Braised lentils

Braised lentils

Assuming Puy or green lentils braised with onion, carrot, herbs and stock, served warm, sometimes alongside sausage or bacon.

Lentils are earthy, savoury and soft, with little fat, so the wine should be light to medium in body with fresh acidity and an earthy or savoury note of its own. The savoury depth of the stock makes firm tannin taste harder. Heavy oak and big, ripe fruit bury a dish this quiet.

Pairs Perfectly. Cru Beaujolais, Morgon or Côte de Brouilly, France. Gamay from the firmer crus has red fruit, a stony, earthy edge and very little tannin, which suits lentils braised with thyme and bay. Its acidity lifts the starch, and a Beaujolais Villages gives the same shape for less money.

Pairs Well. Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon. Red cherry and forest floor over bright acidity, earthy enough to meet the lentils and light enough to leave them alone.

Pairs Well. St Laurent, Burgenland, Austria. Dark cherry and a savoury, earthy note, soft in tannin, for lentils with sausage or bacon.

Worth Seeking Out

Listán Negro from the Canary Islands, Spain. A light, peppery red grown on volcanic soil, with an earthy, smoky edge that suits a plate of lentils.

Avoid

Heavily oaked, jammy reds and firmly tannic young wines. Sweet fruit and vanilla sit awkwardly on an earthy plate, and the savoury stock makes hard tannin harsher.

Failing That

A Rioja Crianza, Spain.

If All Else Fails

Côtes du Rhône rouge.

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