Guest Post! Wine Pairing Recipe: Tannic Wines + Lamb Chops with Herbed Goat Cheese Couscous
Guest post! This newsletter was written by Meg Rulli from Barrel Dork and Flipturn Cellars
Before you read the newsletter below, I wanted to share the bio of Meg Rulli, the author of this post.
Making the world of wine educational, fun, approachable… and a little dorky!
My love of wine started when I travelled for the entire year of 2012 and explored some of the world’s greatest wine regions. After moving to Portland, Oregon in 2015, I grew increasingly passionate about wine as I immersed myself in the vibrant Oregon food and wine scene.
I formalized this passion by taking any gig I could in the wine industry and completing the WSET Level 2 & 3 Certification Program. This coursework is what inspired me to share wine education with other enthusiasts.
The world of wine can be intimidating — I learned this first-hand in my WSET studies — but it doesn’t have to be. Making wine unpretentious and accessible for everyone, no matter where you’re at in your wine journey, is my goal for Barrel Dork.
In addition to sharing my wine knowledge with others, I make my own wines for the label, Flipturn Cellars. I focus on on small production, low intervention wines utilizing grape varietals I have fallen in love with during my travels.
Wine Pairing Recipe: Tannic Wines + Lamb Chops with Herbed Goat Cheese Couscous
One of the reasons I adore wine so much is discovering different cuisines and dishes, and how they pair beautifully with wines from around the globe.
A favorite memory of mine in my wine career was when I was taking my WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) classes at The Wine And Spirit Archive here in Portland and my instructor, Carrie, shared with the class her favorite pairing: Ribeye steak with an Italian Nebbiolo. After class wrapped up, I immediately called my husband on the drive home and told him I was picking up a bottle of wine and a ribeye to throw on the grill for dinner that night…
I had to try this pairing!
And Carrie was right. This pairing blew my socks off. One trait of Nebbiolo is that it’s loaded with tannins — Tannins are naturally occurring compounds found mainly in plants, bark, and leaves (and in the stems, seeds, and skins of wine grapes) that create a drying, astringent sensation on your tongue.
For wine paring, tannic wines go great with fatty, rich dishes (like ribeye). Fat offsets the bitterness and astringency of tannins, brings out the fruitiness in the wine, and creates a soft, velvety sensation on your palate… it’s so good!
Here are some wines that are typically high in tannins — and the wine regions that you can find them:
Cabernet - Everywhere
Nebbiolo - Piedmont, Italy
Tannat - Uruguay
Xinomavro - Greece
Mourvèdre - Spain, France
Sagrantino - Central Italy
And here are my top pairings for tannic wines:
Steak with marbling, like ribeye, strip steak, or short rib
Ribs
Burgers
Pasta with a hearty bolognese
In addition to the dishes mentioned above, lamb chops is also a stellar wine pairing for tannic wines.
I was happy to partner with Kate Johnson of Survives on Wines on this post to share her Lamb Chops with Herbed Goat Cheese Couscous recipe that goes excellent with wines high in tannins:
Lamb Chops with Herbed Goat Cheese Couscous Recipe:
Ingredients:
Chops:
1 rack (or 8 chops) rack of lamb, separated
¼ cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Couscous:
Log of goat cheese
Handful of fresh parsley
Handful of chopped chives
Zest of 1/2 lemon
Pearled couscous
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
Instructions:
Mix all ingredients together and then rub on lamb chops - do this at least 30 mins prior to cooking
Pre-heat oven to 425
Place 1-2 tbsp butter in a sauté pan or cast iron skillet on high heat and sear the outside of lamb chops
Set the seared lamb chops on baking sheet and then bake for 5 mins (for medium doneness)
When you take them out of the oven, let them sit for 10 minutes covered in foil
For the goat and herb couscous:
In a food processor, place a log of goat cheese, a handful of fresh parsley, a handful of chopped chives, and the zest of 1/2 a lemon. Whip it up and let it sit while you cook the pearled couscous. I use pearled couscous for better results
In a sauce pan heat olive oil and toast 1 cup of pearled couscous till lightly browned over medium heat
In a kettle (or different sauce pan) boil 1 1/2 cups chicken broth. Add this to the couscous pan and cover - cook on low for 10-14 minutes. Fluff with a fork and add your whipped goat cheese mixture
Top the couscous with the lamp chops and serve with a lovely red wine full of tannins: A Cabernet from Napa, a Shiraz from Australia, or a Nebbiolo
ENJOY!
In conclusion: I hope you try Kate’s lamb chop recipe with a delicious tannic wine and see if it works for you. Wine pairing is ultimately all about what YOU enjoy. Don’t be afraid to experiment and get creative with your pairings!
I hope you enjoyed our collaboration. Food and wine is something both of us are passionate about sharing with the world. There is one thing I know about life, when I am having a bad day, cooking a meal to share with someone makes everything better. And if I can pair it with a wine that enhances the flavors, even better.
Cheers to many more food and wine adventures.
