FOR MOCKTAILS, GO BIG AND BOLD You could emulate the dark, ripe, fruit quality in Australian Shiraz with a blackberry thyme
Shiraz from Australia is classic with lamb of any kind. It's big and bold with lots of ripe fruit flavours so it can stand up to the bold flavours of lamb. Grenache or GSM blends are a little softer, so that would work well with slow-cooked lamb, like lamb shank. Bordeaux blends, too, would be a good pairing, especially if you use herbs as a crust for rack of lamb. The more you cook your lamb, the bolder the flavours get (and the tougher it becomes). This means you need a bolder, fuller bodied wine to stand up to a medium well/well done rack of lamb. A left-bank Bordeaux would work. Medium rare/ medium, as most chefs would recommend, would go well with the classic Australian Shiraz or even a Spanish Rioja. And if you prefer rare to medium rare, try a lighter red such as a Grenache — or if you are feeling adventurous, full-bodied rosé.
mocktail. Muddle fresh blackberries with lemon juice, thyme syrup (in- fuse simple syrup with thyme leaves) and top with soda. The thyme in the mocktail will bring out the herbs that could be used in rack of lamb. Try using ginger beer instead of soda for a bolder flavour.
Peppermint tea would also be a good pairing, if you want to try something outside of the box. Mint jelly is traditionally served on the side with lamb chops, so peppermint tea can also provide a refreshing contrast to the richness of lamb in the same way. Or if you wanted to use the same principle but turn it into a mocktail, you could make a non-alcoholic mojito!
SAVOUR MANITOBA | SPRING/SUMMER 25 47
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