Best Winter Warmer Food and Wine?

The cold weather is the terrific reason for a bottle of red along with a hearty stew.

It is unusually cold up and down the region in addition to we're being forced to head home from work in boots to a chilly home, precisely what better way to warm up than with a casserole together with bottle of red?

The recent snowfall provided the perfect excuse to cook a Sunday roast at the weekend. The lamb could sit cooking in the oven until you came in from a stroll, taking the boots off and selecting the perfect accompaniment like an Argentinean Malbec or spicy Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cooking a roast is a little impractical during the week, but the weather continues to bite, so it could instead be a good idea to get a casserole or hearty stew going in the slow cooker so that it is ready to eat when you get in after work.

What's more, you can think about it cooking away all day as an added incentive to get home!

But with the winter food chosen, what is the best choice of wine to match? One of the best things about winter is having the excuse to open a bottle of full-bodied red wine with lots of tannin and warm you up from the inside.

Australian wine writers Debra and Keith Gordon suggested on their Wine on Tuesdays blog that a Chateauneuf de Pape is "made for winter", while a "musty Malbec" could also work well with a winter dish.

Other suggestions come from Lisa Redwine at the UT San Diego, who recommended a food and wine pairing of Californian Cabernet with braised short ribs, marinated lamb, nuts and fig jam. She also recommends searching out lesser-known varietals like Mourvedre for a pot roast dish, Petit Verdot or a Charbono.

However, there are still white wines that can be nicely paired with a winter warming supper. For Lisa Redwine, a rich and full-bodied Chardonnay can do the same job of a red wine, while providing an added freshness.

She pairs these wines with veal or rabbit stew as well as roast chicken and dumplings.

For another winter alternative, delving into the spirits cupboard could be a surprising match. A glass of port, for example, could add cosiness to a bowl of stew.

You could also try some Canadian icewine for something really different. While it might not really match your dinner, a glass of grapes that have been naturally frozen on the vine could be a fun aperitif to get the evening started. http://ezinearticles.com/?Best-Winter-Warmer-Food-and-Wine?&id=7824749