Pie, pie, pie, Delilah By Mikey on March 7th, 2022 in Blog Spread the loveIt’s International Pie Week and we’ve got a selection of dry wines to accompany your favourite savoury, pastry-topped dishes. We travel from Argentina to California, spend a while there, then hotfoot it to Spain via Portugal. Steak & Kidney Pudding/ Pie One many would describe as the daddy of meat pies, Steak and Kidney has the wow factor. While a big Cabernet Sauvignon or weighty Shiraz/ Syrah would be an obvious choice, how about something more left-field? Bodega Malma brings us Finca La Papay Pinot Noir. Being that rarest of beasts – a good pinot noir for less than £15 – this has week-day drinking written all over it. With its spicy, leathery, earthy notes contrasting with full, ripe, red fruit flavours, this ticks all the boxes for a most harmonious pairing. Cheese, Potato and Onion Pithivier High acid to cut through the fat? Check. Good citrus and stone fruit to balance? Check. Some dried herbs, smoke and bell pepper to add extra interest? Check. Honig’s Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc is a very serious bit of winemaking. Balancing great winemaking skill with a lightness of touch, this Estate’s highly regarded, all-female winemaking team makes wines both complex and easy-drinking. And with an ethos that’s all about biodiversity and caring for the environment, Honig’s wines are noteworthy for more than just great flavour. Kale, Mushroom and Chestnut Pie Here we marry earthy and savoury characteristics. Peter Franus is an experienced Californian winemaker with a network of growers from whom he picks the best grapes. His Red Hills Mourvèdre is from a single vineyard site in Napa Valley. With flavours of blackcurrant, black cherries and plums, clove and nutmeg, smoke, leather and a pleasing umami character to the finish, this is a serious bottle of wine. That leathery, smokey, umami nature makes it ideal with mushrooms. The lovely layered fruit flavours ensure you’re not overcome by savouriness. The bright acidity it has keeps your mouth watering and coming back for more. As we like to say, it’s a proper banger. Shepherd’s Pie A quintessentially British dish that conjures images of windswept Yorkshire moors, log fires and heavy woollen sweaters. What better wine to accompany it than a big, fruity, West Coast American? Well, why go with the obvious? Ghost Pines Zinfandel is a multi-award-winning wine from a variety that can be described as California’s red grape. Very closely related to or the same as Southern Italy’s Primitivo (depending on who you speak to). This grape loves warm weather and can survive on very little rainfall. There is a dark fruit intensity but it is restrained, the acidity is high which balances the fruit and the tannins are supple and smooth. All this marries perfectly with the rich minced lamb, sweet carrot and onion of the noble Shepherd’s Pie. Fish Pie Another pretender to the crown, Fish Pie often trumps its meatier cousins in the popularity stakes. Humble in origin, this wonderful mashed-potato-topped treat can be elevated with some seriously posh seafood. So why not take your wine pairing ‘uptown’? Quinta da Pedra Alta Reserva Branco is a blend of white grape varieties native to Portugal which are rarely if ever, grown outside of the country. From vineyards benefitting from the cooling effects of altitude, high up in the Douro Valley, each of these varieties offers unique elements to the blend. Clever use of oak and time spent on lees (the dead yeast cells that impart a buttery quality) give this wine a wonderful layered quality. Honey and buttered toast with peach and white blossom are the headline flavours. Add in a lovely creamy texture and you have a wine that will go very well with fish pie. Vegetable Dahl Pie Spice is always an excellent choice when making meat-free food for confirmed carnivores. The tricky bit is finding a wine that stands up to and compliments all those big flavours. Look no further! Spanish orange wine is here to save the day. Azul y Garanza Naturaleza Salvaje Blanco has all this in spades. Lychee, mandarin peel, wildflower meadow, fresh oregano and white pepper come together uniquely and wonderfully. All this adds up to an incredible companion to spicy food with chilli heat. Trust us, you cannot go wrong with this first-rate bit of organic, orange winemaking.
