Now that the ”crazy festive times” are over I look at the stack of bottles we have gone through(imagine the pile of food-we are dubbed ” The Eaters” by my little daughter quite simply because we eat a lot) and want to share those new Wine&Food partnerships that we managed to find after this drink eat marathon. The idea is to let you know what worked and what didn’t because some foods are tougher to match to wine than others. Consider eggs, a vicious killer to most wines or pickled cabbage so loved by the ”Sour Crouts” and yet so difficult to pair. 

Well, this Xmas brought the answer to the latter. The Broad Leaved Melnik Vine from Logodaj, an old favourite of mine, worked perfectly with pickled cabbage, Bulgarian style. This cabbage is different from German or Polish cabbage in the extent that it is a product to which only salt has been added and then left to ferment naturally. The wine worked a dream both with the stuffed cabbage leaves and with the baked beans and pickled cabbage soup.

The fairly high acidity of the Broad Leaved Melnik which usually explodes in the mouth worked perfect with the salty, sour taste of the cabbage. Acidity mutually neutralized left the wild cherries, cranberries and raspberries dusted with thyme and mountain herbs to rule the palate and bring total pleasure. Heavenly made Perfect match. Both the food and the wine gained a lot while we enjoyed them to the full.  Do try it for yourself and let me know. For those of you in the UK, pickled cabbage can be found in Russian-Lithuanian shops. Cheers!