Wine and Duck pairings from Adnams Wine Buyer

Duck and wine make the perfect pairing which is why we have teamed up with the Adnams wine club to offer you the chance to win 1 of 20 cases of mixed wine. Click HERE to enter. Their new wine club is perfect if you love discovering new wines but don’t have the time to find them – let Adnams Wine Buyer Alastair Marshall be your personal wine selector! When you join the Adnams Wine Club you will receive a case of 12 new and exciting wines every quarter, delivered straight to your door. The Adnams team hunt out the best wines to complement the ingredients of the season, and support lesser known winemakers as much as possible.

To find out more and join the wine adventure, visit adnams.co.uk/wineclub.

Alastair has recently been pairing up some delicious recipes with wine from the club, here are some of his tempting pairings…

Slow cooked duck legs with herbs and new potatoes

Cover duck legs with mixed herbs, cover with foil and roast in the oven on a low heat for 2 hours. Wait for the legs to cool and then shred the mead and add pine nuts or walnuts, pomegranate seeds, and soy sauce. Serve with a fresh green salad and new potatoes.

The Wines:

I was drinking : 2015 Tempranillo, Baja Aragon, Adnams (£6.99) – Tempranillo is usually found in the guise of Rioja but this version is uncluttered by the usual oak treatment and presents the pure black fruit flavours of the grape. Full but not heavy this is a fine match for the rich meat and since it has a lively, youthful, edge the wine has just enough ‘bite’ to balance the dish.

Mrs M was drinking : 2015 Chemins des Pellerins Rose, Plaimont (£6.99) – This rose from Gascony is crisp and dry with perky red fruit flavours. This was the better match for this dish with the freshness of the wine actually contrasting with the full flavours of the meat in a way that highlighted the best of both.

Slow roasted duck on a bed of duck fat potatoes

Slice white potatoes with a mandolin. Line the bottom of a baking dish with the potatoes to the depth of 1 to 2 cm, sprinkle with salt. Cover the potatoes with foil and pierce the foil with a fork. Place a whole duck on top of the foil. Roast in oven. When cooked remove the duck and let the meat rest. Remove the layer of foil, drain (& preserve) the fat. Put potatoes back in oven on high to brown. The meat and the potatoes were served with beet tops from the garden.

The Wines:

2012 Madiran ‘1907’ Plaimont Gascony (£9.99) – Chosen because the Tannat grape is robust but also tannic and should stand up to this sea of richness. A good combination of mouthfilling black fruit flavours and a dry edge which cleans the palate, encouraging the next mouthful

2014 Morelino di Scansano, Serpaia, Marema (£10.99) – In this part of Italy the Sangiovese grape is known as Morelino. It has a natural, delicate acidity and along with being aged 8 months in old oak casks this gives the soft but vigourous flavours a necessary duck friendly edge.

Duck Lentil ‘risotto’

Strip left over meat from the roast duck and making a stock out of the bones. Add Puy lentils to the stock and reduce to a thick consistency. Add the now chopped up bits of left-over duck meat and re heat. Served with courgettes & beans.

The Wine:

2014 Chinon ‘Le Temps des Cerises’ Domaine de la Noblaie (£11.99)

This is probably the best duck wine yet. It has lively red fruit flavours with a pleasing natural fruit acidity which cuts through any richness but does not hide the flavours of either wine or dish.