Five classic red wine styles that can pair well with lamb
Pinot Noir
Tempranillo
Cabernet Sauvignon
Syrah / Shiraz
Sangiovese
What kind of wine goes well with lamb?
Many reds from the classic grape varieties, such as Pinot Noir, Tempranillo, Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon, are wonderful if you’re looking to pair wine with lamb.
We’ve focused mainly on reds below, but some fuller-bodied white and rosé wines can also work with red meat.
When matching wine with lamb it’s important to pay close attention to the cut of meat, plus how you are going to cook and serve it.
‘Lamb has quite a delicate texture, but is also quite rich and fatty,’ said master sommelier Kathrine Larsen-Robert MS, head of wine for Europe at members’ club 67 Pall Mall.
‘As such, pairing with a wine which has nice acid structure is important. Depending on the cut of lamb, and thus how full in flavour it is, I would go for a wine which is light to medium in body.’
Pinot Noir with young lamb – served pink
A Pinot Noir with bright fruit and earthy notes, such as from Burgundy or Oregon’s Willamette Valley, could be delicious with young lamb served pink, or leaner cuts.
Alternatively, how about upping the tempo with a vintage rosé Champagne?
A youthful, bold red wine that hasn’t yet mellowed with bottle age might swamp the lighter, tender lamb meat.
Remember, though, that food and wine pairing is highly subjective. Personal preference is a big part of the equation.
Wine with slow-cooked lamb shoulder
At 67 Pall Mall, Larsen-Robert said some Pinot Noirs pair well with the richness of slow-cooked lamb shoulder.
‘With a slow-cooked roast lamb shoulder, I would go for something with lots of acidity to cut through the rich sauce, but also with lots of fruit sweetness. This could be a Pinot Noir from New Zealand, for example.’
Of wines on 67 Pall Mall’s list, Larsen-Robert added: ‘I really like Felton Road Block 3 Pinot Noir, from a young vintage such as 2018 – great sweetness and fruit concentration, [and] great acidity to cut through the juicy texture and richness of the lamb.’
Decanter experts have also previously pointed to Grenache blends, including Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines, with a slow-roast shoulder of older lamb, too. Look for wines with a few years of bottle age to pair the meat’s gamey character.
Wine with a rack of lamb and lamb chops
‘A rack of lamb is a more muscley, firmer cut, but it also has a fuller flavour because it is close to the bone,’ said Larsen-Robert.
‘Thus, I would pair with something fuller in structure and flavour, such as a Pauillac [from Bordeaux].’
Individual lamb chops can offer a rich, fatty cut that is also full in flavour by virtue of being close to the bone, Larsen-Robert said.
‘I would go for a juicy wine with strong tannic structure, but that also possesses good fruit purity and freshness, such as Barolo or Barbaresco.’
‘You could also choose a more traditional style of Brunello [di Montalcino] without too much oak or extraction.’ Examples include ‘a Sesti from 2015 – a vintage showing good evolution now but which also has nice fruit concentration’.
Rioja with lamb: perfect harmony
Rioja is often lauded as a great match for lamb. This Spanish wine region is known for grilled lamb cooked over an open fire made from vine cuttings.
‘It’s extraordinarily good – the meat is young and tender and harmonises perfectly with the local Tempranillo-based wines,’ wrote food and wine expert Fiona Beckett in this Decanter article on pairing Rioja with food.
Cabernet Sauvignon with roast lamb served medium to well done
Roast lamb served medium to well done will be richer in flavour and not quite as tender. As a result, it can handle a fuller-bodied red wine.
Cabernet Sauvignon’s classic cassis fruit, tannic structure and backbone of acidity can make a delightful dining partner to a hearty roast lamb.
Frédéric Braud, chef at Château d’Issan in…
Source : https://www.decanter.com.master.public.keystone-prod-eks-euw1.futureplc.engineering/learn/food/wine-with-lamb-easter-food-matching-296118/
