Fall Pairings: Burgers, Bourguignon, and a Curry Surprise

Ah yes, ’tis the season for bold reds! Fall is always a fun transition into hearty cuisine, and we need wines to match the body and flavor profiles of that cuisine. Admittedly, I’m still in burger mode some nights, and now the weather is cool enough (in upstate NY at least) to start breaking out the full-bodied reds. I’m firmly in Zinfandel camp here, but Cabernet, Syrah, and Italians like Dolcetto and Barbera will most certainly do the trick as well. We get the bacon/cheddar burger patties from the butcher counter at Fresh Market (they’re incredible), and the wines I’m into right now for those are Ridge “East Bench” Zinfandel, Martin Ray Synthesis Cabernet, Sottimano Dolcetto, and Vietti Barbera d’Alba “Trevigne.” These are all full-bodied reds with enough tannin, fruit, and acid to balance out the rich flavors of the burger.

Other fall favorites include Beef Bourguignon (beef stew), chicken pot pies, and meatloaf. However, I had a very unlikely pairing just last night that fascinated me. We made chicken with coconut curry, and I opened a bottle of Chambolle-Musigny made by a little-known producer by the name of Gilbert et Christine Felettig in Burgundy. My wife and I had a bottle at a bistro in Paris and absolutely loved it, and I found some through our pre-arrival offerings with our négociants, so I brought it in. I’d been wanting to try it again to see if it would live up to the Paris “Joie de Vivre” from when we were there, and I was less concerned about what I would be pairing with it. To my surprise, though, they both went together incredibly well! The coconut curry, for some reason, brought out some of the red fruit and cherry cola nuances in the wine and I found myself going back and forth between food and wine like I was studying for my Sommelier exam again! The only disappointment I found was when the bottle was empty!

For the heartier stew and meatloaf dishes, Bordeaux is always a lovely pairing as it brings out the earthier nuances in the wine, and the wine accents the richness and herbal qualities coming from the meat. Chicken pot pie I would say is probably the most versatile to pair with wine, as you can go with whites like Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco, light reds like Pinot Noir and even Nebbiolo, or you can grab the full-bodied reds like Napa Valley Cabernet (aim for mountain-grown wines here), Bordeaux, or a Tempranillo from Rioja or Ribera del Duero. Obviously these are the tip of the iceberg in the pairing world for these dishes, but honestly, half the fun and excitement is trying a new wine you HAVEN’T had with the dish before. You never know when you’ll be (pleasantly) surprised!