Posted by Niall
This is one of the recipes I have designed for busy professionals for when they get home and just want to throw something together super fast. It is made with the one complaint that I hear from people all the time in mind: “I don’t have enough time to cook”.
Ideally I would love it if the boys here at Curious Wines could pair it up with a cheap bottle of wine for the middle of the week, that you could share with a friend and enjoy over this simple meal, and basically replicate what you would normally get in a restaurant while saving yourself a fortune.
Wine match by Mike:
Niall does love giving us a challenge! On it’s own, you could match blue cheese with anything from a powerful and acidic Italian red, like an Amarone, to a Vintage Port or a Sauternes. What makes this a little more challenging is the cream in the recipe, although the basic attributes of the creamy, fattiness of both ingredients would point us towards a high acidic, high fruit white wine.
I immediately think Riesling, (a) because I’m unapologetically obsessed by it, but (b) because you can go off-dry or even medium-dry and get away with it because of the acidity we’re looking for. But likewise, I think a nice, sharp Sauvignon Blanc could go fabulously well with this dish, and that means lots of choice and good value in today’s market. New Zealand would be my first choice for both wines, as the quality is more consistent than any other country, and there’s great value to be had in quality vs price terms.
Niall’s demanding cheap, middle-of-the-week drinking wine (I prefer the term inexpensive or good value myself!), so I’m recommending two specific wines from Curious that we’ve on special for March and April (more to follow separately on Curious Picks).
For the Sauvignon, this Tussock from Nelson is terrific value at the normal €12.99, but we have it at €10.99 when you buy 2 or more. For the Riesling, I’d really recommend you try this Lingenfelder from Pfalz in Germany – it’s off-dry to medium-dry, tons of fruit and great balance, and we’re doing the same as the Tussock on price – €10.99 when you buy 2 or more (normally €12.99 also).
Now I’m off to get some spinach and cream for tonight to test my own recommendations!
Niall Harbison is Co-Founder and Master Chef at Look and Taste.
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