Wine at a restaurant: Lebanese specialities

The flavour festival continues! You navigated the Italian restaurant with class and finesse, choosing just the right Italian wine, but now someone has boldly suggested a business lunch at the Lebanese place round the corner. For once, you’d rather not look clueless. Better still, you’d like to impress your colleagues with wine knowledge that stretches all the way to the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates.

Fortunately, Flakon is here to shed some light on pairing wines with Lebanese specialities. Lebanon is also one of the cradles of winemaking. What good news!

Mezze

Let’s begin with that enticing Lebanese classic: mezze. All those little starters to share with your colleagues are the perfect way to get things going and create a wonderfully convivial atmosphere!

Remember, we’re sticking to the crowd-pleasers here: this is a restaurant meal, so the dishes we suggest aren’t meant to cover the whole of Lebanese cuisine.

The food: little bites to share

Our assortment will be generous and traditional: hummus, falafel and tabbouleh will, of course, be guests of honour. Add some grilled halloumi , a cheese originally from Cyprus made with sheep’s and goat’s milk and fried in olive oil, and labneh, a fresh sheep’s or goat’s milk cheese seasoned with pepper, olive oil and fresh mint. Finally, a few vine leaves stuffed with rice and meat, known as warak enab, and breaded meatballs called kebbeh will add a meaty touch. Serve it all with pitta bread.

The wine: sunshine in a bottle

The assortment shines with freshness, supported by a subtle but unmistakable hint of mint, gentle acidity and a creamy richness. Above all, the variety of dishes creates an explosion of very different flavours. We need a wine that can hold its own alongside them: a generous, aromatic white with an intense fruit bouquet.

Let’s head south in France for a little sunshine, with a white Rhône Valley wine such as a Côtes du Rhône Villages Laudun. For a bouquet reminiscent of Lebanese aromas, with notes of fig tree, olive tree or apricot, try a Côtes du Ventoux, particularly one from Terres de Solence. And as ever, a local wine can make for the most nuanced pairing, so consider a highly floral Château Ksara blanc de blancs or a dry Viognier from Château Musar, which won us over at Flakon!

Main course

The food: shish taouk, of course

With our appetites whetted, let’s get down to business. I suggest another classic: shish taouk, a skewer of chicken marinated in lemon. This dish packs a punch, with thyme, cumin, chilli, cinnamon, saffron, sumac and garlic among its flavours. Once again, it’s a real explosion of flavour. Let’s serve our shish taouk with cucumber laban (Lebanese tzatziki) with mint and some hummus to bring a little freshness to this rich, spicy dish. Delicious!

The wine: red and white

As you’ve probably gathered, here too we need a wine lively enough to stand out amid the dish’s explosion of aromas, but not so powerful that it overwhelms everything. The age-old question of ‘red or white?’ sparks fierce debate here, with suggestions coming from all sides. There’s no accounting for taste… So we’re not taking sides: we’ll suggest both!

Let’s start with white: we need a fairly full-bodied wine with lively aromas to stand up to the marinade. A Château Tour des Gendres from Bergerac would fit the bill, especially the Cuvée des Conti, which will give you a fresh, vibrant pairing. For another rich white, some might suggest a German Spätlese Riesling or an Alsace Pinot Gris.

Now, for a red, we can turn to Lebanon and a Château Saint-Thomas from the Bekaa Valley. Fairly tannic, with subtle oak notes that will bring out the cumin and cinnamon, its red-fruit bouquet will be beautifully complemented by the wood-fired chicken.

Dessert

The food: time for something rich

To finish in style, nothing beats a little baklava. An indulgent, gloriously rich dessert, this little pistachio pastry crunches when you bite into it and melts on your tongue. Almond paste, pistachio, orange blossom, honey, rosewater and cinnamon: once again, it’s a festival of powerful, lingering aromas. And sugar. Lots of sugar. Ideal after a feast fit for a king.

The wine: the allure of Asti

To accompany it, our best advice is to take a breath and a step back. We have to admit it: the best pairing we can honestly suggest is mint tea or coffee. No wine in sight. Red wines rarely pair well with Middle Eastern pastries. A dry white would be overwhelmed by the sweetness, while a wine that’s too sweet would be sickly.

But we never give up at Flakon, and we’ve found the ideal candidate: a lightly sparkling Italian wine that works beautifully with richness and sweetness. Italian wines really do have an answer for everything! Bera Moscato d’Asti should hit the spot. And for the brave souls who aren’t afraid of a sugar overload, some enjoy a sweet wine or even a liqueur with pastries like these. Muscat from Rivesaltes, for example, generally pairs well with dried fruit, orange blossom and rose, while fig liqueur brings similar regional flavours to mind.

With the chef’s compliments, enjoy your meal!