2020-04-01 delicious

Changeis in theairforMikeBennie,who

wrapsupthiscolumnwithleft-of-centre

but undeniablygooddrink pairings.

@mikebennie101

MATCH

MADE

FRANKLANDESTATE

ROCKYGULLY RIESLING

2019,$19

Rieslingis oneofthemost

refreshinggrapevarieties.

It'smuchmalignedfor

beingsweet,butdry,

crispstyles,likethisone,

area stunningmatchfor

a wealthoffood– my

favouriteis smoked

sausages.Unusual,

but it works a treat.

MADAWINES

PROSECCO2019,$24

Proseccois oneofthe

fastest-growingwine

categoriesonearth,and

Australiais showingItaly

justhowgoodwedoit

DownUnder.Thisversion

iscrunchyintexture,

vivaciousinbubbles,

andoneofthebestlocal

examples.Drinkit with

a big fry-up breakfast.

STONYCREEKFARM

DISTILLERYNORTHOF

EDENCLASSICGIN,$75

An'RSLdaiquiri',orso

I callit,is ginwithlemon

squashandbittersover

ice,andis awesomewith

schnitzelora parmy.

Thisis a superbdrygin,

probablybestina martini,

butworksa treatinthis

old-school drink.

SAILORSGRAVE

BREWINGSOU'EAST

DRAUGHTBEER,$6

Mostpeoplereachforsake

ordrywhitewineswhen

chowingdownonsashimi,

butI reckonthedry,crisp

natureofplainbeersworks

reallywell.SailorsGrave

nailsthebriefwiththis

wickedlysessionable,

lightly bitter beer.

LARMANDIERBERNIER

LONGITUDEEXTRABRUT

CHAMPAGNENV,$129

Larmandier-Bernieris

a biodynamic,boutique

Champagneproducer

knownforcomplexbut

deliciousChampagne

wines.Thisoneis

incredibleandfeelssuper

fancytosip.Andmatched

withsalt-and-vinegar

chips? Heaven.

INTHEIMMORTALWORDSofDavid

Bowie,‘ch-ch-ch-ch-changes, turn and

facethestrange...’

That’sright,thisis thelastyou’llseeof

thiscolumn.Nextmonththedrinkspages

evolve,andI amjoinedbymyfriend,the

wine-lovingcomedianandpresenter

MerrickWatts,forournewcolumn'The

CriticandTheComic'.Muchlikeourpals

FassandAnthonyoveronthenextfew

pages,we’regoinghead-to-headeach

month.Ournewcolumnwillfocuson

food-and-winematching,andMerrick

andI willbedoingtheoh-so-very

difficulttaskofsittingdownovera dish

anddiscussingbestcombinations.Fun

andlearningdogohand-in-hand.

Withthisin mind,I thoughtthatthis

‘final'columncouldfocusonsomeofmy

favouritedrink-and-foodmatches.These

arerealworld,non-restaurantunionsthat

makegreatsensetome,arepossibly

surprising,butalwaysdelightful.

Sometimes,thesimplestmarriages

arebest.Champagneanda bagofcrisps

isoneofmymostrighteousbut

controversialcouplings– I lovethe

decadenceofthedrinkwiththesalty

simplicityofthesnack.Rosépairswith

justabouteverything– it'stheSwissarmy

knifeofwine.Merricktalksa biggame

aboutroséandburgers,butI like

splashingit aroundatyumchaorwith

Indiancurries,Mexicanfeastsandspicy

Thai.Anice-coldcanoflagerorpilsner

worksa treatwithsushiandsashimi,and

proseccoandgreasybreakfastsare

prettymuchthecureforanything.

Ofcourse,I couldtalkaboutthe

virtuesofComtéandthewhitewinesof

theFrenchwineregionofJura.I’vebeen

knowntolectureallwhowilllistenon

LoireValleyMuscadetandoysters.

I cantalkaboutthewinesofBordeaux

alongsidethefinestroastmeals.Allthat

is great,butsomewhatoldhat.In the

end,we’realllookingfora changefrom

timetotime,andthat’swhyMerrick and

I will see you next month.

delicious.com.au/drinks

ToperuseMike’sall-time

favourite drinks.

EASTERNPEAKEPINOT

TACHEROSÉ2018,$28

Yumchais a greatexcuse

tohavea beerorcheeky

winebeforemidday,but

youneedutilitariandrinks

tospanacrosseverything,

fromdumplingstoroast

pork– forthat,roséis

yourfriend.Thisis a stellar

examplefromoneof

Australia'shottestyoung

wine-making talents.

MIKE BENNIE IS ALSO CO-OWNER OF A SYDNEY-BASED WINE AND LIQUOR RETAIL BUSINESS

DRINKS.

34 delicious.com.au