It’ll be easy celebrating Saint David’s Day tomorrow. Dish out some lamb cutlets and you’re well on your way to a delicious meal and an excuse to open several bottles in hope of finding a wine to match. Because as a young cut of Welsh lamb is neither quite red meat or white it matches both red and white wine equally well, so pacifying the food-wine matching theorists who insist on matching red wine with red meat and white wine with white meat and fish.
Several glasses of fruity wine will help wash down any lamb dishes and the inherent fruitiness of top-selling varieties of Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio make them a good choice for a Welsh themed day. Their versatility also means they’ll match all manner of vegetarian meals, including the fried cheese, onion and breadcrumb snack known as the Glamorgan sausage.
If you’re planning on serving roast Welsh leg of lamb with some lightly cooked laverbread then the accompanying drink choice must really be Cabernet Sauvignon. This blackberry tasting white wine will match the roast’s meaty richness and cut through the seaweed’s saltiness.
Let’s not forget some more modern Welsh delicacies. The twentieth century saw the invention of Clark’s Pies, made famous to all who listen to the travel news on Radio Two. Their pies are enjoyed by Lynne Bowles, radio’s ‘Welsh travel totty’ and anyone with a passion for chunky pies with a filling of beef, vegetable and gravy. Enjoy with a fruity red, like Shiraz or Malbec, or a large pot of Welsh tea.
PG Wine Reviews
Glyndwr White, Welsh
£10.99 Waitrose, or direct from vineyard www.glyndwrvineyard.co.uk/order-wine £10.90
Made with the grape varieties Reichensteiner and Seyval Blanc, this Welsh white tastes of apple and peach. A low alcohol content too, at just 10%, keeps this wine light enough for lunch.
Glyndwr Red, Welsh
£12.99 Waitrose, or direct from vineyard www.glyndwrvineyard.co.uk/order-wine £14.90
Made with the increasingly popular red grape variety Rondo, this red tastes of cherries with a black pepper finish. Bit like a Chianti.
Glyndwr Sparkling Rosé Brut, Welsh
£19.99 Waitrose, or direct from vineyard www.glyndwrvineyard.co.uk/order-wine £19.90
Made in the same way as champagne but using grape varieties more suitable to the Welsh climate, this bubbly pink tastes of strawberries and digestives.
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Bordeaux Sauvignon Blanc 2014
£8 Sainsbury’s
Gooseberries.
Mission Estate New Zealand Syrah 2014
£13.50 Le Bon Vin (Sheffield shop and online)
Black pepper, juniper and violets – quite a combination that feels spicy and attractive.
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© Paula Goddard 2015 www.paulagoddard.com
