BEEF
The dish: Steak
Rib-eye, strip loin, sirloin, flank or fillet, make it seared on the outside and bloody on the inside and you’ve got carnivore heaven. Let’s sustain the orthodoxy and throw down a claret. This, the second wine of renowned Château d’Aiguilhe, brings refined yet abundant blackberry, green leaf and liquorice notes to the traditionalist’s table.
The drink: Signeur d’Aiguilhe 2009
LCBO #195172, 750ml/$19.95, at selected Vintages outlets
The dish: Steak and kidney pie
No matter how gastro-pubby and nose-to-tail trendy it may be at the moment, steak and kidney is traditional filling, cold-climate fare and will benefit from a geographically sympathetic ale. Fuller’s beautiful, soft, full fruitiness will light up your pie face.
The drink: Fuller’s Extra Special Bitter
LCBO #106435, 500ml/$2.70, at most LCBOs
PORK
The dish: Cataplana
Hey, you got pork in my clams! Hey, you got clams in my pork! Portuguese one-dish surf-and-turfer Cataplana, aka pork and clams, presents some pairing challenges, but a big white or a small red would work, so why not a rosé? This strawberry-tinged number from the Douro has enough acidic prickle to keep porky and his seafaring plate mates all aboard and shipshape.
The drink: Adega de Vila Real Rosé 2010
LCBO #224923, 750ml/$11.95, at selected Vintages outlets
The dish: Steamed pork dumplings
Have yourself a dim sum house party featuring steamed minced pork dumplings. I’ve yet to meet a booze from China I like – broom-corn whisky, anyone? – so let’s go to default mode here with a decent local lager. Creemore’s warm, malty core and bold hopping happily deal with whatever the bamboo basket throws your way.
The drink: Creemore Springs Traditional Pilsner
473ml/$2.65, at The Beer Store and most LCBOs
CHICKEN
The dish: Roast chicken
Chickens everywhere want to know, “What’s Rob Ford’s problem with gravy?” The roast with the most and the sauce that is boss exemplify Toronto’s home-cooking heritage and, one hopes, on occasion, the present. Let’s comfort the comfort food with the soft touch that is a yummy California Chardonnay. Here, Chardonnay’s creaminess is followed by citrus and lively tropical fruit notes. Get stuffed!
The drink: Crossbarn Chardonnay 2008
LCBO #235945, 750ml/$21.95, at selected Vintages outlets
The dish: Chicken karaage
Whether stopping in at your local izakaya or making them at home, these McNugget-like fried bites from the Land of the Rising Sun show poultry at its most munchable. Furthering the Japanese local thing, let’s pair it with sake from the Distillery District. Without the overseas voyage, Izumi requires only a single pasteurization, leaving this nama cho’s fruity complexity intact.
The drink: Izumi Nama Cho Junmai Sake
LCBO #260174, 300ml/$12.95, at selected Vintages outlets
LAMB
The dish: Lamb biryani
Given the gentle, flavourful spicing in this familiar Indian dish, the presence of coriander in Hoegaarden makes this witbier a natural match. Raise a glass in a belated toast to Peter Celis, who single-handedly revived the style in Belgium and eventually saw the brand’s corporate masters return the brewery to its Hoegaarden home well before his death in April.
The drink: Hoegaarden
6 x 330ml/$13.95, at The Beer Store and most LCBOs
The dish: Lamb birria
I’ve enjoyed Mexican lamb stew on Bloor Street West and in Guadalajara, where it’s called barria. Given the limitations of the establishments’ respective wine lists, this pairing is purely theoretical, but I think it’s safe to say that this Côtes du Rhône’s deep fruit, spiciness and weight would perfectly complement the warm, earthy, rib-sticking qualities of this NAFTA soul stew.
The drink: E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône 2007
LCBO #259721, $16.95, at most Vintages outlets
VENISON
The dish: Venison burgers
The passing of Oddfellows and its venison burger should encourage you to seek out some ground deer meat and get frying. Having raised our burger game with full-flavoured venison, standards must be maintained, and we shall pair it with this Niagara red. A good wine in a tough year, Trius is Thumper to hamburger Bambi, with edgy herbality, deft fruit and a solid, well-composed finish.
The drink: Trius Red
LCBO #303800, 750ml/$21.95, at most Vintages outlets
The dish: Venison chili
My favourite venison dish, taken from Jane and Michael Stern’s Chili Nation cookbook, with dried ancho chilies, Mexican oregano, cumin and coriander seeds, wants some quenching. Big flavours need a big beer – not hard to find these days with the proliferation of hoppy brews like the astringent yet balanced Hoptical Illusion. Warning: label may cause indigestion.
The drink: Flying Monkeys Hoptical Illusion
6 x 355ml/$12.75, at The Beer Store and most LCBOs
