If you are in a hurry
- White Burgundy wines, such as Saint-Romain, Rully or Pernand-Vergelesses
- A white wine from Saint-Amour ( Beaujolais )
- A red Burgundy (
- A Saumur-Champigny (Loire)
What wine to pair with veal stew: a thorny and divisive question
There are several opinions, some restricting the choice of wine with veal blanquette to white wine, because they believe the wine should complement the sauce (which is creamy, remember) and not the meat. The cream would therefore automatically rule out red wine. Some theories are less strict, and since at Les Grappes there are some die-hard red wine fans, we've decided to present all the possibilities. Let's start with white wine to accompany your blanquette: it should complement the dish, helping to balance the flavors.
Veal blanquette, despite its slow cooking, remains a fairly rich dish, so the white wine should provide a touch of acidity to balance and enhance the creaminess of the sauce. The flavors of veal blanquette are subtle and delicate; they shouldn't be overpowered by wines that are too strong. Discreet grape varieties like Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Marsanne are preferable. Red wine, contrary to what some might say, can work with veal blanquette. Of course, not all red wines are suitable, and wines that are too tannic or too high in alcohol are not good companions for your veal, your sauce, your rice, or even your vegetables. Fortunately for us, soft and delicate red wines do exist! Those made with Pinot Noir, for example, are perfect with veal prepared in this way. Their youthfulness will be an added bonus.
Red wine, white wine and Blanquette: the ideal appellations
Burgundy wines are suitable in both white and red: Saint-Romain, Rully, and Pernand-Vergelesses are good choices for white, while for red, opt for Santenay or Marsannay. White Beaujolais wines like Saint-Amour pair very well with veal stew. You can also look to your cellar for Loire wines such as Sancerre and Saumur-Champigny for red.
Veal stew, a favorite of the French
Blanquette de veau manages the clever trick of transforming less prized cuts of veal to bring out their flavor, and without adding any luxurious ingredients, creates a subtle harmony of delicate aromas. It's one of the French's favorite dishes, and its consumption is very high, from the first signs of cold weather until late spring. At Les Grappes, we love it so much that we even make it in the summer sometimes… And yet, the French still wonder what to drink with blanquette! The debate rages on: white? red? white or red?
