Game Pairing

I usually have Pomerol with venison and it tends to be a good match, especially when the venison is not too gamey and served with mushrooms and a nice demi-glace based sauce. I never had elk so I can't comment on this but in my experience boar and any good Bordeaux (esp. left bank ones) usually isn't a very good match. I'ld lean more in the direction of Gigondas/CdP or Bandol for this. Hermitage might work as well. If you absolutely have to have a Bdx with boar I would think that either a rather earthy Pessac-Leognan or a sturdy Fronsac might be your best bet. Having said that, the way the meat is prepared always has quite an impact on the possible matches.

I'd agree with venison and Bordeaux. Hermitage or Cote-Rotie would do fine also.

Personally, I'vebeen ok with wild boar and Bordeaux too. Went well at a Meyney vertical. But my first instinct when I think of wild boar is Brunello. Of course, a lot depends on prep. An Asian inspired dish called Drunken Boar from the D'Artagnan game cookbook (boar marinated in gin, mirin, pomegranite molasses, and other stuff, then stirfried and served with fresh rice noodles) called for a lighter wine than roast boar.

I'm afraid I have had some elk off another diner's plate once, not enough familarity to make suggestions.

Ed Rasimus wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Thanks for the advice. I'll keep that in mind. I will probably scratch Elk from the possible menu. Venison and Pomerol look like a good match. I can get racks of Venison and those look good. People have assumed this is wild game and advise how to prepare it in the field. I believe this is all farm raised and I won't have to go beyond my front porch to get it.

Fred.

And farm-raised venison has little if any gamey flavor in my experience. You should be fine with Bdx in that case, though I would probably steer for the right bank and go with a younger rather than older wine.

Mark Lipton

I suspect that it depends very much on whether the venison is farmed or wild and how long any of the meat has been hung.

If it has been well hung and is really gamey, fan as I am of good Bordeaux I would have thoguht that a powerful Rhone would be as good bet - or perhaos even a Gran Reserva Rioja with boar if we are leaving France. If not Hermitage woud be ideal but a good Gigondas of good age would also be possible as would some of the better made southern French wines such as Diane de Puymorin's Trassegum 1998. If you are going down the Bordeaux route this may be one the rare occasions when one of the rather overblown and overoaked wines so beloved of some commentators may come into their own? I woudl be incl9nd to look also at the Cotes d'Auxerre reds from Irancy if you can get them. They are mainly Pinot but "boosted" with a little Cesar which makes the black wine of Cahors look feeble. The result is a wine with some Pinot subtlety but a power, gamey taste and aroma as well as presence which would not be outfaced by the meat you have in mind.

Timothy Hartley