Black pudding

Black pudding

Black pudding is rich, iron edged and warmly spiced, and it is often served with apple, bacon or scallops. The wine needs acidity to cut the fat and a peppery or spicy note to meet the seasoning, with soft tannin, since iron and firm tannin together turn metallic. A little red fruit suits the apple that so often comes with it.

Pairs Perfectly. Cru Beaujolais from the firmer crus, Morgon or Moulin-a-Vent, France. Dark cherry, a stony, peppery edge and very little tannin, with the acidity to cut through the fat. The French eat boudin noir with exactly this, and it handles the apple as easily as the pudding.

Pairs Well. Zweigelt, Austria. Sour cherry and black pepper with almost no tannin, and inexpensive.

Pairs Well. Bobal, Utiel-Requena, Spain. Dark, fresh and bright, the kind of red drunk with morcilla, Spain's own blood sausage.

Worth Seeking Out

Trousseau from the Jura, France. Pale, wild and savoury with a peppery spice that runs straight into the seasoning of the pudding.

Avoid

Firmly tannic reds and heavily oaked wines. Tannin and the iron of the blood turn metallic together, and heavy oak smothers the spice.

Failing That

A Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Italy.

If All Else Fails

Beaujolais Villages.

Want to be able to craft answers like this? The Vinealto Wine Coach takes you from the basics to advanced.