A glass of wine with dinner can completely change your taste experience! Poultry dishes – duck, chicken, goose or turkey – can acquire unique aromas when served with a glass of the right drink. But which to choose – dry or sweet, white or red, or perhaps green? What should you consider when deciding to serve a particular bottle?
Diverse poultry dishes
Poultry dishes can be light and delicate, but also heavier and with distinct flavour notes. It's therefore difficult to give a definitive answer to the question of which wine will be best for poultry. It is certainly worth serving with dinner, and a conscious choice of a specific type will allow for an even fuller enjoyment of the taste!
Which wine to serve with chicken? At what temperature will it be best? What to pair with goose, and what with duck and turkey?
Chicken dishes and wine
Chicken dishes come in many forms. This meat is an element of an almost infinite number of dishes. From dietary salads to heavy meals. Wings, drumsticks, carcasses, offal, breasts taste perfect in so many ways that it is difficult to authoritatively decide what type of wine will be best for them. However, there is one rule that, if remembered, will make the choice almost always perfect.
The spectrum of wines that pair with chicken ranges from light and sparkling whites to red wines. It is important that they are dry or semi-dry. The heavier the dish, the more intense the drink should be, e.g.: with a salad mix with vegetables and grilled chicken, you can serve a glass of prosecco, and with a whole roasted chicken on a beer bottle, it is better to serve a semi-dry red. And which wine to pair with goose?
Wine and goose
Goose is increasingly conquering Polish tables! Loved in Kashubia or served on St. Martin's Day in Greater Poland, it is considered a luxurious and festive delicacy. It therefore requires an elegant setting. It is worth knowing which wine to serve with goose to make the feast truly special!
During the period when goose was historically consumed in Poland – i.e., in November – local wineries sold young wines, sometimes called "świętomarcińskie" (St. Martin's). Uncorking them was part of the celebration. Today – because it is a rather heavy dish – drier and heavier drinks are recommended. They can be white, red, or even rosé. Those with fruity and spicy aromas are the best choice for this type of poultry – especially if it is prepared with apples, plums, oranges, or cranberries.
Serving wine with duck
Similar rules as for goose can be applied when considering which wine to choose for duck. This is also fatty meat, with which drinks with strong aromas pair well. The heavier the cooking method – i.e., roasting or frying – the better the drier varieties will be.
Strongly acidic, fruity or spicy wines will enhance the aroma of the prepared poultry. You can be inspired by the ingredients that will be on the plate – e.g., apples or oranges – and look for similar notes in the wine. Is it the same when deciding which wine to buy for turkey?
Serving turkey with wine
Turkey dishes are among the most diet-friendly. They are recommended for people watching their weight, and turkey itself ranks among the healthiest meats. Light and delicate, it is the complete opposite of duck and goose.
With turkey dishes, serve subtle white, dry or semi-dry wines, without dominant aromas, but mainly pleasantly refreshing. Sparkling or green wines – as long as they are not sweet – are the best choice for lunch or dinner with this meat.