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Liquid Refreshment

10

Sep

Bedeviled Wine Choices

Jacob Gaffney  in White Wines, Grüner Veltliner, Albariño , , , , , , ,

Lunch yesterday at Canteen restaurant in London provided an unusual challenge for InterWined in trying to find what wine pairs with both devilled kidneys on toast and potted duck with piccalilli?

Canteen is a different sort of place that seems hit-or-miss with many of its diners. In fact, more miss than hit, as the pro-Canteen comments appear written by owner/manager types sinfully promoting.

Yes, the service is spotty and French, but after a weekend in DisneyLand Paris the two, we can guarantee, are entwined. There was one particular instance involving hair in my pizza that nearly lead to the waiter getting snuck from behind, Kimbo Slice style.

I mean it, I wanted to punch him…and he would have deserved it.

Nonetheless, so what if the French don’t understand why people aren’t just happy with what they get? They still make a few good wines and the best movies.

And, the French influence at Canteen may be responsible for an impressive and diverse wine list. In the end we settled for an interesting Weingut Stadt Krems Gruner Vetliner.

Of all the offal, kidneys rank in the middle of the edible scale for us. Not as approachable and easy to eat as, say, liver, but not as psychologically putrid as…well you know, brains or nuts.

The Krems, though, proved to not be a light and crisp as expected, with less white pepper than usual. Yet it worked to clear the paprika and slightly burnt taste of the seared kidneys. Not as successful with the tumeric-based piccalilli, which soured the wine slightly.

So, the answer to the question posed at the beginning of the post remains unanswered for the time being. Sorry, but our guess is maybe an Albariño? Any guesses?

Let the debate mildly begin.

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azp74
azp74 said: September 11th, 2008 at 9:50 am

I’d go for a light red - something like a Burgundy (or other restrained Pinot Noir), Beaujolais or even the Brown Bros Tarrango (yes, I know I’m always on about it!). Not sure how those suggestions would work with the piccalilli but I’m pretty sure they’d work with the kidneys & duck.

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