In collaboration with Marc Malouf of Wine Worth Writing About and iHeartWine Australia.
Lebanese cuisine is a vibrant blend of fresh, aromatically-spiced, herbaceous and earthy ingredients that reflect the country’s rich cultural heritage influenced by Phoenician, Ottoman, and French traditions. A Lebanese feast is incomplete without a variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains, dips and pickles, grilled meats, pastries and plenty of parsley, mint, za’atar, lemon and olive oil. Lebanon also has a winemaking tradition dating back to around 7,000 BC, so naturally the cuisine pairs very well with wine. Marc is delighted to share four very special wines to elevate our humble Lebanese dishes to new heights.
Menu 1 – Casa Castillo ‘Las Gravas’ Monastrelle 2019
The hearty, savoury flavours of kibbeh call for a wine with natural savouriness, a good spine of acidity and the grip of refined tannins to cut through the richness. Marc suggests an elegant Spanish monastrell (a.k.a. mataro/mourvedre), especially one blended with a touch of grenache. He describes the Las Gravas as “silky, earthy, floral and deeply flavoured with notes of pomegranate, dark berries, hints of blood orange and spices that complement the flavours of kibbeh so well”, with that almost-hidden grenache sweetness that just shines through on the finish.
Menu 2 – Suavia Massi Fitti Bianco Veronese IGT 2020
This menu is full of herbaceous and tangy flavours, in both the tomato-sauced zucchini and the yoghurt-rich fatteh, suggesting a wine with zesty citrus notes and gentle herbals to match, such as a trebbiano from Veneto. Marc’s pick is the Massifitti from Giovanni and Rosetta at Suavia winery. “With flavours of ripe pear, sweet spices and iodine, and a mouth-watering acidity, it a bright beauty that matches the herbaceous, vegetal, tangy flavours of kousa and fatteh,” says Marc. Adding “it’s a complex pairing that shows the versatility of the special Italian varietal trebbiano di Soave”.
Menu 3 – Terrebrune Bandol Rosé 2020
There’s myriad flavours in this menu of lamb in tangy yoghurt sauce, spicy potatoes, and herbaceous chicory with sweet caramelised onion. Marc’s wine match is a French rosé, specifically one from Bandol which he says is “home to the world’s greatest rosés”. Marc suggests the mourvèdre, grenache, cinsault blend from Terrebrune, calling it “one of the region’s very best expressions, an opulent wine with savoury complexity and lovely freshness. Think pink grapefruit, lychee, pear, Provençal herbals and a kiss of sea salt”.
Menu 4 – Terre a Terre Crayères Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2018
To pair with the yoghurt, garlic and herbs in our samke harra, Marc suggests a Loire-style sauvignon blanc that’s spent time on lees and been through malolactic fermentation, adding savoury, buttery notes to its naturally high acidity and gentle herbaceousness. He calls the Terre a Terra Crayeres Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc “Australia’s very best.” Adding “the buttery, caramelised, saline notes underly quince, complex citrus, stone fruit and almond, driven by zesty acidity and gripped by fine tannins. It’s rich, long and gloriously textural, perfect with the salty, zingy, lactic samke harra.”
Learn more about Marc and iHeartWine at iheartwine.com.au
Please email Marc at marc@iheartwine.com.au with any questions.
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