Food

When it comes to these tacos that you can eat all day every day, it's best to find a wine that invokes the same feeling. 

Avid readers of my site (hey Mum & Dad) might remember me talking about the Picardy Pinot Noir recently and how awesomely good it is. Well, luckily for me I also have two bottles of their Chardy. Hot damn is this magical! After tasting the Pinot I got my boy Dan to send me over some of the Chardy too. Now my already bulging wine cellar is screaming out for six more! 

Can't have party food without something to drink - can we?? Good party food is definitely bubbles but bubbles is such a cop-out. Let's make it a little more interesting and go with a deliciously juicy Riesling. 

There is nothing better than a cooler evening, a bowl of Wild Mushroom Risotto and a bottle of pinot in hand. Well, the glass in hand but the bottle pretty close to hand too. It's a cracking match. This week thanks to my buddy Dan at winedirect.com.au, I am sipping a Picardy Pinot Noir. This Pinot comes out of Pemberton in WA. In fact, it's my first Pinot from WA. Thanks Dan, you gave me my first. 

If you are a fan of Rhone grapes/wines then I have just the one for you. Coming in at AUS $30, $27 if you are smart enough to head to winedirect.com.au! The Schwarz GSM is UBER drinkable.  2017 wasn't the best vintage in Barossa but what the guys have done at the Schwarz company is a wine that you would think came from one of the better vintages! You get notes of soft red fruit, violet, mulberries, and licorice too alongside juicy tannins, perfectly balanced acidity, and a touch of oak. With ratings of 94 points from both Huon Hooke & Nick Butler, it's defo a great drop. 

A good burger doesn’t simply just require beer – especially one of this caliber!! For me, I am ALL about a good shiraz with my burger. Something bold, beautiful, and powerful (but not to the point where I can only drink 1/2 the bottle). 

The all-important Q - what wine should I drink as I cook this, whilst I eat it and open another bottle afterwards!!  This one was SIMPLE.  Chalk Hill Fiano from McLaren Vale.  I picked this one up from winedirect.com.au from my buddy Dan - a half-decent dude who might steer you in the right direction when choosing wine. ;) 

This week I am sipping on a Semillon from First Creek in the Hunter Valley.  Semillon is a thing of beauty really.  Drunk young it's fresh with juicy acidity, apple, pear, and loads of bright citrus notes.  Kept in the cellar and it will reward you in 5, 10, and 20 years.  As it develops it gets (I think) a little grassy, the acidity is less prominent and notes of honey start to form.  Pick this up from winedirect.com.au at a bargain of $22 a bottle and the only thing you will complain about is having not bought 6-12 bottles! 

I'm gonna ruffle a few feathers here with this one and go MERLOT!!! Mer-what? I know, I know, merlot hasn't got the best of reputations these days but honest to god there are some crackers out there! Often massed produced and definitely overdone in California at least it has grown out of popularity somewhat. WELL, prepare to have your mind changed in a matter of mls!! 

Riesling would be my first choice for this salmon dish, winedirect.com.au came through with an absolute CRACKER! Patrick of Coonawarra 2012 aged Riesling, this has to be one of the best rieslings I've tasted in a while.

This stew is packed with earthy flavours filled with mushrooms, turnips and carrots. Tomato paste helps to add more body and those delicious herby dumplings on top make it a complete dish. Hungry yet?

The pairing isn’t necessarily for the sauce but more the sauce and the steak! It’s hard to pair a wine just with a sauce. Probably because it’s been a while I just ate sauce for dinner.