Meat pies: impossible food-wine pairing?!?

The Australian Open is underway. Tomorrow is Australia Day. So today, instead of focusing on the current troubles of the Aussie wine biz, let’s pay homage to Australian, erm, cuisine by thinking about pairing up the iconic dish, the meat pie.

The hand sized-pie is made of a variety of meats (perhaps at once), and topped with ketchup, known locally as tomato sauce. Served hot, they can be purchased in grocery stores, convenience stores, gas stations, sporting events and pretty much anywhere in the country.

So even though Eric Asimov reaches for the closest dump bucket every time he hears us ask it, is pairing wine and meat pies… impossible?!

Friend-of-the-blog Eric Arnold did his own meat pie and wine experiments while spending a year in New Zealand, a country with its own pie predilection. As he details in a chapter in his book, First Big Crush, Eric lined up an array of “greasy, heart-attack inducing” pies including steak and kidney, steak and cheese, and “Mexican.” He poured New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Merlot and a rosé and invited the makers of those exact wines along for a tasting. Lo and behold, not only did they take it surprisingly seriously, but they had fun with it! To see the results of their pairings, check out chapter 18 of his book.

10 Responses to “Meat pies: impossible food-wine pairing?!?”


  1. What, nobody tried cab franc? With its berry and tomato paste (if not tomato plant) aroma, seems like a natural match to me.

    Without the ketchup, I go pinot with tourtière, Quebec’s own version of meat pies (bigger and better, of course).


  2. […] Meat pies: impossible food-wine pairing?!? « Someone’s In The Kitchen & Otis Kenyon Wine […]


  3. Big grease, all tannin. One of those great big Shirazes they can’t sell abroad and are available at the same gas station. (actually this gives new meaning to the term gas station)


  4. Frank is on the right track (gas station) but I would go the extra mile with sparkling Shiraz – tannins and scrubbing bubbles. Like meat pies, sparkling Shiraz falls into the category “seemed to be a good idea at the time.”


  5. Something with ample weight since those pies cannot possibly be on my New Year’s weight reduction resolution list?Chateauneuf-du-Pape?


  6. If it counts, I recently served a big chicken pot pie with a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc:

    http://wine-by-benito.blogspot.com/2009/12/2008-whitehaven-sauvignon-blanc.html

    Other meat pies aren’t common in my part of the country, but I had a delicious beef & suet Scottish meat pie in Cleveland a few years ago. I paired it with a Greek red wine. It was delicious at two in the morning.


  7. Beringer White Zin.


  8. Any good Australian Shiraz compliments or if you must do French go with a nice peppery and spicy Rhone Valley.

    If you’re interested you can read one of my resent posts about it. Happy Australia Day!

    http://saveurshk.blogspot.com/2009/12/australian-shiraz-and-meat-pies-great.html


  9. Surely Vin de Paille?!?

    My Aus day food & wine pairing was inspired by the coincidence between the latter part of Burns Night in Scotland and the first part of Aus day – Aussie wines with Socts haggis – http://is.gd/74exy


  10. Good sparkling shiraz can go very well with some meat pies – especially cold pies taken to sunny picnics. I reckon grenache or tempranillo with a good lamb and rosemary pie also works well. Or chardonnay with a chicken, leek and mushroom pie.

    And wine is not sold at petrol stations in Australia, Frank.


winepoliticsamz

Wine Maps


Monthly Archives

Categories


Blog posts via email

@drvino on Instagram

@drvino on Twitter




winesearcher

quotes

One of the “fresh voices taking wine journalism in new and important directions.” -World of Fine Wine

“His reporting over the past six months has had seismic consequences, which is a hell of an accomplishment for a blog.” -Forbes.com

"News of such activities, reported last month on a wine blog called Dr. Vino, have captivated wine enthusiasts and triggered a fierce online debate…" The Wall Street Journal

"...well-written, well-researched, calm and, dare we use the word, sober." -Dorothy Gaiter & John Brecher, WSJ

jbf07James Beard Foundation awards

Saveur, best drinks blog, finalist 2012.

Winner, Best Wine Blog

One of the "seven best wine blogs." Food & Wine,

One of the three best wine blogs, Fast Company

See more media...

ayow150buy

Wine books on Amazon: