Mistakes happen…not all things work the way you plan…
The evening I did this tasting I had a plan in mind for what we were going to eat. I had defrosted a Pheasant from the freezer and in my mind – a light braise of vegetables with white wine, tomato & a not so healthy dose of Pancetta had me feeling that it should work as a pairing for the dish.
To my annoyance, it did not work as well as I would have hoped, the tomatoes were a touch too acidic for the Fleurie and whether I did not render the fat from the pancetta enough or have enough inherent sweetness from the additional vegetables the flavours clashed on the palate.
It was akin to a Barbershop quartet with 25% of the group suffering with timing issues, everything was there but the ratios were off and the end result did not harmonise effectively. Both components on their own were sensational there was just a little misstep in the execution.
This is an important point for me to convey because mistakes will happen and I do not feel any desire to hide what is my life in wine and food exploration. If something doesn’t work I’m going to know about it and it is going to be an experience to have to adjust and find something that does work.
What did end up working came in the form of Pâté – riding in heroically, as if to the rescue, this delicious little morsel of Duck Livers, Pork, Butter & Seasoning fixed everything that had been wrong the previous day in a moment of delightful pre-dinner noshing.
Spread liberally over a cut-in-half, toasted crumpet, the inherent sweetness of the fats & meat along with the light iron notes of the liver, gave counterbalance to a wine rich with Fruit and Acidity but light in tannin.
If I wasn’t acutely aware I was in a garden, in the West Midlands; the sunshine, the Pâté and the crispness of this lovely Red Wine would have delivered me straight to Beaujolais.
This is all I am going to write this week – the tasting and video are an enjoyable watch, you have my pairing and you hopefully will give it all a try.
Have a great week
Eat & Drink with Love
All the best
Goose
PS - I might take a break this week from Filming but I will update the Blog and the wine choice; if I am able to!
M&S FLEURIE
PAUL SAPIN
BEAUJOLAIS, FRANCE
2018
THE PAIRING
First Attempt - Braised Pheasant, Pancetta & Vegetables w/ Risotto Bianco
Second Attempt - Duck Liver Pâté
