JERK!

…grilled chicken. Anyone want to suggest a pairing besides Hooray Beer?

I was hoping this was going to be a Chicken-thing and not a “Doh! I spilled red wine on a white carpet at my boss’s house” kind of subject.

Pairing is kind of tough because of the heat. I am sure people will say beer. For me, I will say nicely acidic white wine, and dry German might work along with a demi-sec chenin blanc. I’d stay away from chardonnay or heavy Rhone whites because you don’t want the alcohol to combat the heat.

Sparkling Garnacha based Rosado Cava, trust me!

I like to tame the heat with a little sweetness. All but the driest Chenin Blancs would probably work. Any of the Huet’s, demi-sec Foreau, many of the sweeter Chidaines come to mind. A sparkler would also be great. Any of the Bugey sparkling Gamays would be perfect!

Zinfandel and Rose work well for me. Will try the Chenin idea.

I’ve pulled a Spätlese Riesling. I considered Zin or something similar like Languedoc-Roussillon to accentuate the heat.
Why the face?

In the interest of science I’ll try both.

Brings back memories of Jamaica mon. First time trying jerk chicken and I could not
stop eating it. We hired a driver for the day and he took us to his favorite jerk restaurant way off the beaten path. After trying it I kept ordering more, finally the lady behind the bar got agitated and gave the driver the stink eye. He then told us we were done! Not the best neighborhood but it was sensational.
Washed it down with Red Stripe of course.

Well done, Scott.

Backed off on the heat (a bit too much unfortunately) and served with sauteed rainbow chard from the garden, roasted purple potatoes, and a mixed greens salad (also from the garden) with local strawberries.
2004 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Riesling Spätlese
2011 M. Chapoutier Côtes du Roussillon Villages Latour Domaine de Bila-Haut Occultum Lapidem

Both worked well with the chicken. The surprising thing was how well the Riesling played off the chard and the L-R played off the berries in the salad.

I’ll add more heat and a pinch more salt in the next batch.

Thought you were calling me out on something.

I’d get wine for that at The Jerk Store. Hopefully, they won’t be all out.

Sparkling red or dark rosé ranging from sort of dry to sort of sweet.

The Chenin Blanc suggestions above works, especially if rice and peas accompanies the jerk chicken. It seems to go really well with the coconut milk in the rice and is the only wine I’ve found that seems to be a natural match for Jamaican food

BUMP!

Jerk Chicken with local butterbeans, grilled corn and 2013 Bernard Baudry Chinon Blanc.
Thanks for the CB recs–great pairing.

Navin R. Johnson recommends fresh wine.

with an umbrella in it.

Try a Kalin Semillon.

Semillon loves heat.

I love Chinon. And I love Chenin. I just realized I’ve never tasted a Chenin from Chinon.

Sounds delicious!
Where do I find one?

I always pair my Jerk Chicken with Huet Le Mont Sec