Match of the week

Beef stew and Bordeaux

Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on February 5 2019 at 08:12

Coming home to the UK after 10 days in the Caribbean was a bit of a shock to the system especially when we were snowed in on Friday so I leapt at a neighbour’s invitation to come round for a hearty beef stew.

I took round a bottle I’d been tasting, the 2015 Chateau Castera Cru Bourgeois Médoc, which paired with it perfectly although the stew was actually made with beer rather than wine. Although not cheap (£17.50 online at Exel Wines) it was an exceptionally well balanced wine (a blend of 65% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% each Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot) and, it turned out, a platinum medal winner at last year’s Decanter World Wine Awards.

It proves again that classic British roasts and casseroles go really well with claret - which, of course, accounts for its historic popularity in the UK.

For other options with Médoc see What food to pair with red Bordeaux

The picture is a stock image, not the dish we had at my friend's!

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