Wild boar

Wild boar

Assuming wild boar slow cooked in red wine with juniper and herbs, as a ragù with pappardelle or as a stew.

Wild boar is darker, leaner and more gamey than pork, and slow cooking gives it a deep, savoury sauce. It wants a red with firm tannin and high acidity, and savoury, herbal or earthy notes to meet the game rather than sweet, jammy fruit. Light reds and whites are overwhelmed.

Pairs Perfectly. Sangiovese, Morellino di Scansano, Tuscany, Italy. Sour cherry, dried herbs and earth with firm tannin and bright acidity, from the Maremma coast where wild boar is a local dish. It is widely available and modestly priced.

Pairs Well. Mourvèdre, Bandol, France. Dark fruit, leather and wild herbs on firm tannin, a gamey red for a gamey meat.

Pairs Well. Crozes-Hermitage, northern Rhône, France. Syrah with blackberry, black pepper and olive, which meets juniper and game.

Worth Seeking Out

Xinomavro from Naoussa, Greece. Savoury and high in acidity, with dried tomato, olive and firm tannin, a close match for slow cooked game.

Avoid

Light reds, whites and very jammy, sweet fruited reds. Light wines are lost and ripe, sweet fruit clashes with the gamey sauce.

Failing That

A Côtes du Rhône Villages, France.

If All Else Fails

Malbec, Mendoza.

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