Match of the week

Coq au riesling and Alsace riesling

Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on December 21 2015 at 12:54

One category of wine pairings that pretty well always works are ‘terroir-based’ matches - in other words wine and food combinations that have grown up with each other - and this week’s is one of those.

The dish was on offer at the newly opened Bellanger in Islington, which has a menu with a distinctly Alsatian twist (as in hailing from Alsace rather than dog-themed, obviously) You can order it for one, two or four - an extravagant touch which I rather enjoyed. We indulgently accompanied it with pommes aligot, an outrageously rich potato purée.

Choosing a wine to go with it was a bit of a no-brainer. It had to be Alsace riesling - a half bottle of Les Fossiles 2014 from Mittnacht Frères, as we were drinking quite modestly. It matched it quite perfectly - sometimes it pays not to reinvent the wheel.

Bellanger by the way is a delight - a typical Corbin & King restaurant: wood-panelled. flatteringly lit and super-glamourous. If you like their other restaurants (The Wolseley, The Delaunay, Fischer’s et al) you'll adore it. It is comparatively pricey for Islington, though. It will be interesting to see how they get on though my friend Thane looks like she may keep it in business single-handedly.

If you’d like be able to check out all the food and wine pairings on the site you can buy a bundle of credits here to access my premium content.

And/or for regular updates on what and where I’ve been eating, drinking and travelling sign up for my weekly newsletter Eat This, Drink That, Live Well.