I love venison, though I don't care for the sweet berry sauces it's
almost invariably paired with. Tonight it's my turn to cook, and I
thawed some D'Artagnan loin chops and am preparing a recipe from
package, for grilling chops, topping with red wine jelly, and serving
with relish.
Chops- marinaded in oil, s & p, thyme, and garlic.
Jelly- 1 cup wine, 1/2 cup red currant jelly, shallots, reduce by
half, chill
Relish - tomato, mint, watercress, oil.
I used Brun Beaujolais for jelly, substituted baby arugula for
watercress as I had everything else.
My first thought with venison is usually Syrah, with Bordeaux in
second. What say you, with the jelly and the relish?

On Sep 23, 10:37�am, DaleW > wrote:
> I love venison, though I don't care for the sweet berry sauces it's
> almost invariably paired with. Tonight it's my turn to cook, and I
> thawed some D'Artagnan loin chops and am preparing �a recipe from
> package, for grilling chops, topping with red wine jelly, and serving
> with relish.
> Chops- marinaded in oil, s & p, thyme, and garlic.
> Jelly- 1 cup wine, 1/2 cup red currant jelly, shallots, reduce by
> half, chill
> Relish - tomato, mint, watercress, oil.
> I used Brun Beaujolais for jelly, substituted baby arugula for
> watercress as I had everything else.
> My first thought with venison is usually Syrah, with Bordeaux in
> second. What say you, with the jelly and the relish?

I say skip the jelly and the relish. But if I had to have the jelly
I'd try something from the S. Rhone or a right bank Bordeaux.
American Syrah works well with grilled venison but might be too much
with the sauces, etc.

DaleW wrote:
> I love venison, though I don't care for the sweet berry sauces it's
> almost invariably paired with. Tonight it's my turn to cook, and I
> thawed some D'Artagnan loin chops and am preparing a recipe from
> package, for grilling chops, topping with red wine jelly, and serving
> with relish.
> Chops- marinaded in oil, s & p, thyme, and garlic.
> Jelly- 1 cup wine, 1/2 cup red currant jelly, shallots, reduce by
> half, chill
> Relish - tomato, mint, watercress, oil.
> I used Brun Beaujolais for jelly, substituted baby arugula for
> watercress as I had everything else.
> My first thought with venison is usually Syrah, with Bordeaux in
> second. What say you, with the jelly and the relish?

First of all, I think that this dish (like Duck à l'Orange) is a victim
of bad translation: be it lingonberry or redcurrant sauce, those
Germanic berry sauces are more tart than sweet, making wine pairing
easier. I'm with you in going to Syrah as I think that venison with
Syrah is one of life's great matches. I'm less concerned with the jelly
than the relish. Mint is a tough thing to match and arugula's
bitterness isn't a natural for red wines, while the tomato needs high
acidity. What about a powerhouse Riesling? Got any LGK or auction
Auslesen ready for drinking? If you wanted to stick to red, you'd want
something fairly big, acidic and slightly sweet. Got any Grange? Or
maybe a big D'Arenberg? (They seem to come with their own mintiness so
wouldn't be put off by the relish IMO).

Mark Lipton

--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

On Sep 23, 11:27�am, Mark Lipton > wrote:
> DaleW wrote:
> > I love venison, though I don't care for the sweet berry sauces it's
> > almost invariably paired with. Tonight it's my turn to cook, and I
> > thawed some D'Artagnan loin chops and am preparing �a recipe from
> > package, for grilling chops, topping with red wine jelly, and serving
> > with relish.
> > Chops- marinaded in oil, s & p, thyme, and garlic.
> > Jelly- 1 cup wine, 1/2 cup red currant jelly, shallots, reduce by
> > half, chill
> > Relish - tomato, mint, watercress, oil.
> > I used Brun Beaujolais for jelly, substituted baby arugula for
> > watercress as I had everything else.
> > My first thought with venison is usually Syrah, with Bordeaux in
> > second. What say you, with the jelly and the relish?
>
> First of all, I think that this dish (like Duck � l'Orange) is a victim
> of bad translation: be it lingonberry or redcurrant sauce, those
> Germanic berry sauces are more tart than sweet, making wine pairing
> easier. �I'm with you in going to Syrah as I think that venison with
> Syrah is one of life's great matches. �I'm less concerned with the jelly
> than the relish. �Mint is a tough thing to match and arugula's
> bitterness isn't a natural for red wines, while the tomato needs high
> acidity. �What about a powerhouse Riesling? �Got any LGK or auction
> Auslesen ready for drinking? �If you wanted to stick to red, you'd want
> something fairly big, acidic and slightly sweet. �Got any Grange? �Or
> maybe a big D'Arenberg? (They seem to come with their own mintiness so
> wouldn't be put off by the relish IMO).
>
> Mark Lipton
>
> --
> alt.food.wine FAQ: �http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

Actually, unlike the blueberry/lingonberry sauces I was referencing as
being ubiquitous with venison in restaurants, I DON'T think this jelly
is especially sweet (I tasted it). And the mint is definitely an
accent not dominant (I was using all herbs from garden, and some of
the mint had seen better days, only got maybe a tablespoon, I'd say at
least 10:1 arugula/mint. I also think the fact it just has olive oil,
no other acid than tomatoes, softens a bit. Thanks for replies.