Karel Doms' (currently) definitive position on the wines that make this dish work. Read it and weep. In his own words, he gives you the wines you really need to pair with it.
’Tis but kedgeree, I hear some people say. So let’s have bottle of Pickled Fish chenin
blanc or similar and be done with it. Well yes, you can do that and it'll probably be
enjoyable.
I’d suggest something entirely different, though.
Because the kedgeree is adventurously tasteful and humbly uncomplicated at the same
time, choose an authoritative white wine, one that will lead the way. It is important for the
wine to have enough body and acidity to cut through the smokiness and the fat of the fish
and the cream. Also, it should feel comfortable with the spices, but that is not something to
be afraid of if you don’t overdo it. Ken’s recipe doesn’t overdo it.
Enter the side salad. That makes it a different game. I suggested to substitute mange tout
for the green beans. But that leaves the mango and the pickle to tie in with and will limit
the choice. In fact, quite drastically. So, I’d like to look at the kedgeree per se first, so that you can pimp it with mange tout or green asparagus for a stand-alone purpose if you like.
Let’s look at Batman without Robin, then. Don’t go for the regal bottle, but indulge without remorse. The wines listed below are therefore in a large price bracket of up to €60 and I’m proud to include two by my personal all-time vinous heroes Reinhard Löwenstein of the Mosel estate Heymann-Löwenstein, now with his daughter Sarah Löwenstein at the helm, and Pierre Morey of the Burgundian estate Pierre Morey and Morey-Blanc, now with his daughter Anne Morey in the lead, an interesting coincidence.
Both riesling and chardonnay, preferably from the heartland of those venerable grape
varieties can indeed fit the kedgeree bill; sauvignon blanc and, in fact, quite a few others
as well. The degree to which the fish is smoked will favour one over the other.
Weingut Heymann-Löwenstein, Uhlen Blaufüsser Lay, 100% of the finest riesling
anywhere. In absolute terms in the shadow of the bigger Uhlen Roth Lay, the youthful
(drank 2018 with the dish) exuberance of Blaufüsser Lay is a wonderful, crystalline match
here that cuts like a Japanese knife through the richness of the kedgeree.
Domaine Pierre Morey, Bourgogne Aligoté, 100% aligoté. Merely humble aligoté? Yes, but
a formidable, age-worthy one from the venerable soil of Meursault. Mostly drunk far too
early, it is acceptable to drink it fairly young with this creamy dish (drank 2014 with it
myself, and I know there is still lots to come).
Domaine Comtesse de Chérisey, Meursault-Blagny La Genelotte. Okay, then, here is a 100%
chardonnay Meursault and perhaps the last premier cru from an outstanding but under-the-
radar producer that fits within the price bracket mentioned above. Rich, exuberant,
mineral, lengthy.
Domaine Saumaize-Michelin, Pouilly-Fuissé Clos sur la Roche, alright, I’m a Burgundy
junkie, another 100% chardonnay and a value-for-money champion at that. Showing the
more “sunny” character that you’d expect in the Mâconnais plus the minerality of the
Vergisson rock; brilliant.
Au Bon Climat, Santa Martha Valley “Hildegard”, a 55% pinot gris, 45% pinot blanc and
5% aligoté blend and one of Jim Clendenen’s Blue Series masterpieces. Although the
grape varieties might suggest otherwise, this has a very Burgundian character as well; see
David & Nadia, "Aristargos" (Swartland, South Africa), a blend of mainly chenin blanc (58%
in the 2017 I drank) with viognier, clairette blanche, sémillon, roussanne and marsanne,
that “dances” in combination with the kedgeree.
Weingut Neumeister, Sauvignon Blanc Ried Moarfeitl (Steiermark, Austria), dare I say this
is my favourite sauvignon blanc without upsetting my friends in Bordeaux? Hedonistic, yet
so refined, great depth of fruit, yet so mineral, great wine that was particularly at ease with
the smokiness of the fish.
Juanjo Tellaetxe, “Tantaka” (Arabako Txakolina, Spain), 100% hondarribi zuri from the
Basque County and a match that came as a total surprise. In fact, I didn’t know any wines
from that particular part of the vinous world until Ken suggested it as a match for his beef
teriyaki with green peppers. And so, of course, I had to try a few that were surprisingly
different in taste. In the context of this dish, the recommendation is for this particular
Txakolina that ticks all the right boxes. Wonderful discovery, thanks Ken!
Philipponnat Champagne Royal Réserve Non Dosé, a blend of 65% pinot noir, 30%
chardonnay, 5% pinot meunier, dosage 0%. Of course, I had to try if bubbles work! They
do, but why this one and why on earth non-dosé when we have the side dish to tackle?
Now then: top-notch house, widely available, some of the best value you’ll find! And yes,
non-dosé quite exactly for best match with the kedgeree as well as the side-dish which is
not just sweetness that you would want to smother with even more sweetness.
And now for the audacious: Emilio Lustau, Almacenista Manuel Cuevas Jurado, Manzanilla Pasada de Sanlúcar. Yes, you read that correct: Sherry. Full yet elegant, bone-dry, reminiscent of an orchard, the ocean, a stable, all exquisitely refined of course. Seriously, this catapults the dish and the diner in another orbit; I’m not saying “better”, I’m saying “other”. If you can get your head around drinking 17% alcohol with your dish, try. But make it this one. I have tried various dry Almacenista Sherries, the Manzanilla from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, i.e. near the ocean, did the trick (haven’t tried the regular range “Papirusa” Manzanilla, but I fear that one will not do).
Next chapter: complete dish. A number of the above take the side dish hurdle for different
reasons.
Without really being in tune, there is some sort of non-aggression pact with the riesling; for
myself, I would happily repeat that combination.
The aligoté is fine as well. Remember I drank a quite mature one, though. With a very
young one, the mouth may close up and result in a bitter aftertaste. Remember also, this
was an extraordinarily good aligoté (meaning Ponsot’s Clos des Monts Luisants at a hefty
€100 or more would probably work as well, pray, do inform me when you’ve tried …).
The sauvignon blanc is a nice match and ties in with the side dish in terms of flavour, a
question of finding the right amount of pickle. By the way, I used aubergine pickle the
second time I cooked the dish, which worked.
“Tantaka” is as much an unexpectedly good match as it is a really fine wine. In view of this
wine’s price tag, definitely go for it.
Champagne is Champagne, if you’re in a festive mood, go for it. Not a love affair with the
side dish, but the bubble has the authority to stay on top without obliterating the side dish.
Knowing that some will be appalled by the mere thought of a combination with Sherry, I felt
the Manzanilla pairing was as brilliant as it was different.
“Aristargos” is difficult; I thought it would eventually fall in place but I fear that may have
been wishful thinking. In honesty, I love this wine but will not repeat the combination
Sadly, the chardonnays were not a good match. Unless, perhaps, you can find one that
has a pronounced mango aroma, I would steer away from any really noble chardonnay
when you cook the complete set-up. The same applies to “Hildegard”.
And beer? Certainly, Duvel bibendus est! Perhaps I’m some kind of beery Cato but I’ll
finish my oration, as always, by demanding the emptying of a bottle of Duvel. If you like a mellower beer, however, try Cornet, the “smoked” variant perhaps to tie in with
the smokiness of the fish?
As an alternative, Bavarian wheat beer in the bottle-yeast version, i.e. “Hefeweizen”, the
one with the hazy appearance, forget the “Kristall” version. A good one that seems to be
internationally available is Erdinger Weißbier (especially for Reds-fans, I suppose).
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