Something of a Spanglish dish this one – lamb, garlic and herbs very Spanish; mint jelly, oh so British! In Spain, think lamb – think Rioja, and you can’t go too far wrong. However the mint jelly can be a problem as it tends to strip wine of its fruitiness.
Therefore rather than a super Rioja Gran Reserva which, without the mint,
Oh Dear, Presenter Noelle's glass is empty!
would be wonderful I’d go for a quality ‘roble’ Rioja – i.e. a young very fruity Rioja with only a little time in wood; or Bodegas Luis Alegre’s oh so fruity new Parcela No. 5 wine would be excellent.
Finally, those who like me, often prefer Ribera del Duero wines to La Rioja, may like to try one of their better juicy, fruit-laden offerings which will have sufficient fruit content to be able to lose a little because of the mint and yet still have plenty to spare for this succulent herb infused lamb.
Strange is right, but I’d like to try it! And with this eclectic concoction I’d go for a rosado, the more so if the salsa used is the Greek Yoghurt and Apple one that Noelle enjoyed.
Rosado wines so often have that lovely fruit appeal. The wine needs to be dry but with bags of fruit to go along with the melon and pineapple. However it must also have some body to match the bacon.
A wine made from black grapes, but where the juice has been left for a short time with the skins will have some of the attributes of red wine to match the bacon but also the fruit necessary for this ‘unusual’ dish!
Enjoy!Presenters, Noelle and Bob, drinking on the job!
Sunday Brunch Presenters, Noelle and Bob, enjoy the recommended wine!
Gazpacho: that lovely Andalucian chilled soup, such a refreshing and tasty starter – I love it! We could have a choice of different white wines to match this dish, ones with an acidy to make a mark on the various vegetables used as well as the garlic. Whites from DO Penedés or DO Alella would go well. But I often find that a wine/food colour match works well too.
The tomatoes will give the dish its main colour so I’m going to go with a Rosado, which in colour should be quite a nice match but also because Bodegas Sierra Salinas’ Mo Rosado 2009 has the necessary acidity as well as a complementary fruit flavour too.
Aunty Noelle’s Weird Salad: wow, this is a hard task! Smoked Bacon and Chicken are very different flavours in the first place but add fruit to the brew as well as Balsamic vinegar and a touch of bitterness from the rocket and you have a challenge for wine.
However I think I have the answer – a completely new style wine and indeed a new wine from La Rioja. Bodegas Luis Alegre has made an exceptionally fruity wine from very young vines whose grapes have been treated rather specially. Koden 2008 is a new release from this modern, forward thinking bodega and I’m sure it will be really good with this ‘wierd salad’!
There are reds that will fare quite well with this dish, some fruit-driven, juicy Syrah/Shiraz with sweet tannins, or perhaps a Tempranillo in a similar style. However given the heat of the chilli, the chicken and the orange juice and zest, as well as the apricots or sultanas and finally the rice which will absorb all these multifarious flavours I’d opt for a white wine.
Presenters, Noelle and Bob, get to grips with the recommended wine - and each other!
A safe bet would be a Verdejo from DO Rueda. For me, Verdejo, the grape variety that shares some of the fruit characteristics of Sauvignon Blanc also has an extra vegetal dimension – a combination that would work here.
However you might like to go off piste a little and try one of the Chardonnay/Sauvignon Blanc blends that are now appearing. Try Bodegas Vicente Gandía Plá’s version, which for me has quite an apricot nose.
