Delicious Australia – (05)May 2019

Hisfirstexperiencemayhavecomewitha

sideofembarrassment,butMikeBennie

has since developed a nose for roasts.

@mikebennie101 @mikebennie101

M E AT: YOU R

MATCH

LAMBRACK:PAUL

OSICKAOLDVINES

CABERNETSAUVIGNON

2 0 17,$50Old-school-

good-school,fuller-

flavouredredwinefrom

oneofAustralia’sgreat

familyestates.Thisis all

darkberryandplummy

fruitwitha whiffof

eucalyptusandjudicious

oakseasoning.Pitch-

perfect with lamb roast.

FIELDMUSHROOMS:

FARMHANDSHIRAZ

2018,$16Fromcertified

organicvines,thisis a

juicy,brightand

slurpableredofsweet-

ripefruitcharacter,

ideallymatchedtomore

savourygamey-flavoured

dishes,thoughit drinks

a charm in its own right.

CLASSICROASTBEEF:

BASKETRANGEWINE

MERLOTPETITVERDOT

2 0 17,$34Froma

wonderfulfamily(the

Brodericks)inthebucolic

hamletofBasketRange

intheAdelaideHills,this

sustainablyfarmedredis

silky-textured,medium-

bodiedandgenerally

charmingtodrink.Decant

before you do.

FENNEL-CRUSTED

SALMON:LOGAN

CLEMENTINEPINOTGRIS

2018,$26It willcomeas

a surprisetomanythat

pinotgrisgrapesactually

havepurpleskins,sowhen

youimmersethemin their

ownjuiceyoucanproduce

wineslikethis,effectively

a roséstyle.It’sfragrant,

crisp,refreshingand ideal

with oily fish.

GARLICCHICKEN:

WALSH& SONS

RAINBOWWHITE2018,

$20Skin-fermented

whitewines,akaorange

wines,worka treatwith

garlic-ladendishes.This

wild-edgedexpressionis

vivaciousinherbaland

citrusscentsandflavours,

withjust-rightpuckerin

thepalatetomatch with

the juicy meat.

ITWASINaboutthe10thyearofmy

existencethatI sawmyfirstproperroast

meal,a lunchsearedintomymemory.

HavinggrownupwithanEastern

Europeanmother,it wasallabout

slow-cookedstewsandgruels,unusual

rootvegetablesandcuredmeats.Sowhen

a roastedhunkofmeatwithsteamedveg

waspresentedtome,I wascautious.

“Whydoesn’tit comein a sauce?”

I askedmyhosts,theparentsofa friend

a milliongenerationsEnglish-Australian.

“Wellthisis it, it’sa mintsauce,”offered

thehostdad.Tothetable’shorror,I

dumpedthebowlovermymeatshards,

beingusedtoeverymeatcomingin a lake

ofsauce.Thankfully,Australiandining has

comea longwaysincethen.

NowI amensconcedin thedrinksworld,

therearemyriadcombinationsofroast

meatandvegetablestoworkwith.Beef

orlambroastwasonceonlythedomain

ofclaret(medium-bodiedcabernetand

merlotblendsfromBordeauxorsimilar),

butthecornucopiaofItalian-Australian

winesfeelmoreaptin thismodernera.

So,too,thehumblegrenachesofSouth

Australiaseemkindredwithgamemeat

roasts,theirinherentperfumeably

matchedtothesweet-savourynatureof

venison,quailandgoat.I’malsoa huge

fanofmedium-weightredswithgood,

firmtexture;indeed,oneofmymantras

is “tanninsareyourfriend”.Thedrying

agentsresetthepalate– thinkgrape

varietieslikesangioveseornebbiolo.

Thenthere’sthehumbleroastchook.

Forme,oneofthegreatestpairingsis

chickenwithbutterstuffedunderitsskin,

cookedwithtrimmings,andservedwith

a beautiful,medium-bodiedchardonnay.

For‘lighter’roastdishes,including

wholefishorheartyvegetables,I lean

towardswhitewineswithchalky,puckering

textureanda littleextradepthofflavour.

Or,if you’readventurous,a new-wave

orange(skin-contactwhite)wine.

UseMike’smatches(atleft)toaccompany

our weeknights roasts on page 86.

delicious.com.au/drinks

ToperusemoreofMike’s

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

PORKCUTLETS:

YANGARRANOIR2018,

$25A blendofsixred

grapevarietiesaddsto

thisfreshtakeoneasy-

drinkingredwine,though

you’llfindmoreinterest

thanexpectedwithits

layersofspice,brightfruit

andcrunchytexture.Drink

with a light chill.

DRINKS.

38 delicious.com.au