Scottish Field wine columnist Peter Ranscombe raids the cellar for five wines to go with rhubarb.
FOR me, rhubarb will always conjure up memories of home in Nairnshire.
Generations of our family’s cats were buried in the corner of the garden where the rhubarb grew best – although I still don’t want to dwell for too long on whether or not these two facts were related.
The plant in question was a beast; all conquering, it would expand its empire year after year, producing sticks that my Grandma would stew and turn into crumble.
While my grandmother is unlikely to have ever poured herself a glass of dessert wine to accompany her culinary creations, rhubarb opens up lots of options when it comes to pairings.
The basic rule with any pudding is that you want to serve a wine that’s sweeter than the dessert itself, otherwise the liquid will taste bitter.
This is where your friendly neighbourhood bottle shop comes into its own – pop in and ask your local wine merchant about the sweetness of their wines and they’ll be able to guide you towards a bottle to suit the dish in question.
Here, I’ve assembled some classic matches to sit alongside a wide variety of rhubarb dishes, opening with a firm favourite of mine in the form of Katie Jones’s muscat.
Domaine Jones Muscat, 2015
Inverarity 121
£12.49 for 500ml
I love the freshness in this dessert bottle, created by British winemaker Katie Jones in the Languedoc in the South of France. It was one of the stand-out wines for me at Glasgow-based importer Inverarity Morton’s annual tasting and shows how Jones is such a talented winemaker when it comes to sweet treats as well as classy reds and whites. It takes skill to get the right balance between the sweetness, the refreshing acidity and the floral and lemon notes from the aromatic muscat grape. It has the lightness to pair with rhubarb without compromising on the flavour.
Chateau Gravas Sauternes, 2014
Virgin Wines
£12.99 for 375ml
Sauternes, the world’s most famous sweet wine, is a classic match for rhubarb and this shone at Virgin’s Manchester tasting. Subtle peach and apricot on the nose give way to much brighter fruit on the palate, with deliciously savoury lemon rind notes joining the apricot. The dried fruit element in this wine – which is made solely from the semillon grape – will work nicely with rhubarb. Sauternes are made by leaving grapes on the vine until they are attacked by “noble rot”, a fungus that removes the water, leaving behind the sugars in the pulp to produce a sweet wine.
Château Belingard Monbazillac, 2014
Inverarity 121
£8.99 for 500ml
Step outside Bordeaux and Monbazillac is a great alternative to Sauternes, offering some exceptional value dessert wines. Hailing from the Bergerac region, this is a blend of 70% semillon, with 15% each of muscadelle and sauvignon blanc. The result is spun sugar, apricot and lemon curd aromas, followed by much fresher lemon and green apple flavours, along with a savoury edge that will work superbly with rhubarb. Inverarity Morton imports this on an exclusive basis in the UK, so look out for it in the firm’s own Inverarity 1-2-1 shop in Glasgow and other independent wine merchants around the country.
Seifried Estate Sweet Agnes Riesling, 2016
Waitrose
£16.29 for 375ml
It’s won more awards than any other sweet wine from New Zealand thanks to its balance of sweetness and freshness. Its delicate nose features the classic lemon, lemon curd, honey and spun sugar notes, with tropical passionfruit and guava. Riesling brings a healthy kick of crisp acidity to the party to tame the sweetness and deliver an exquisite balance. Germany may be king of the sweet riesling but look out for examples like this from Down Under, as well as those closer to home in Austria.
Inniskillin Gold Niagara Vidal Icewine, 2016
Exel Wines
£41.55 for 375ml
A splash-out dessert wine unlike any other, made by a pioneer of Canadian icewines, who put the category on the map. While Sauternes are made through noble rot, ice wines in Canada, Germany and elsewhere are produced by leaving grapes on the vine long into the winter, so the water inside freezes and can be extracted, leaving behind the sweet grape pulp. It’s rare because not every spot gets cold enough to make it every year. Inniskillin’s example has a complex nose ranging from green and red apples through peach and pear and onward to honey. It’s mouth-coatingly luscious, yet still has fresh acidity for balance.
Author
TAGS
FOLLOW US
