Drink Like a Dane

Between Christmas and the New Year, my Danish mother-in-law invites us to a Danish lunch. This is not an Irish-style sandwiches and soup affair, nor is it some Noma-influenced series of sprays, foams, smoke, crumbs and pyrotechnics.The Danish lunch is a precision event that slowly winds its way through a long afternoon. It begins with various flavours of herring, before moving on to other seafood, then to the meat course (liver pâté, duck, cold roast pork with crackling, and a host of accompaniments), finally finishing with cheese.Rye bread is served with each course, as is beer, a lager or brown beer, and akvavit.

Akvavit is a festive spirit, drunk throughout the year at weddings, birthday parties, and other celebrations. The Swedes drink it on midsummer’s eve, or with crayfish. They prefer fennel as a flavouring, the Norwegians caraway. The Norwegians also sometimes send their akvavit across the equator twice (like Madeira) to produce an oak-aged version. However, caraway- flavoured Aalborg taffel akvavit is the Danish market leader, and is my favourite. Aalborg also produce Jubilaeums, aged in oak and flavoured with dill and coriander, created in 1946 to celebrate the centenary of the taffel akvavit, and other versions too. In addition, the company releases a special edition bottle every Christmas, that is eagerly sought by collectors. Akvavit should be served from the freezer in small schnaps glasses. It is the perfect accompaniment to herring, cutting through the oiliness with a spice-infused hit.

It is not easy to find Aalborg, or any other akvavit, in Ireland. Even the Danish Embassy failed to unearth a source. Redmonds of Ranelagh and the Celtic Whiskey Shop both have the Jubilaeums for around €50. Travel retail might be the best option. There are a few suggestions online for cocktails made with akvavit. Treat these with the contempt they deserve.

To enjoy your own Danish experience place your akvavit in the freezer. Put some good quality beer in the fridge. Buy a few jars of sild (herring) in Ikea; the dill one is my favourite, but all are acceptable. Mix some Atlantic prawns with a dill mayonnaise. Buy some firm, thinly-sliced rye bread. With a glass of cool beer and some chilled akvavit, you are all set. You could serve some smooth liver pâté, with beetroot, hard-boiled eggs, and maybe some leftover roast pork. Just make sure you have plenty of time and some good company.

Posh Picnic Wines

First published in the Irish Times, Saturday 6th August, 2016

As a child I loved eating outdoors. It didn’t matter if it was a picnic, or simply sitting outside the back door with a few sandwiches. A real picnic was always a huge excitement, packing those boxes of sandwiches, sausage rolls (essential picnic fare), bags of crisps, flasks of tea and jam tarts.

My inner child still enjoys a good picnic. Like many others, when on holiday in France, I love dropping in to the local traiteur to pick up a few salads, cold meats and pies to eat with a crusty fresh loaf and a bottle of simple red wine. I also love to eat al fresco at home. Wine-wise the (correct) advice is to go for something cheap and cheerful. But does eating outdoors have to be so casual? On several trips, I have been taken off into vineyards or up hillsides to be treated to a very posh picnic. It helps that we were in slightly warmer climates and that someone else was looking after food and transport.The most memorable was half way up a mountain with an amazing view out over the countryside, where our Catalan hosts served the classic Spanish dishes – tortilla, pan con tomate, grilled chorizo and lamb chops and salads. What made our picnic so sensational was the superb quality of every ingredient, including the delicious wine. And we were sitting outside enjoying the gentle warmth of the spring sun. We also had proper knives and forks, linen tablecloths, and even Riedel glasses.

It is of course a lot easier to eat out on your own patio or back garden. You can serve hot food, and use your best dinner-party tableware, including candelabra, to create a real sense of occasion.So, what wine do we need for our posh picnic? A good Champagne is probably essential to set the mood and get the taste buds going. With salmon, and other fish, prawns, or even lobster, a rich-ish white Burgundy would do best, or an upmarket New World Chardonnay.

Alternatives would be a Godello from Galicia or a rich Grüner Veltliner from Austria. Or you could just keep drinking Champagne. I know a lot of people see rosé as the perfect picnic wine, so maybe pink Champagne would keep everyone happy. Cold meats, pies and charcuterie call for a light red. I have covered Beaujolais and Mencía here already, and both would be ideal. If going upmarket, you could open up a good Pinot Noir, and serve it cool. Burgundy is best but, to add a little excitement, why not go for a German Spätburgunder or a Pinot Noir from Austria or New Zealand?

Charles Heidseick Brut Réserve NV
12%
€65

Delightful complex rich Champagne with seamless textured toasted brioche and apricot fruits.

Stockists: Jus de Vine; Thomas’s, Foxrock; O’Briens; Redmond’s; Sweeney’s; Mitchell & Son.

Domaine Begude Etolie Chardonnay 2014, Limoux
13.5%
€19.95

Delectable creamy medium-bodied wine with rich pear and apple fruits, with subtle grilled hazelnuts. Brilliant with salmon dishes.

Stockists: O’Briens

Giant Steps Sexton Vineyard 2014, Yarra Valley
13.5%
€32.95

Perfumed and bursting with lush ripe sweet raspberries and red cherries.

Stockists:

La Perdrix de l’Année des Bêtes Curieuses, Muscadet sur granit 2014
12%
€14.50

Vivid and mineral, delicious flowing green fruits and a crisp finish.

Stockists: One Pery Square, Limerick; Jus de Vine; The Drink Store; La Touche, Greystones.

jwilson@irishtimes.com