This was a case of the winemaker Match like with like Flavourful foods need flavourful wines. Try rich and flavoursome foods with intense wines, like asking rather than being asked, when the latest Tahbilk 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz with red meat casseroles or venison steak. Similarly, delicately flavoured foods go with delicate wines, like oysters and scallops with the Tahbilk winemaker Neil Larson Tahbilk 2019 Marsanne, or chicken in a rich creamy sauce with the richness of Tahbilk 2012 ‘Museum Release’ Marsanne. suggested some golden rules for food Keep it clean. The fattier the dish the better it is to match with a wine which will cut through the oily flavours. and wine matching would be worth Try a wine with tannins and/or acid. For example, Osso Bucco matched to a full bodied Tahbilk ‘Eric Stevens Purbrick’ 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon or beer battered fish and chips with a crisp sharing with our Wine Club Members. and higher-acid white like the Tahbilk 2019 Riesling. Just remember fattiness and flavour intensity in food are different taste sensations and need different wines to bring out their best. Remember, if you do have a question Think about acidity Lots of acid in your food like a lemon chicken or a lemony pasta, may require a like-for-like for a winemaker, please email me at wine solution. You can pair this with a wine to match and highlight the acidity, like the Tahbilk 2013 ‘1927 Vines’ Marsanne – you’ll just have to wait until mid-October to do so … it will be worth johnpurbrick@tahbilk.com.au and I will the wait. Just don’t mix an acidic wine with creamy food; they usually clash. The spice challenge! ask and share with all here. Highly spiced food is challenging to match with wine. Generally, if the spice is not too overwhelming, you’re probably best to match with something “sweeter” like the Tahbilk 2018 Food and wine matching is more of an Verdelho, but if it’s super spiced and red meat based, try a really intense spicy, Tahbilk 2017 Shiraz … another example of a like-for-like wine solution. art then a science. It’s all about Choose the moment balancing the style, flavours and If you are having a pizza on a Friday night, there is no need to take your ‘Eric Stevens Purbrick’ Shiraz out of the wine fridge. Look towards a Dalfarras 2018 Sangiovese or Tahbilk 2017 intensity of the wine with the food and Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre and save ‘Eric’ for that 4-hour slow roasted wagyu beef rib. the following rules generally hold up: Last but not least, the most important thing is to not take it too seriously, to experiment, try new things and drink the wines you like best. Try choosing a wine you would like to drink and match it back to something you would like to cook. 10