Great pairings with boeuf bourguignon (yes, Burgundy, I know...)

Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes
1

I’m wondering what other pairings really go well with boeuf bourguignon other than Burgundy. I’d like to do a comparison, plus, I don’t really have much Burgundy that is in a good drinking window (or much Burgundy at all!) - have some '98’s, some '05 and some '06.

How do some CA PN’s or OR PN’s go with it? Chateauneuf du Pape, perhaps? (The assumption with the aforementioned options is that they are more in a classic style, not New World).

Thoughts?

2

Champagne.

3

Are you serious??

I’m looking at a bigger Rhone, perhaps, as a possibility, or some Bordeaux.

4

Serious, it’s a stew, the beef will have some fat and the sauce will absorb it. The acidity in the Champagne will cut right through it. Open up a half bottle and try it. You don’t like it, easy to finish off a half bottle of champagne.

5

Todd, we enjoy an really well aged Cali Cab. The wife makes an insane bourguignon and if I recall correctly we did a 85 Spottswoode with the last one, it was a beutiful match.

6

Hey, that’s a good idea…

7

Don’t know if you have any but Cru Beaujolais would also be a great pairing.

8

Scherrer Zin


You know I know you know…

9

And finally I actually HAVE some of that, thanks to Garagiste!

10

Iknowright?

Scherrer OMV zin has got to be win.

11

Barolo!

12

Seriously??? I have that covered if so!!

13

I’m serious.

14

Almost any rich red wine with some acidity will work. Older Burgundy is best, but it really depends on the wine you use in the stew.

15

Dick - do you really think there is a significant difference in pairing depending on what you use in the stew, since the wine in the stew is cooked so thoroughly, it is barely even present anymore?

16

I’ll be interested in Dick’s reply since I’m of the opinion it matters not at all - but then I’ve never cooked with Grand Cru Burgundy, either. [berserker.gif]

17

Even after long cooking, the residual wine flavors are present in small amounts. Try different small batches with syrah, zinfandel, grenache, gamay, pinot noir, or nebbiolo and see. For cooking, I’d use a lesser wine of the same type you’re going to drink.

18

For whatever it is worth, I echo Dick Kreuger’s thoughts on cooking with the same type wine you intend to pair - if not the exact same wine.

N

19

Well, the Boeuf Bourguignon was incredible.

I can imagine that anything where you start with bacon, then cook chunks of wonderful beef in the bacon grease is BOUND to be an excellent meal, and this did not disappoint.

We ended up using a Cotes du Rhone instead of a Burgundy, and I sampled the CdR first to be sure it was not highly tannic. We paired it with the Usseglio CdP '06, which was an excellent match because the Usseglio was such a big and lush wine, yet still had the acidity to cut through the richness of the BB. I also had some Barolo from the evening before (1999 Azienda Bricco Rocche (Ceretto) Barolo Prapò) which was not a good pairing. While the Barolo had very strong acidity and tannic structure, it was not substantial enough of a wine for this dish, so fortunately I believe I chose the correct CdP, even if the CdP itself was not exactly ‘typical’.

Notes on the Usseglio posted here - TN: 2006 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thank you for the recommendations, one and all. This was the first time I’ve had boeuf bourguignon and it will NOT be the last.

20

Believe it or not, a big, oaky California chard actually works pretty well. Read it years ago in Food and Wine magazine (I think) and laughed at the idea. Then tried it with friends one night to show how silly the idea was and to my chagrin, the flavors paired together well. [swoon.gif] About the only successful food pairing I’ve found for such wines. Not my first choice, but it makes for a nice “party trick” with fellow wine geeks.