Which wine to choose with charcuterie like Catalan fuet?

Wine, cheese and cured meats go well together, so they say. Choosing the ideal wine to go with cured meats, however, remains difficult for most consumers. Directos.eu presents here the best wines to pair with your favourite dry saucisson, Catalan fuet, and the criteria for choosing them.

Red wine and Spanish charcuterie

Red wine does not actually always pair well with cured meats. Fat has a rather negative effect on red wine's tannins. They indeed become hard and dry, giving an unpleasant sensation in the mouth. You will feel like you are eating a piece of metal.

However, for raw sausages like Catalan fuet, a well-acidified red wine is an excellent pairing. This drink is more interesting if it has a fruity taste. Also, be sure to choose a traditional red wine, but a low-tannin one. In this sense, a Beaujolais primeur, an Alsace Pinot Noir, a Chiroubles or a Brouilly make an excellent choice. You can also opt for red wines such as Saumur-Champigny or Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux. These are a little more structured and pair perfectly with Catalan fuet.

White wine and Catalan fuet: the ideal pairing

To enjoy your Spanish dry saucisson, dry white wine is the ideal pairing. Unsweetened dry white wine delights your taste buds. Prefer a dry, oaky style with an intense aroma. Here is a selection of French white wines that pair pleasantly with Catalan sausage:

• Minervois Corbières,
• Coteaux-de-Die,
• Alsace Pinot Blanc,
• Montravel blanc,
• Ventoux blanc,
• Bordeaux blanc,
• Luberon blanc,
• Côte Vermeille blanc,
• Clairette de Bellegarde,
• Comtés Rhodaniens blancs,
• Maures blancs,
• Périgord blanc,
• Vins de la Corrèze blancs.

Fruity, spicy white wines with an apple freshness are also perfect to pair with Catalan fuet.

Rosé wine and cured meats: the perfect harmony

If you prefer rosé, choose a dry wine, not sweet, but full-bodied. Rosé wines with these characteristics indeed come in great variety. You will have plenty of choice between:

• Collioure rosé,
• Bandol,
• Cabardès,
• Cairanne,
• Corbières,
• Côtes-du-Rhône Brézème,
• Tavel,
• Côtes-du-Rhône Villages.

These different rosé wines will pair perfectly with your dry sausage dish, delighting your taste buds. If you are a wine specialist, you can also try combinations. Pairing Catalan fuet with wines produced in Spain or Catalonia will give an exquisite, original flavour.

The criteria for choosing the ideal wine with your Catalan fuet

While there are three families of wine to pair with Catalan fuet, certain criteria should be considered for a wise choice.

Consider the wine's vintage and origin

A wine's vintage indicates the year the fruit was grown, harvested and then made into wine. So, due to climate influences, wine flavours vary from one year to the next. Summer, spring or autumn wines are generally of a good vintage. White, red or rosé, it is best to opt for a 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015 or 2016 vintage. As a general rule, favour a wine at least 3 years old to go with your espetec dish.

Besides the vintage, the wine's origin is a key criterion to consider. Concretely, this means checking the growing region and the grape variety (production method) of your drink. In certain regions of France, few grape varieties grow side by side on the same soil. Wines from these regions therefore certainly have similar tastes and flavours. To find out a wine's origin, simply look at the label on the bottle. The mentions « Château-bottled » or « Domaine » guarantee the wine's origin and grape variety.

Trust your wine merchant's expertise

If you do not know much about wine, your wine merchant can lend a hand. They will be happy to advise you on the best wine to go with your Catalan fuet. Besides considering the different wine families, your wine merchant will take your specific needs and tastes into account. Some wine merchants also offer wine tastings to help you get to grips with the drink's flavour. Depending on your needs and the wine merchant's advice, you will find, after tasting, the ideal wine to go with your dry sausage.

Directos.eu also recommends not relying on price to choose your wine. Price is no guarantee of quality. Some wine bottles carry a sticker reading « gold medal ». These are medals awarded to these brands in competitions with various criteria and requirements. They serve marketing purposes and do not always guarantee a good-quality wine.