Skip to main content

'M' is for Mourvèdre with Maple-Glazed Duck Legs #WinePW


This month, the Wine Pairing Weekend group is focusing on wines with the letter 'm'. You can read host Lori's invitation: here. But she gave us lots of latitude. We could pick a wine varietal that began with that letter, a vineyard whose name begins with 'm', or even a wine region whose name is M---.


The Other Ms

Mourvèdre Stands Alone, Too

Mourvèdre is primarily a blending grape - it's the 'M' in GSM blends - but is increasingly being bottled on its own. And it's one that has definitely caught my eye...and my tongue. It's plush. Well, this one is. I might need to track down a few more bottles. Just to be sure. But I love this winemaker, his wines, and - truth be told - I was out of time to find any wines to truly compare. Next time...

The grape goes by a few different names worldwide. The grape we know as Mourvèdre goes by the name Monastrell in Spain and Mataro in Australia.  


Winemaker Ian Brand shared that the vines were planted in the 1920s on a north-facing slope with bud wood sourced from the original 1860s planting in the Lime Kiln Valley. The wine was fermented with native yeasts.


Luscious. That's the first word that came to mind when I stuck my nose in the glass. There are hints of berries with a contrast of pepper and sage. This Mourvèdre is richly structured with nuances of floral chaos. Don't get me wrong, I like chaos...I just mean that I couldn't decide - in identifying a floral note - between rose or violet. It definitely has a personality. I thought it would hold up nicely against a robust roasted meat. And it did.

Maple-Glazed Duck Legs

Ingredients
  • 4 duck legs 
  • 3 large onions, peeled and largely cubed
  • 1 t freshly ground salt
  • 1 t freshly ground pepper
  • 1 t minced garlic
  • 1 C chicken stock, preferably homemade
  • 1 C white wine
  • 4 T maple syrup

Procedure
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.



In a large skillet, place duck legs, skin side down. Turn heat to medium.

Cook for 6 to 7 minutes until the fat is rendered and the skin golden and crisped. Flip to the other side and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Remove duck to a plate and place the onions in the rendered duck fat.

Lay the browned duck pieces on top. Sprinkled with salt, pepper, and garlic. Pour in the chicken stock and wine. Cover and roast for 90 minutes.
Remove the cover and raise the temperature of the oven to 450 degrees. Spoon 1 T of maple syrup onto each leg. Spread the syrup over the entire surface. Return to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes - until the duck is browned and the skin crisp.


This was a lovely Friday evening meal.


I served it with mashed potatoes and salad with radishes, tomatoes, and strawberries dressed with a bleu cheese dressing.


Yum and happy weekend. Stay tuned as the Wine Pairing Group looks at Australian wines with Gwen from Wine Predator next month. In fact, she's already posted her invitation, if you want to get ready.

Comments

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks! And the leftovers were breakfast this morning: potato pancakes with duck hash and fried eggs.

      Delete
  2. I love Mourvedre! And you are so right... it has so many synonyms. I love that you described it as Luscious. That is a perfect description for a well made Mourvedre!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks. This one is definitely a well-made one. Cheers and thanks for the fun topic.

      Delete
  3. Yum! I'm always in for duck and I can see Mourvedre being a great combo!

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a great combo!! I love Mourvèdre and always look for terrific pairings!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow! Maple glazed duck legs - going on my shopping list for this weekend! Your Mourvèdre sounds like it’s worth seeking out, too, so I’ll try and find a bottle. Great meal all around!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was great meal. I only wish I had more Mourvèdre!

      Delete
  6. Ian Brand is definitely cool and I love Mourvèdre -- delish post as always, Camilla!

    ReplyDelete
  7. sounds like a great meal to end a week! haven't made duck in awhile, this could be my inspiration. I do like Mourvedre standing along, when made well.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy.  Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce