The fall is hunting season for Minnesota game animals such as deer, pheasant, duck, and-for lucky lottery winners-elk and bear. Some people love spending a weekend outdoors with friends, others love the skill involved, and many hunters have their own personal reasons for taking part in the sport. Even if you don’t hunt yourself, the fall months are the perfect opportunity to dive into what it really means to eat seasonally in Minnesota.
When you pair wine or beer with game meat, you have to consider that the meat is, well, gamey. It has a different texture because the animal uses its muscles more; it has a different smell. Oftentimes, the animals’ natural diet affects the taste, too.
Like all food and beverage pairings, the key is to know how to balance the fattiness, texture and flavors. With fattier meats such as duck, the hops and carbonation of beer can help take away the greasy feeling on your tongue, as can wine flavors like cherry or citrus. Venison can often be paired with drinks you would serve with beef-the main thing is to have a bold enough drink to complement the strong flavor and texture. Lighter meats such as rabbit go with lighter wines and beer, whereas denser meats like bear should pair with heavier drinks that have a rich finish, whether sweet or savory.
A near-universal pairing with any game protein is red burgundy, and here are some more pairing tips for delicious matches.
Bear: Merlot with dark cherry, chocolate, vanilla or cinnamon for a sweet finish; Mourvèdre for more of a savory pairing; grassy or hoppy beer such as an IPA can highlight that quality in the meat.
Duck:Red wine (Syrah, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon); beer with hops; and sharp fruit and fig flavors like a Belgian or brown ale.
Pheasant:Red wine (Bordeaux, Syrah, Hermitage, Côtes du Rhône, Pinot Noir if roasted) and beers (Stout, Dubbel, Bière de Garde).
Quail:Red wine (Pinot Noir, Beaujolais, Merlot); white (Chardonnay with oak undertones); hoppy and bitter beer (American Pale Ale, American Brown Ale); or strong pale ale with fruity and sweet flavors.
Rabbit: Light wines (reds could include Pinot Noir, Rhône, and good white choices are Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc) and beers that have more malt and less hops (Bière de Gardes and, Belgian Saisons). Because the meat is so light, factor in the sauces you use to not overpower the natural flavors.
Turkey: Red wine (Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhône, Zinfandel) and beers (Dubbel, Bière de Garde, Oktoberfest, Scotch Ale, Brown Ale).
Venison:Red wines with earthy or smoky flavors big enough for the meat’s taste and richness (Mourvèdre, Syrah, Pinot Noir) and strong beer (Porter, Belgian Strong Ale, Double Stout). (Elk pairs similarly.)
FAQs
Venison: Red wines with earthy or smoky flavors big enough for the meat's taste and richness (Mourvèdre, Syrah, Pinot Noir) and strong beer (Porter, Belgian Strong Ale, Double Stout).
What wine goes with wild boar? ›
Our best suggestion is a bold wine like a Sangiovese (Chianti, Brunello, Nobile di Montepulciano), Barolo, Syrah or Bordeaux. If the Boar is milder, a medium red wine matches perfectly.
What wine goes best with game birds? ›
Red Rhône wines are the best overall match with game birds. Grouse: Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Côte Rotie, Saint-Joseph, Châteauneuf du Pape, or mature Red Burgundy.
What red wine pairs with venison? ›
Pinot Noir Venison is rich, has a gamey flavour and is very lean. All this makes it quite hard to match with wines and it is Pinot Noir wines that cope with it best of all. Roast Venison does not like too much tannin, and so select a mature Red Burgundy to go with it.
What is the ideal wine pairing? ›
The wine should have the same flavor intensity as the food. Red wines pair best with bold flavored meats (e.g. red meat). White wines pair best with light-intensity meats (e.g. fish or chicken). Bitter wines (e.g. red wines) are best balanced with fat.
What red wine goes with game? ›
As a general rule, we pair game with red wine, usually a Bordeaux based on Cabernet Franc, Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. Still, Rhône red wine made with Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre is equally enjoyable with game.
What flavors go well with wild boar? ›
Wild boar is fantastic teamed with earthy flavours such as mushrooms, pumpkin or beetroot as well as cabbage or slaws, peppery stews or fruity sauces.
What wine pairs with elk? ›
With elk, Grenache, Dolcetto, Mourvedre, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Zinfandel all contain the necessary richness and individual characters to pair well.
What wine goes with wild duck? ›
Pinot Noir pairs exceptionally well with duck because of its high natural acidity, which cleans the palate of the fatty texture of the duck skin, and because of its mild tannins, which do not overpower the delicate meat.
What wine goes best with trout? ›
Trout (or other rich fish) pairs best with light red wines or full bodied white wines. Grilled Trout and a fruity (unoaked) Pinot Noir is a perfect pair. Pinot Noir picks up the richness of the Trout, and the taste of caramelized skin. If you go for Chardonnay, it should not be heavily oaked.
These gamey birds taste great served with a fruit-based sauce—the sweetness and acidity of fruit helps to balance the minerality of the meat: deglaze the pan with a splash of balsamic vinegar or wine, stir in a dollop of fruit preserves, and then a pat of butter.
Which wine to pair with pigeon? ›
Pigeon has lots of flavour and needs full-throttle reds. High-octane Aussie shiraz or the almost gamey flavours of northern Rhône syrah or Italian sangiovese would work well.
What wine goes with wild game? ›
For a start venison is quite a bit leaner than most beef cuts with a finer texture which tends to favour more elegant red wines such as red burgundy, barolo or mature Bordeaux - certainly when it's served as a roast or a fillet (see this sensational match) Pinot noir is also particularly good with a venison tartare.
What wine goes with antelope? ›
A medium-bodied Sangiovese is recommended; it has a distinct taste that can be reminiscent of a mixture of plum, cherry and chocolate, and can really bring out the sage flavors in the antelope meat. Syrah can also work very well; it has a blackberry taste with a slight peppery flavor.
What is a classic pairing with venison? ›
Step into any restaurant featuring a la chasse-themed menu, and you can expect to find classic pairings such as venison with cranberries, apples, celeriac, butternut squash, brussels sprouts or Belgium endive.
What drink goes well with venison? ›
For a start venison is quite a bit leaner than most beef cuts with a finer texture which tends to favour more elegant red wines such as red burgundy, barolo or mature Bordeaux - certainly when it's served as a roast or a fillet (see this sensational match) Pinot noir is also particularly good with a venison tartare.
What red wine goes with elk? ›
With elk, Grenache, Dolcetto, Mourvedre, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Zinfandel all contain the necessary richness and individual characters to pair well.
What wine goes with wild garlic pesto? ›
Textural, fruit-forward wines with full flavours should be the go-to for popular dishes like wild garlic pesto; think a bone-dry Riesling from Alsace, a fresh Albariño, or a mouth-coating Vermentino.
