Supper Club: An expert’s guide to autumnal wine pairings and our favourite mushroom risotto recipe
11th Oct 2023
Our senses adapt to what we eat and drink; we must choose plates and drinks that bring out the best sensations of each of them. Massimo Leonori, Concha y Toro’s chief sommelier, shares the following tips for autumn dinners.
Beef dishes
Beef dishes with a lots of flavours, such as a stew, go perfectly with a Cabernet Sauvignon from Casillero del Diablo. The expressions of the silky tannins of this wine are present, favouring the cleaning of the fat that the meat provides to the palate.
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Creamy dishes
Creamier and smoother dishes such as mushroom risotto, pair perfectly with Casillero’s Merlot variety, as this wine has soft tannins, making a great option to accompany the creaminess of the cheese and the delicacy of the mushrooms.
Fish dishes
For fatty fish-based dishes, such as salmon with cream sauce, the ideal pairing is a Casillero del Diablo Chardonnay. This variety has an important structure among white wines and is accompanied by notes of hazelnuts, tropical fruit, and a creaminess that makes it a perfect pairing for this type of dish.
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Duck dishes
The Malbec variety is an excellent accompaniment for crispy roast duck. The protagonist of this dish is the duck, which have an intense and unique flavour. The flavour of the duck combines excellently with the intensity of and the tannins present in a Casillero del Diablo Malbec.
Dessert dishes
A pear and ginger crumble is a great choice to accompany a Rosé from Casillero del Diablo, because the intensity and spicy touches of the dessert perfectly complement the lightness and freshness of the wine.
This Pearl Barley and Mushroom Risotto is one of our favourite autumn eats and pairs deliciously with a glass of red.
Preparation: 40 minutes
Serves 2
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Ingredients
5 tbsp olive oil
80g red onion, peeled and sliced
200g fine pearl barley, rinsed in cold water
750ml hot vegetable stock
100g button or chestnut mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
fresh herbs to garnish
Method
- Preheat the oven to 160°C/gas mark 3. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the onions.
- Add the pearl barley and sauté briefly, stirring all the time.
- Top up with hot stock and add the mushrooms.
- Place the risotto, covered, in a hot oven for about 20 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh herbs, such as fennel, thyme or oregano. Serve immediately with your favourite glass of red.
Extracted from The Sugar Detox Plan by Dr Kurt Mosetter, Dr Wolfgang Simon, Thorsten Probost and Anna Cavelius.
Photography by Elwin Street Productions, 2016.
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