MONKFISH is a relatively easy dish to match to wine … as long as you like Chardonnay. A rich new world example (I’d suggest a Western Australian or a decent Californian) with a healthy touch of oak would be the perfect partner. However, when you add the harissa spice to the fish, I’d recommend a quick rethink in wine terms.
A Gewurztraminer from Alsace would suit the spice element of the dish, but it can be too floral an option for some palates. I’d prefer a beautifully aromatic new world Viognier which I feel is a lovely mid-point style-wise between the Gewurz and the Chardonnay.
Viognier is a tricky grape to grow well (it’s temperamental as well as being low-yielding) and needs to be harvested at exactly the right time before the grapes get too ripe. This means that there is a very small window of opportunity for the picking team, so the winemaker has to be completely on the ball and ready to go at a moment’s notice.
When they get it right, it’s a delicious smorgasbord of flavours including peach, apricot, and lime with floral notes and a heady, musky perfume element. This all helps to make the wine a good match with lobster, spiced monkfish and even roast pork.
My current favourite is the Saronsberg Viognier 2016 (Inverarity One to One, £12.49). Saronsberg are based in Tulbagh, South Africa and they make a fantastic and diverse range of wines. The maiden vintage was as recent 2004, so they’re relatively new kids on the block especially when you consider that producers like Meerlust go back to the 1600s.
However, they have made quite a splash in a short period of time and they’ve won a few awards to boot. Their Viognier sees 11 months in oak, which provides a fabulous structure to the wine without ever overpowering the fruit. The balance is exceptional, making it one of the best whites that I’ve tasted this year. (I know we’re not yet in March, but I taste a lot of wine).
Alternatively, grab a bottle of the Yalumba Y Series Viognier 2016 (Majestic, £10.99). From the Barossa valley, this is a classic, full-on, bold Aussie and it’s just lovely. It has more than enough character to stand up to the harissa element in the dish. Enjoy!
Pete Stewart is Glasgow director of Inverarity One to One, 185a Bath Street www.inveraritymorton.com
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here