All You Need to Know About Food and Red Wine Matching – Rogue Vintner
Red Wine Jus - Gone Rogue Mash Up Red
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All You Need to Know About Food and Red Wine Matching


All You Need to Know About Food and Red Wine Matching. 

Do you get nervous when choosing a bottle of wine when you’ve invited friends to your house? Do you wander the aisles of the bottle shop wishing the perfect wine pairing for your slow cooked lamb shanks would just jump out at you? Have no fear! The Rogue has got your back!

When it comes to food and wine matching, the Rogue believes you should drink the wines you enjoy! If you feel like a Riesling and you want to drink it with your steak dinner .. then GO FOR IT! 

The Rogue doesn’t care how you mix your food and wine. Rogue has no rules. Just be Rogue.

But the Rogue also gets it... when it comes to food and wine pairing it can be stressful. No one wants to feel silly by pairing the wrong wine with their meal. But really, life just shouldn't be this hard! So go with your gut (or stomach) and go Rogue. Do what you like, not what you’re supposed to do!

 

Let's break down food and wine matching Rogue style.

The Rogue’s message is this: 

Enjoy the wine, enjoy the meal and most certainly enjoy the company!

That said, there are a couple of really easy pairings you can consider the next time you want to impress your dinner guests!

Hard cheeses and fattier cuts of red meat pair well with fuller-bodied red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. And I’m not being too Rogue when I reckon a juicy steak and a big bold red are a match made in heaven. That’s my kind of combo.

If you’re feeling a little mediteranean and looking to pair a wine with your pasta dish, slow-cooked meats or roast veggies, look no further than a medium-bodied red wine like Gone Rogue Mash Up Red! Or add a touch of Spanish flare with a delicious Tempranillo.

 Lighter-bodied red wines like a Grenache or Pinot Noir lend themselves to lighter meats such as salmon and chicken or the earthiness of some pan-fried mushrooms. Then there are those that believe the likes of Ron Swanson (Parks & Recreation), that “fish is basically a vegetable and should not be eaten!”... we’ll leave you to be the judge of that!

But if you can’t remember any of that, you can’t go wrong with this simple rule, … balance the weight of the food to the weight of the wine! Light dishe - use a light wine (Riesling, Pinot Grigio), medium weighted food - use a medium weighted wine ( Gone Rogue Mash Up Red, lightly oaked Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Grenache) and for big heavy meals - enjoy big heavy wines (Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon).

 

Impress with a delicious Red Wine Jus.

If you really want to impress, then why not spare a little of your red wine as a part of the meal. They say you should only cook with wine you would drink - so that bit is easy; use whatever is in your hand, and pour it straight from the bottle if you don’t fancy a measuring cup! 

When I’m trying to be a little bit cool and fancy up a meal, I like to splash out with a delicious red wine jus.

 A red wine jus is a reduction that is typically served with lamb, steak, roast beef or duck - but do with it what you want! It even works well with Bangers & Mash.

 

Here’s a Red Wine Jus recipe fresh out of the Rogue Test Kitchen

This Red Wine Jus has been tried and tested by the team in the Rogue Test Kitchen. We recommend making it with the Gone Rogue Mash Up Red (of course), but you can use any red wine you have handy.

Ingredients:

  • Spring Onions
  • Cooking oil of choice (a neutral one like grapeseed oil is good)
  • Red Wine - Gone Rogue Mash Up Red
  • Rosemary 
  • Bay Leaf
  • Homemade beef or veal stock (or get some from your butcher)
  • Port Wine (optional)
  • Butter

Add a couple of tablespoons of oil in the bottom of a saucepan. Chop a few spring onions and gently cook them over a medium heat. Once they have softened and become a bit translucent, add a healthy splash of Gone Rogue Mash Up Red (around a cup or more, depending on the quantity you require). 

Just simmer the liquid on a low heat and add a few herbs, hopefully from your garden, like a couple of sprigs of Rosemary and bay leaf or two. If you have some port open, you could throw in a splash of that too. 

Simmer away until the liquid reduces by about half, then you can add some stock, preferably homemade beef or veal stock if you have it, but don’t let that stress you out, as store bought is just fine! Add around a cup or so.  

Let this simmer away over a low heat until it too reduces by half. This will take several minutes, don’t rush it! Have a little sit down while the jus does its stuff.

As it reduces it will thicken to the point where it coats the back of a spoon. At this point the real fun begins and you can add some shine and deep flavour to your jus with a dollop of cold butter. You want the butter to emulsify slowly so using cold is best and will make your jus super luxurious and silky! 

You don't need to be a connoisseur of wine or use fancy descriptors like overtones, and lifted notes to enjoy food and wine. Pairing food and wine should be fun! 

If you follow these simple rules, you will be certain to enjoy your wine and food combination! 

But don't stress. Be bold. Be brave. And if you need to, go Rogue!

Red Wine jus - Gone Rogue Mash Up Red

contact Importers & Distributors 

USA Importer (Vinovator label)

Artisans & Vines
Contact: Eric Platt
Cell: +1 301-802-0293
eric.platt@artisansandvines.com
www.artisansandvines.com

 

Norway importer (Permission to Pivot)
Oslo Wine Agency
Contact: Adreas Bjornstad
+47 99305047
andreas@oslowineagency.no
www.oslowineagency.no