Food & Wine Matching Guide - Game Meat

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. Pinot Noirs from New Zealand, Australia and North America make be good second choices. If you do not like Pinot Noir then an alternative would be a Côtes du Rhône.
• Casserolled Venison widens your choice of wine. Cooked in Red wine with herbs, onions and pot-vegetables means you can select more full-bodied wines like Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah blends or Zinfandels.

Hare: Amarone, Côtes du Rhône, Beaujolais
Hare is another dark, gamey meat which is hard to match without a sauce.

• Fortunately it is most likely to be served as Jugged Hare and with this dish a rich Amarone works very well. For a lighter-styled wine choose a Côtes du Rhône.
• Hare Casserole or Stew cooked with the usual Red wine, onions and herbs would work with Côtes du Rhônes, North American Merlots or even a very fruity Beaujolais Crus.

Wild Boar: Pinot Noir, Beaujolais Crus, Southern Rhône Whites
Wild Boar is similar, albeit stronger flavoured, to Pork.

• For Reds you will still need to avoid too much tannin so Beaujolais Crus would work very well.
• An alternative Red would be a light Pinot Noir.
• For White wines look to the Southern Rhône.

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