Match of the week

Sauvignon blanc and salsa verde

Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on September 6 2022 at 14:00

Sauvignon blanc might not strike you as the obvious wine to pair with lamb but when it’s accompanied by a salsa verde, as it was in this dish we made at a cookery class at the Square Food Foundation* last week it can work really well.

That makes sense as sauvignon blanc has a real affinity with herbs. Salsa verde is an Italian sauce made from chopped herbs such as mint, parsley, and basil along with garlic, capers, anchovies and mustard - so it’s really quite punchy. This is Jamie Oliver’s version which is pretty classic.

Red wine -especially Chianti, as you can see from this previous pairing - works really well but we were tasting a new range of wines called Spoke from New Zealand winemaker Ben Glover which includes three sauvignon blancs. I particularly liked the more complex, textured ‘Brink’ sauvignon-semillon and oaked ‘Resolute’ wines with it which will be available shortly from Red & White. Guessing white Bordeaux and sauvignon/semillon blends from Australia's Margaret River region would work too.

For other sauvignon blanc pairings click here

*Square Food Foundation is a Bristol-based charity that offers free cooking sessions and chef training for disadvantaged adults and community groups alongside private and corporate cooking classes.

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