To balance a wine with a meal requires knowledge of the different textures and flavours of both items. Here I have chosen a few restaurants to highlight these important aspects.

CHA CHA CHAR
T-bone, eggs, chips and coleslaw

A very Aussie dish that presents a range of strong flavours. The char-grilled steak is balanced by a high tannin wine. The salty, oily characteristics in the meal are best balanced by firm acid and some fruity and savory flavours. A young cabernet from Margaret River, a classically good cabernet region, is the perfect choice.

The fried egg requires high acid, tannin and sweet fruit to balance the egg’s cloying texture. The oily character of the hot chips is balanced by a cleansing acid, allowing the fruit flavours and the potato flavours to become more apparent. John Kilroy of Cha Cha Char is a beef specialist and the succulent, complex flavours of his grass-fed beef deserves a wine to provide the right balance.

The “Sandalford Mt Barker Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 ” has perfumed aromas of blackcurrant and roasted capsicum. This is merged with just a touch of oak on a generously proportioned palate, balanced by fine tannins. This wine will do justice to a t-bone.

“FIX”   PORT OFFICE
Zucchini fritters topped with double brie and chili jam

A flavoursome dish. Herbs and salty spiciness in the fritters with the creamy texture of the double brie and a side pot of chilli jam.

For white wine drinkers, a Riesling, maybe a Pewsey Vale Riesling, a Clare or Mt Barker WA Riesling with a little age, could cope with the strong, creamy and spicy flavours. For red wine drinkers, try one of the Italian varieties Sangiovese, Barbera or a Dolcetto, but you need not go to an Italian wine. Gary Crittenden, Coriole, Montrose, Brown Brothers and others all produce Australian Italian wines.

“Brown Brothers Dolcetto & Syrah 2006” would be a delicious match for this. The sweetness would balance the sweet chili, while the savory fruit and tannin will match the double brie. Dolcetto, Italian for “little sweet one” is a fresh exuberant wine with fragrant aromas of juicy raspberries and a fruit driven gently frizzante palate with soft tannins, the flavour of ripe summer berries and a structure of earthy, savoury characters.

RISTORANTE FELLINI
“Whitebait fritters”

Whitebait has a delicate flavour, so it is important to choose a wine that is also delicate. It’s vital that the characteristics of the whitebait aren’t dominated by the wine. A young, unwooded Semillon, Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc would suit. The whitebait fritters are fried, so a high acid wine will cut through any oiliness.

The “Taltarni 2007 Sauvignon Blanc”, the Pyrenees region of Victoria, has lifted tropical fruit, zingy intense acid and fresh citrus characters. The tropical fruit characters are nicely balanced by the saltiness in the fritters. Sauvignon Blanc is a perfect aperitif wine, its zesty fruit and acid balance, wakes up the palate and prepares you for food.

HARVEYS
Tempura banana with coconut ice cream and sticky caramel sauce

Dessert wines are a lovely accompaniment to a special dessert. Botrytis is a fungus which coats the ripe bunches and dehydrates, thus concentrating the remaining juice. The botrytis also has its own acid which provides nutty, apricot flavours and a clean, dry finish to balance the grape sugars in the wine.

The tempura banana is deep-fried, so a high acid wine is required, but the sweetness and complex flavours of the dessert require a wine to lift and balance. A late-picked Gewurztraminer with just a small proportion of Botrytis character will suit this dish. The “Lillypilly 2002 Noble Sauvignon Blanc” is my choice for this dish.

BRETTS WHARF
Smoked rainbow trout, roasted walnuts and lemon butter sauce

Seafood at a restaurant seems to be a favourite, so it’s important not to ruin that experience by over-powering, or for that matter, under-powering the dish with the chosen wine. Rainbow trout is a delicately flavoured fish. When it’s smoked, the flavour increases and changes. Add roasted walnuts and green apple, you introduce another flavour. Top with a lemon butter sauce and again, our requirements change.

White wine with fish and red wine with beef is not good enough. It’s important to match, or contrast, the flavours. However, I would still match this with a white, Unoaked wine.

The nutty flavours could be matched with a leesy unwooded chardonnay or a Semillon which has developed honey and lemon butter characters with age. The “McWilliams Elizabeth Semillon 2003 ” with honey, lemon butter flavours, finished with lemony acid, would be a lovely match with this dish.

MORAY CAFE
“Sichuan and sesame crusted roo fillet”

Kangaroo has a strong flavour so it requires a robust, full-bodied wine. The sweet Sichuan spices and the delicate nuttiness of the sesame seeds need a ripe-styled wine with generous fruit, firm acid and gentle tannin. Big flavours for big wine are generally the rule, so a McLaren or Barossa Shiraz would work, as would a Mudgee Shiraz. Try the “Andrew Harris Mudgee Premium Shiraz 2003 ”.

The Mudgee reds tend to be round and ripe wines. These characters work well with the strong flavours in this dish. This is a very appealing red, which offers plenty of Shiraz flavour, good structure and mouth feel, with sweet, toasty oak. Australian Shiraz is always a good choice. You can safely buy a Shiraz from any region and enjoy a rewarding wine.