Wine and Spice and Everything Nice

Everyone was telling me that the best wine for Cajun food is Beer!
So when a good friend asked me to supply the wines for her birthday dinner at Magnolia private kitchen in Sheung Wan, I was a little apprehensive. However, being the fool that I am, I accepted the challenge.


Not having eaten a lot of Cajun I was expecting food that was quite spicy so I headed in the direction of the whites. It was, of course, a celebration so a couple of bottles of Verve sufficed as a starter and soon relaxed the room. The 07 Domaine Marcel Deiss Riesling ($230) was the perfect starter and held up nicely to the Gumbo. We then moved on to soft shell crab and wonderful smokey ribs for mains. I opted to go for another white but this time something a bit bolder with a fresh palate and good acidity. My choice was the 08 Clos La Roquette, Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc ($300) and the combination was excellent.


It turned out that the food was less spicy than I was expecting yet full of wonderful character. The resulting merger meant that the wines were able to contribute handsomely to the flavour combination.


So it was left to the Pecan Pie to wrap up the evening and what better than an Antonin Rodet 2006 Bourgogne Pinot Noir ($145) to finish off.


Everyone was delighted with the meal and I could finally relax, reassured in my decision not to bring beer! Phew!


PS: I'd really like to hear if anyone else has found some great combinations with foods that are a bit harder to match with wine. Leave a comment below.