I’ve never quite understood why so many people avoid demi-sec wines. ‘I only like dry wines’ they’ll say, or ‘oh no, I hate sweet wines’.
Do they realise what they’re missing out on?
Demi-secs are brilliant paired with food. Some of our very best pairings this past year have been using demi-sec wines.
So what exactly is a demi-sec? A half dry wine. It’s a wine that has some, but not lots of residual sugar.
As you know, I cook a lot of spicy food. My list of ingredients will often include something sweet, sour and salty. Thai food for example may contain coconut milk, palm sugar, chilli and fish sauce. This combination of flavours doesn’t seem sweet to the palate but pair it with a bone dry wine and it will.
What you’re looking for when pairing is a wine that will complement the food and in turn a food that will complement the wine.
Demi-secs are also fabulous with pork. Long slow cooked pork has a sweetness that is wonderful with an off-dry wine. Poach some banana shallots in apple juice until tender and the juice has become a sticky syrup and then serve with a demi- sec. Caramelise loads of onions until the natural sugars make them sweet and tender and pair them with a demi-sec.
Demi-sec wines aren’t sweet enough to stand up to a dessert but are also brilliant with cheese. A creamy blue or a chalky aged goat’s cheese is brought alive by that touch of sweetness.
This weekend I made a very creamy rich chicken curry. It wasn’t super hot but had a stream of gentle heat running through it. We served Jacky Blot’s demi-sec alongside and while it was excellent, it wasn’t the best pairing. Jacky Blot’s wines ooze character and there was just a teensy bit of a battle between the wine and the spice. Do you know what would have been perfect? A Rosé d’Anjou. A super fruity rosé with that hint of sweetness. Terribly unfashionable I know, but it would have been the best pairing.
So don’t diss the demi-sec. Make sure you have a few bottles in the cellar. You won’t regret it!
