Drinks for game meat

Mild or strong meat

In short, you can distinguish between two extremes: mild meat with light accompaniments and strong meat with fatty accompaniments such as creamy sauces. For the lightest and mildest dishes, a Pinot Noir, preferably from Burgundy, is classic. These are delicate, elegant wines that complement the slightly milder game flavours and the lighter accompaniments. More mature versions also often have slightly rustic aromas of forest and mushrooms that complement the game meat and accompaniments well. For the heaviest and strongest dishes, red wines from the Rhône are classic. These are wines that often have a lot of power and body. In addition, you often find notes of spices and herbs in these wines, which goes well with all the spices that are often used with game (thyme, dried juniper berries, pepper, etc.).

Sweet accompaniments

Many people serve their game meat with sweet accompaniments such as currant jelly, cranberry puree or port wine sauce. Even cooked root vegetables such as carrots, celeriac and parsnips can taste sweet. This is a challenge for some wines, as the sweetness in the food steals the sweetness in the wine. Therefore, choose a slightly sweet wine if you have sweet accompaniments, such as Ripasso and Amarone wines from Valpolicella. 

Recipe: Roasted elk fillet

Ingredients: 

Fillet

• 800 grams of elk fillet
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. pepper
• Butter for frying

Port wine sauce

• 2 dl Port wine
• 3 dl boiled game stock
• 2 tbsp. cold butter
• Ground pepper

Celery puree

• 500 grams of diced celeriac
• 3 dl milk
• 3 dl cream
• 50 grams of butter
• Salt and pepper

Butter-fried chanterelles

• 500 grams of chanterelles
• Butter for frying
• A small handful of thyme
• Salt and pepper

You can also add potatoes, if desired.

Preparation:

1. Let the fillet sit on the kitchen counter for a good hour before frying; it is important that the meat is at room temperature.
2. Rub the meat with plenty of salt and pepper and roast it well in butter so that the meat gets a nice crust and colour. Set the oven to 160 degrees. Reduce the port wine and game stock by half and whisk in the cold butter. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Cook the celeriac until tender in milk and cream. Add the butter and puree it smooth with a hand blender. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the fillet and place it in the oven. Cook the fillet until it reaches a core temperature of 58 degrees. Let the meat rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting it into fine serving pieces. Meanwhile, fry the chanterelles and heat the purée and sauce.
4. Arrange the puree and mushrooms on the bottom of the plate and the meat on top. Spoon the sauce over the meat and garnish with a sprig of thyme.