Invited to dinner tomorrow and hosts asks us to bring wine. Not all that familiar with Moroccan chicken stew. Any suggestions? I’m thinking a dry Riesling or similar, but not sure how that will pair with the tomato base of this dish.
Sometimes its cooked in a tagine with dried, salted lemons - which is an unusual flavor for most of us. Maybe its an excuse to pull an over the top riesling/gewurtz - Zind Humbrecht or something?
Bandol Rose or a fruity Cotes du Rhone come to mind, although Gewürztraminer could be an inspired pairing! Preserved lemon would take you in one direction, cardamom, olive, tomatoes toward other choices.
All these suggestions are good. Let add marsanne and roussanne.
Do you have a CT account we should be looking through for this, or is there a store you like to shop at?
CellarTracker. Dale B. Let me know if I need to change privacy settings.
Like they said above, it depends on what it’s going to be like. If it’s done with honey and fruits like fresh or dried apricots, prunes, raisins, almonds and/or pistachios, etc., it’s going to be really different from one made with various vegetables, olives, preserved lemons and coriander leaves and seeds.
I’d go with an off-dry white.
Even a beaujolais if red in your game.
A good but young Viognier would work.
Spatlese or Auslese Riesling. Musar red or white or another Lebanese white. A Chenin Blanc on the richer side. Marsanne/Roussanne only if good acidity - might avoid. A leesy, biscuity champagne might pair…
Moroccan chicken tagine (assuming that’s what it is) tends be built around either green olives and preserved lemon, or apricot, orange, cinnamon, and almonds. Two radically different flavor profiles - it’s worth asking your hosts about the recipe.
For the former, I agree with the recommendations of rich, textural, perhaps off-dry whites. For the latter, I’d go with a mid-weight red: Musar, a better CdR, or one of the more serious Beaujolais as suggested. The right Tempranillo might work too, depending on the dish and the wine.
I’m obviously in the minority, but even with good acidity I’ve found sweeter or richer wines paired with Moroccan spices and preserved fruits to be a gamble, particularly if there is a tomato base. It may work, or they may declare war on each other. I’ve had good luck with Sancerre, and other dry Loire Sauvignon Blancs. Lopez de Heredia white or rose should work as well. Or go with your original instinct and bring a dry riesling.
I like the Bandol rose idea, or a lighter red Cotes du Rhone (think: low tannin), or a barely sweet riesling – a Halbtrocken or equivalent.
Eric Texier used to make some Rhone whites which were dynamite with this kind of food - the dry Brezeme Roussane and the off-dry semi-sweet Opale.
[Why does his website say, “BACK SOON”?]
Was going to suggest your 2008 Sine Qua Non Kolibri as the exotic spices and fruit may go well… but now other posters have me concerned that lemon, olives or tomato acidity could actually clash with it.
I am surprised no one has suggested Graillot’s Tandem Syrah from Morocco yet.
Thanks for the suggestions so far.
I reached out to the host and her version of Moroccan chicken stew is tomato based with cumin, cinnamon, garlic and lemon zest. No olives or preserved lemons.
If there’s any real spice/heat in the dish that wine will seem too alcoholic to enjoy it.
Looking at the cellar here are the top 2 choices I’d go with blindly if I had access to your cellar.
Whites
2010 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese - It has some age…and can handle any heat in the dish.
2012 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Großes Gewächs - I’ve had this wine a few times and it’s an easy pick for a dish like this when you don’t know what way the dish might go.
Bubbles
N.V. Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Rosé - You have plenty of this to go and I can’t imagine this not pairing well.
N.V. Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne Inflorescence Blanc de Noirs Val Vilaine - The “fruity” nature of this Champ could be valuable in your need for diversity based on the possibilities of this dish.
Red
??? that’s a tough one. I would normally choose Musar or a lighter BOJO. Not the 3.14 though…
Cumin is always tough, and there’s a lot of other strong flavors in that recipe, too. For my palate, I’d lean towards a bigger Barbera (maybe a Conterno or Massolino) or a Syrah-driven Rhone (or similar). Maybe a St. Joseph or Crozes-Hermitage. Or a richer vintage of Musar, but that’s little harder to find.
If do decide to take a white, I think the suggestions of a richer or even off-dry option makes sense. But as always, YMMV.
Hope you’ll report back what you decide and how it works out.