Recipes and Wine Pairing

What goes well with sparkling wine?  Sparkling wine accompanies nearly every celebration – and a successful food and wine pairing is sure to delight and entertain your guests even more. But here’s the thing. You can’t just pair sparkling wine with any old nibbles you have in the cupboard. The saltiness in salted crisps and other finger-foods will make the natural acidity in many sparkling wines overwhelmingly tart. If the food pairing is too sweet, you could make Möet & Chandon taste cheap. Here are the key characteristics of sparkling wines: High acidity is common in many sparkling wines Aroma...

Salt & pepper squid is one of my all time favourite things to eat. I have always wanted to know how to make this dish.  The squid is yummy and the topping is also so versatile! This squid dish is a great SBS wine pairing. It goes really well with our Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon (SBS) 2016 because this SBS is medium intensity, and blends well with the squid which has rich but not intense flavours. So I managed to persuade Lai Kuan (who kindly comes up with recipes for us!) to make some. She was most reluctant as she doesn't like to deep fry at home but alas...

What goes well with dessert wine? As the name suggests: dessert wines go well with dessert. Dessert wines are much sweeter than table wines. They’re not fortified like sherry or port. But while fortified wines are traditionally drunk before or after a meal, dessert wines are built to go with dessert. Dessert wines get their sweetness from added sugars, fungal infections aka ‘noble rot’ or by sun-drying harvested grapes as with cane cut wines in Australia or straw wines in France and Spain. Dessert wines have the following characteristics: Dessert wines are sweeter (10-15% ABV) than table wines Dessert wines often...

What goes well with Chardonnay wine? Chardonnay is one of the top five wine grapes planted across the world. But the actual taste of Chardonnay grapes is surprisingly neutral. What you taste in the glass depends greatly on winemaking style and wine terroir. Here are the main characteristics to know: Chardonnay grown in cool climates has noticeable acidity and flavours of plum apple and pear Chardonnay grown in warmer climates has more citrus, peach and melon aromas Chardonnay grown in very hot climates has tropical fruit aromas like banana and mango Oaked and aged Chardonnay allows for great malolactic fermentation, which leads...

What goes well with Cabernet Sauvignon? Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted wine grape in the world. You’ll find Cabernet Sauvignon in every supermarket, restaurant wine menu and at most wine tasting events. So learning what goes well with Cabernet Sauvignon when food and wine pairing will be very rewarding. Characteristics of Cabernet Sauvignon wines: High tannins which add texture, bitterness and astringency Noticeable acidity which adds tartness and vibrancy Ageing potential for several decades Aroma profile of blackcurrant, cedar and mint in cooler climates, black cherry and black olive in moderate climates and ‘jammy’ aromas in hot climates...

Rosé wine has a delicate flavour. Its fragrances and perfumes can get drowned out. That's why a superb rosé wine pairing is often fresh, with a balance of umami, sweet and salty flavours.  The delicate, layered 2018 Rosé at UMAMU Estate was oaked for four months to give it spicy, cedary and tobacco notes. This makes it such a great rosé wine pair for the flavours below. Ingredients: Yamba prawnsProsciutto Rock melonRaspberriesOysters Trout roe Method: A yummy simple dish to assemble and put together. Fresh cooked yamba prawns. Your favourite prosciutto and rock melon. And top with some raspberries.