It was an absolute delight to explore the world of plant based food with the charming Yorkshire duo, Henry Firth and Ian Theasby aka BOSH!
With Veganuary upon us and the inevitable call for abstinence, it’s probably not a bad idea to enjoy a couple of days off meat and dairy a week– a flexitarian approach if you will.
But did you know that you might have to keep a close eye on the wine too? A lot of winemakers use animal products to ‘fine’ their wine such as fish products, gelatines and egg whites.
Fortunately, there are a swathe of wines that avoid the use of these in their production although you will need the club to do the sifting for you as it probably won’t say on the label.
Keen to learn more and to improve my plant based wine matching skills I picked out three French wines whose traditional pairing you might describe as being either meat or dairy. How did we get on? Well, we started in the Loire Valley with a glorious Sancerre from Domaine Michel Thomas, which the lads suggested pairing with their Cacio e Pepe, a sort of Italian mac and cheese which, (as they describe) should be obliterated with plenty of pepper. I can see that working and what I do like about their cooking is they are men from my own heart, in other words they are not ashamed to go for simplicity or in their words, keep it ‘unashamedly basic.’
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From Sancerre we headed East to Beaujolais for a silky and floral Fleurie, Les 3 Madones, which they described as ‘super easy to drink and tutti fruity’. Mushrooms, a vegan platter and even a tofu sandwich were all suggested.
Now, for the biggest challenge of them all. What does one pair with a full-bodied Claret from Bordeaux’s Left Bank? In this case Chateau Roquegrave. For meat eaters, it is of course roast beef so what did Ian and Henry suggest? The ‘Impossible Burger’ of course! A vegan burger I first tasted, entirely by accident, in Napa Valley – we didn’t set it up honest!
And with that it was time to go; with our new friends describing it as ‘genuinely the best podcast we have ever done.’ We’ll certainly raise a glass to that!
Will Lyons
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The Wine List
2020 Sancerre, Domaine Michel Thomas, Loire Valley, France
2020 Les 3 Madones, Fleurie, Beaujolais, France
2018 Chateau Roquegrave, France
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