Kohlrabi and celeriac, flavouring profile

Kohlrabi and celeriac, flavouring profile

These two knobbly roots taste of celery, cabbage and nuts, and they suit a textured, dry white with a savoury or nutty edge far better than anything fruity.

The compounds that matter. The same aromatic compounds that give celery its smell, strongest in celeriac, which mirror the green, herbal notes of some dry whites. Mild cabbage and radish notes in kohlrabi, from sulphur compounds that clash with a wine that smells of struck matches. Natural sugars that come forward when either is roasted or baked, turning the flavour sweet and nutty.

What it demands of a wine. A dry white of medium body with good acidity. A nutty, savoury or herbal register rather than tropical fruit. For celeriac remoulade, with its mustard and mayonnaise, more acidity. For celeriac puree with cream or brown butter, more texture.

Seek. Savagnin from the Jura in its fresh, topped up style, whose walnut and green apple mirror roasted celeriac. Dry Chenin Blanc from Vouvray, waxy and sharp, for purees and gratins. Aligoté from Burgundy, lean and lemony, for remoulade. Dry Furmint from Tokaj, smoky and firm, for salt baked celeriac. Dry Riesling from the Rheingau, for raw kohlrabi in a salad.

Avoid

Tannic reds, which the earthy, faintly bitter roots turn harsh. Heavily reductive whites, which clash with the sulphur of kohlrabi. Very aromatic, sweet fruited whites, which bury something this savoury.

Three to reach for. Savagnin, Jura, France. Dry Chenin Blanc, Vouvray, France. Dry Furmint, Tokaj, Hungary.