Wich Wine To Pair With Venison…Bold Petite Sirah!

After I received some venison from some of my friends that like to hunt, I’ve been experimenting with how to cook it. A few failures has occurred, but three dishes stand out (to me, anyway). Meatballs, Chili and the best one is what we call “Finn-biff” in Norway (in Norway we make it with rain-deer).  This dish is made by slicing the meat thin, and cook it on low heat for several hours. I found out that my slow-cooker was perfect for this. We serve the meat with potatoes and the vegetable of your choice ( I like to use brussels sprouts), and lingonberry preserves. The slow cooking makes the meat so nice and tender, and the flavors really come out.

I had invited some of my friends over for dinner on Sunday, and we had Finn-biff. I was interested to see if they liked it as much as I do, because it has been one of my favorite things to eat when I go home to Norway. And from what I could tell (I did consume my share of wine that night), they all seemed to like it.

We paired our main course with a Petit Sirah from California, Cantiga Wineworks 2009 El Dorado. One of my friends had picked up this bottle while on vacation in California and Hawaii. A bold full-bodied wine with high alcohol (14.9), but still very smooth and pleasant. Aromas of spice and blackberries. Some of us tasted bacon at first, but that might have been the smokey flavor wich mixed with the dark berries, and gave in to a nice long finish. A very enjoyable wine.

We did uncork  a few more bottles that night. I had unscrewed the cork on a bottle of Cheap Bastard Basement Red, before my guests arrived. It was kind of an average bottle. Easy to drink and affordable. Soft tannins, medium bodied with flavors of plum and vanilla.

Next up, was a bottle one of my friends brought, a 2011 Kendall-Jackson Sonoma County Vintner’s Reserve Merlot. This was a great wine, and I’m starting to expect it when I open one from Kendall-Jackson. Nice smooth flavors of plum, spice and minerals.

From Merlot to Zinfandel, a 2010 7 Deadly Zins from Michael David. I have been looking forward to trying this wine, and it delivered. Nice full-bodied wine with soft tannins. Rich sweet raspberries with a little smokey flavor. I’m glad we had this bottle before the Petit Sirah, because I’m afraid that anything would have seemed flat after that wine.

The unlucky bottle that had to compare itself to the Petit Sirah, was a Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Dante Vineyard California, and it was a disappointment. I expected more from this wine, it came across flat and light, it did pick up a little on day two, but not enough for me. Black currant on the nose, medium bodied – almost a little light for a Cabernet. Medium to high acidity and medium tannins. I picked up flavors of raspberry and black currant.

We finished of the night with a Blueberry banana tart with whipped cream, wich was both gluten and dairy free. A fun time with friends, and I’m looking forward to doing it again. Cheers!