Match of the week

Red cabbage and shiraz

Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on November 6 2023 at 09:07

You might not think red cabbage was a sufficiently important part of a meal to dictate a wine pairing but it’s one of those rare sides that really makes a difference to the wine you choose (ratatouille being another).

By and large it steers you in the direction of a red which is fine by me at this time of year.

I served it the other night with Norwegian-style meatballs with a creamy gravy and mash and a glass of The Hedonist shiraz which you can buy from Waitrose at the time of writing on a 25% discount which brings it down from £14.99 to £11.49. And it was absolutely spot on, picking out all the fruity notes in the cabbage which also included apple and cranberries

To be honest I think other medium to full-bodied fruity reds would work just as well - Dolcetto for example or a Central Otago Pinot noir - generally more recent rather than older vintages. I’m not sure I’d drink a mature Bordeaux with red cabbage for example.

If you like red cabbage here's an extra bonus it brings to the party.

Here are some other good pairings for Australian shiraz.

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