New Zealand Pinot Noir with Duck, Mushrooms and Roast Chicken

5 days ago

2 min read

Clos Ostler Waitaki Pinot Noir 2023 with a glass of red wine on a stone table.

Pinot Noir has a particular ease at the table when its perfume survives the arrival of the food. At Clos Ostler, that aromatic character brings red fruit and rosehip in Waitaki 2023, with a fine savoury thread that suggests thyme, roast chicken and the juices left in the pan.

Food pairing begins there for us, with the character of a particular bottle. The same variety can occupy quite different places at dinner as vintage, selection and age change its proportions.

Roast chicken and Waitaki 2023

Roast chicken with potatoes and thyme is a natural starting point for our Waitaki Pinot Noir 2023. Its bright red-fruit character has room beside the browned skin and simple pan juices. A heavy reduction would change the relationship, bringing the sauce to the foreground and asking more of the wine’s weight.

That distinction explains why a pairing described only as ‘Pinot Noir with chicken’ is incomplete. Lemon, cream, mushrooms and a deeply reduced jus lead the same bird in different directions. WSET’s pairing guidance similarly places emphasis on the effects of acidity, salt and fat.

Duck and Caroline’s

For Caroline’s, duck breast with lentils and thyme offers a more substantial setting. The appeal is the combination of savoury cooking, richness and the wine’s fruit. A restrained sauce allows its perfume to remain distinct; sweetness in a glaze can become a much stronger presence than the duck itself.

This is a serving suggestion rooted in the style of the wine. The vintage remains relevant, particularly when a younger, more structured bottle is replaced by one that has had several years to develop.

Mushrooms and an older bottle

Mushrooms on buttered toast or a gently cooked risotto suggest a different evening. They leave space for the savoury development that makes an older Pinot interesting, without requiring elaborate cooking.

The attraction of a library wine at dinner is the time available to follow it. Its first aroma, its response to air and its place beside the food become part of one experience. That is the kind of meal we have in mind when choosing a Pinot Noir pairing, with enough flavour on the plate, and enough room for the bottle.