Wine is an integral part of gastronomy and it is a pleasure to combine flavours. There are many different meats and just as many recipes to go with them. And the wine?
Wine and poultry
The wine that will always pair perfectly with poultry is a light red wine. A Gamay or Barbera will perfectly respect the delicate meat of the chicken.
With roast chicken , a crisp, acidic white wine, such as a Riesling , counterbalances the oily, crunchy side of the skin. It can also be paired with a rosé. Cooked with tomatoes, it is perfect with a slightly tannic red like a Gamay. A turkey cutlet can also be accompanied with a creamy white wine like Chardonnay. Roasted quagli goes well with a not too tannic red wine, or a rich white wine, such as Viognier.
Wine and lamb
The lamb meat is powerful and offers strong and persistent flavours. The wine that accompanies it must hold its own and offer good structure and length in the mouth. Spicy and powerful wines go well here, such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah . A wine stored for a few years will offer a beautiful structure, ennobled by maturity.
Beef and red meat
Red meat , with a more powerful taste, requires wines that do not hide behind this flavour. Tannic and spicy reds or wines aged in oak barrels are generally perfect for this type of meat. But as always, the cooking and the recipe will really determine the choice.
A rib of beef is a meat with character, to be combined with tannic and fine, woody and full-bodied wines. For example, wines that have been aged in barrels.
With a rump steak we will prefer finer and fruitier wines, such as a Pinot Noir . As with raw meat, such as a carpaccio or a tartare , we avoid overly full-bodied reds and prefer a light wine such as Gamay.
For the roast , fruity and tannic reds will perfectly match the tenderness of the meat. A Cabernet Franc is absolutely a good wine for this type of meat.
Pork and white meats
Just like poultry, white meat goes well with white or red. However, the latter should not have too many tannins. The arrangement will evolve based on the type of meat and the preparation.
Pork is a thin meat, which does not appreciate the company of tannins too much. Instead, he will prefer the company of fruity white wines or light reds (Gamay).
Veal is particularly delicate. It requires a light red, capable of offering tannins such as a Pinot Noir or a Merlot . Even a fine white wine like a Sauvignon Blanc will do.
Rabbit
The firm flesh of the rabbit is usually cooked with savory seasonings. This gives the rabbit great matching possibilities. Generally we will choose a soft red, or a more incisive white.
A rabbit with hunter's sauce (based on white wine and mushrooms) has a marked acidity and the wine must be able to accompany this combination. We will therefore choose a rather acidic and mineral white wine. Ideal if the wine is already of a certain maturity (3-4 years).
Rabbit cooked in red wine sauce will need a slightly tannic red wine to accompany it. A Gamay or Pinot Noir will do just fine.