the bitterness of the white asparagus. That bitterness needs a white wine and I prefer a semi-sweet as a general rule. Riesling and other Gewurztraminer wines would be good choices. After that, if there is a rich sauce to go with poached white asparagus (such as hollandaise or mousseline which involve eggs, butter, and perhaps cream), then I’ll opt for a semi-dry that goes more on the dry side. My preference goes back to Peter Hahn’s Vouvray. Depending on the vintage, the amount of residual sugar varies so that the result is either “dry” or “semi sweet”. https://lameslerie.com/en/shop/
Main Course: Lamb
A robust red wine was in order for such a special preparation as this farm-raised lamb (first cooked confit and then dry rubbed and finished on the barbeque). I selected Château Les Croisille Calcaire, 2016, an AOC Cahors, 100% Malbec red wine. Calcaire is so named because the soil of the parcel of land where the vines are located are dominantly made of limestone. What this brings to the wine is a freshness and minerality. But this wine is also robust and full of aging tannins which makes it a very interesting combination indeed. Château Les Croisille is an organic winery making very distinctive red wines. This wine was delicious with the lamb, fondant potatoes, mixed peppers and even the “Ranch style” sauce worked because it had a depth of flavors packed into it. I hope you get a chance to try it, either at our place, or on your own. It would also pair well with grilled steaks, duck magret and other hearty meats.
Enjoy, Eric