I am preparing a birthday dinner for my wife, and found an interesting braised lamb shank recipe that I want to try. It calls for rubbing the shanks in quatre epices, braising in stock and banyuls, and serving with roasted garlic.
My dilemma is that the Banyuls costs $40 at my local store, and from what I understand, it will not keep long after opened.
Does anybody have experience with this type wine? I've read that it is spectacular as a dessert wine as well as cooking, but want to make sure that I'll be able to use the remainder of the bottle before it goes bad. I typically do not drink dessert wines, but if this stuff is as good as I have read, maybe that will change...
Also, my book recommends a Cairanne for drinking with the lamb shanks. I'm having trouble finding this. Can I get some recommendations of readily available wine types to pair with the lamb shanks?
Thanks,
Andy