Pairing Advice, Please: Mado Mutton Dinner

I'm excited to be attending Mado's mutton dinner this coming Sunday. Chef Rob Levitt will be cooking two mutton from Slagel Farms for this meal.

Since Mado is a BYOB restaurant, I'm trying to determine the best wine or beer pairing that would work across the whole meal. I'm fair-to-middling when it comes to this sort of thing, so I'm throwing this out there for some specific advice from LTH's beverage experts. Menu below, with a couple guidelines:

--I'm looking for a specific pairing of something that I can actually buy this week. I can do vague pairings myself ("how about a nice syrah?" doesn't help). If you have strong feelings about a specific bottle, I'm all ears.

--I'm not looking to break the bank, but it doesn't have to be a totally budget bottle (this is my b-day dinner, after all). Under $30.

Menu:

mado wrote:charcuterie

mutton ham, chorizo and paté

sourdough bread, pickles and grain mustard

parsley and radish salad

antipasti

wood-grilled flatbread with smoked melrose pepper purée,

slow-cooked mutton belly and harissa

empanadas

acorn squash agro-dolce with crispy braised mutton shank

pasta

garganelli with mutton sausage ragú

entrée

lardo-basted, moroccon-spiced mutton leg

cous cous with preserved lemon and mint

dessert

maple-roasted pear brown butter tart

Thanks very much

Best,
Michael

eatchicago wrote:I'm trying to determine the best wine or beer pairing that would work across the whole meal.

Do you mean that you want one wine or beer that would work across the whole meal, or that you want recommendations for ideal pairings with each course?

After having it quite a bit in Spain, we found a few different vintages of tempranillo (a.k.a. tinto fino) from the Ribera del Duero region by [urlhttp://www.hotelarzuaga.com/]Arzuaga[/url] (site is in Spanish) at Sam's Wine. Don't know if you'll be able to find them (or anything else, really) there now, but I'm sure Arzuaga wines are available elsewhere in town...plus Binny's has a whole bunch of Ribera del Duero tempranillos by other producers ranging from $20-90.

Personally, I think a nice tempranillo would go really well with lamb, veal, cured meats, sausages, and highly-savory/complexly-spiced dishes...I don't think it's big enough to stand up to a straight-up steak dinner, but I think it would pair well with the charcuterie & Moroccan flavors you'll be enjoying.

But what do I know, the preceding two paragraphs are the extent of my wine knowledge/vocabulary

I'd definitely have beer though the antipasti course. There are so many divergent flavors for wine to compete with in the first 2 courses, and attempting to pair wine with something as hot as Mado's harissa - not to mention the pickles - is a losing proposition. As for which beer, I'd say something without too big a flavor profile. Something thirst-quenching, with enough bitterness to cut through the sour and picant food. Negra Modelo would probably be my choice, but just pick something you like.

I'd go with a Refosco for the pasta and main courses. In Friuli, there is a legendary mutton-based sausage called peta, and Refosco is what would most commonly be served with it. Refosco's are relatively light in body, and have a peppery taste and dried fruit smell that cuts through gamey meats well. The 2006 Ermacora Refosco is a good 20 dollar or so bottle that I've purchased locally at Sam's.

Kennyz wrote:

eatchicago wrote:I'm trying to determine the best wine or beer pairing that would work across the whole meal.

Do you mean that you want one wine or beer that would work across the whole meal, or that you want recommendations for ideal pairings with each course?

The former. No more than two different things that I can enjoy with the whole meal.

Thanks for the recs. I'll keep everyone posted on what I wind up with.

I think Capital Autumnal Fire might serve you well through most of the meal, though it's a pretty big beer and might demand too much of your attention. It's not an extreme beer in any sense though, just a somewhat high-ABV doppelbock drifting toward an Oktoberfest flavorwise. It's got a full-bodied maltiness that might offset the salty spicy sour flavors of the charcuterie and antipasti, a fruity depth that should be nice for mutton, and its slightly sweet biscuity breadiness but crisp finish should go well with the dessert similarly to how a stout would.

Other advantages include that it's local(ish), regional anyway, from the Madison, WI area, and also the 7.8% or so ABV will help you have a happy birthday.

at least, it paired well with last night's Bears game, though in that case the flavors were reversed, with the sweet feeling of a second quarter lead giving way to a sour disposition and salty language by the end of the game.