Food & Wine: Winter Stews

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. Today is food and wine pairing day. It is without question that a great stew simmering on the stove all afternoon is true comfort food during the winter months. Today we will look into some of the main styles of stew and of course, the wines that go with them.

Part of the idea of stewing is that you cook the dish for a very long time to tenderize the meat and to allow the flavors to incorporate and do that synergistic thing they do. This being the case, when we make a stew we do not always use the best cuts of meat. I mean we are after all going to cook the heck out of it. Of course beef is a focus for stews the sort of gravy browned sauce styles are great with Merlot for red and Sauvignon Blanc for whites. Chicken or lamb stews made on the lighter side with lots of veggies, are delightful with Chardonnay for white or Pinot Noir for a red selection. Pork stews are new to me, but so far I have enjoyed them with Syrah and Pinot Gris. As far as I am concerned stews do not require meat and vegetable stews are also yummy. I made one with lots of influence from pesto and it was delicious with Grenache and Viognier. Because you are slow cooking the dish, it is perfect for the crock pot slow cooker genre of food preparation. It is great to come home after a long day at work, while the slow cooker was doing its thing, to find the house filled with great smells.  Your only decision, besides when to eat, is which wine to open. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thanks for joining me on today’s vine to wine.