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The Yarra Valley boasts an enormous range of food producers, many welcoming you at their farm gate. Cheese, trout, pasta, berries and even chocolate are on offer. One of the best ways to sample and buy is to visit the Yarra Valley Farmers Market, held at Yering Station on the third Sunday of every month, from 10am-2pm.
Yarra Valley wine and food are natural partners. Whilst exact pairing can simply be a matter of opinion, there are some guidelines worth considering to get the most out of your dining experience.
The dictum "white wine with white meat and red wine with red meat" is a good starting point but be prepared to experiment. Chardonnay can be delicious with pork and Pinot Noir or Merlot with roast chicken!
The overarching principle is to match the "weight" of the food and wine – delicate fish dish goes with a delicate wine (probably an aromatic white or rose). A rich casserole is happiest with a robust wine (think Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon).
Drilling down to the main flavour types, the following guidelines are useful.
Salty food can negate the fruit flavour in wine, so should be paired with aromatic, fruity wines with good acidity, a hint of sweetness and preferably unoaked. Riesling, Rosé and Gewurtztraminer work well.
Sweet food can also mask the wine's fruit flavour or residual sugar, so the wine seems quite dry. The trick here is to ensure that the sweetness of the food roughly matched the sweetness of the wine. Simple fruit dishes might work well with a sparkling wine but most other desserts demand dessert wines such as late picked or botrytis whites. Chocolate works best with Port, Muscat or Tokay.
Spicy food should only be served with wine if the heat levels are mild to moderate. Try sweet, fruity, wines and avoid high alcohol, oaked wines. You'll be amazed how spicy food negates the sweetness so even if you’re not normally a sweet wine drinker – try a late harvest white, Rosé or sweeter sparkling wine.
Smoked foods overwhelm most wines, so go for a fruity, rich wine which is either unoaked or lightly oaked. Pinot Grigio or Merlot are worth trying.
Cheese and wine pairing is challenging, given the vast array of cheese styles. As a general rule, match the 'weight' of the cheese to the wine. For example, goat's cheese is delicious with Sauvignon Blanc and Roquefort is perfect with a powerful dessert wine.
Wine in moderation!
Wine in moderation has been proven to good for you! If you'd like to know more about wine and health, visit the Australian Wine Institute. |
