Red wine fan? Change your food, not your tipple this summer!
11 06 2008
It’s summer, you’re a red wine fan and while a big juicy steak is great every now and again, sometimes the weather calls for lighter foods such as chicken or fish.
I’ve found one of the best ways of transforming a white wine food into red wine food is the use of smoke.
But I’m not just talking about whacking it on a regular barbeque…oh no, that would be far too easy…if you’re feeling a bit ambitious try turning your barbeque into a mesquite smoker!
And should our not-so-trusty British sun fail to shine, you can easily use your oven to create exactly the same result.
Here’s how:
- Season your chicken or fish (salmon works particularly well)
- Line a deep frying pan with a double layer of aluminium foil
- Put in some mesquite chips & place a rack with the salmon on top over the chips
- Cover tightly with a foil lined cover to concentrate smoke on your food rather than your clothes & kitchen
- Place in the top of the oven on maximum for 15-20 mins (depending on food type)
White wonders step aside; this is a red wine food! Try serving with the 2003 Ch. Picard, St Estèphe. This is a wine of huge richness and depth showing all the hallmarks of one of the most successful St Estèphe vintages ever. Whatsmore the tannins are so ripe and soft, they simply melt away into this delicious wine and would be a beautiful accompaniment to the rich flavours yet delicate texture of the salmon.
(Image: Still life with Red Wine by Mauro Cellini)
Welcome to Berrys' Fine Wine Blog from 
[…]Here’s a quick excerptWhite wonders step aside; this is a red wine food! Try serving with the 2003 Ch. Picard, St Estèphe. This is a wine of huge richness and depth showing all the hallmarks of one of the most successful St Estèphe vintages ever. … […]
I’m a red wine fan and thought this was a really interesting post - tried the mesquite chips at home and it works amazingly well - thanks for the tip!!
@ Felix
Many thanks for your post. Glad you liked it - which food and wine did you choose to try out?
Smoked mesquite chicken with a Penfolds Cabernet - my wife and I thought it was fantastic.
Learn more about the various wine and food matches in http://vino.com!
Great site, I guarantee you.