The best wines to pair with slow-cooked meals
Winter is the season of the one-pot wonder, a wonderfully hassle-free way to prepare a delicious, savoury meal that is ideal for families and good for the soul … especially when matched with a big, flavoursome wine!
You simply can’t beat the rich flavours that develop over a number of hours on the stove, not to mention the delightful aromas that drift from the kitchen to fill the house on a cold winter’s day – it’s an approach to cuisine that really does warm the heart and home.
Read on to discover the best wines to match with those wonderful, slow-cooked flavours!
BEEF BOURGUIGNON
Beef bourguignon is just one more thing we have to thank the French for. Photo: Wine Selectors
Few things can compare with the fragrance of a pot of garlic and wine-infused beef, simmering away from morning till dusk.
This delicious, slow-cooked French classic shows deep and complex flavours that are best paired with a wine that shows similar attributes.
For this reason, we like it with Pinot Noir, creating a flavour combination that’s more than the sum of its parts.
Prefer a white wine? Try a full-bodied Chardonnay.
VEGETABLE TAGINE
A delicious tagine brings the flavours of North Africa to your table. Photo: Wine Selectors
Healthy and bursting with flavour yet not heavy or overly rich, a classic Moroccan vegetable tagine is an absolute delight when enjoyed with medium-bodied, unoaked white styles like Fiano or Vermentino thanks to their complementary textures.
Richer-style or aged whites like Riesling are also superb companions to this essential North African dish.
COQ AU VIN
Another timeless French classic, Coq Au Vin is the perfect dish for a wine pairing. Photo: Wine Selectors
A French staple where the chicken is slow-cooked in wine with mushrooms and other delectables (the name literally means ‘rooster in wine’), Coq au Vin is best matched with a light red like Grenache, or rich Chardonnay for a pairing that – like the best one pot meals – is so, so much greater than the sum of its parts.
For an all-rounder, you can’t beat the food-friendly nature of Rosé with this dish.
OSSO BUCCO
Try osso bucco for an Italian classic that is rich and satisfying. Photo: Wine Selectors
Osso bucco is an Italian slow-food superstar packed with flavour.
Textural and complex, it’s ideal to enjoy with wines that share similar attributes.
Our suggestion – go with medium-weight, savoury reds like Barbera, Sangiovese or Tempranillo for the ultimate flavour experience.
BRAISED LAMB SHANKS
Mouth-wateringly tender and positively dripping with flavour, lamb shanks are the ideal winter meal. Photo: Wine Selectors
A genuine slow-cooked sensation, braised lamb shanks is a much-loved dish that lends itself to the more tannic red varieties, as the tannins give a nice, robust foundation to balance fattier cuts of meat.
The high tannins in Cabernet Sauvignon make for a match made in heaven with this tender, slow-cooked lamb favourite.
There you have it – your ultimate starter to pairing slow-cooked food and wine.
Set the stove to low, pour yourself a glass … and prepare your palate for a winter feast like no other.