LCBO Food & Drink Summer 2022

TOGETHER AT LAST

Duck is a full-flavoured fowl that can stand up to bold seasoning and is especially nice with smoke. The smoked paprika–based rub in this recipe adds a wonderfully intense smokiness to the meat and complements the grill flavours with ease. Duck also takes beautifully to all kinds of fruit, and the sweet and tangy peach barbecue sauce is a natural pairing with the savoury, smoky meat. Custom would dictate Pinot Noir with duck, and that might even work, especially a fuller, New World example, but it could also run the risk of not getting along with the sauce and tasting flat and boring. Ruining good Pinot Noir is a crime in my book, so in this case, I look to the density and weight of Chardonnay. It can work with a bolder bird like duck, and the acid level is high enough to stand up to the richness of fat in the duck’s skin. The toasty note from restrained use of new oak subtly reinforces the flavours in the smoky rub, and the inherent peachy stone-fruit notes in the wine resonate with the peach barbecue sauce. Chardonnay with Duck

SMOKY GRILLED DUCK BREAST WITH PEACH BARBECUE SAUCE P. 183

JESSE’ S PICKS

Mission Hill Reserve Chardonnay VQA VINTAGES ESSENTIALS 545004, $26.95 If you haven’t yet experienced the dazzling wines of B.C.’s Okanagan Valley, this is a striking introduction. A juicy Chardonnay loaded with flavours of fresh fig, honeydew melon, vanilla, tobacco and ripe pear.

Antinori Castello della Sala Bramìto Chardonnay

VINTAGES ESSENTIALS 176792, $23.95 Produced by Antinori (of Tuscany fame), this Chardonnay comes from high-altitude vineyards in Umbria. It’s fresh, elegant and impressive, with nuts, yellow plum, lees, toast and vanilla aromas and a characterful minerality.

144 FOOD & DRINK SUMMER 2022