Often confined to canapés or celebratory toasts, sparkling wine tends to be overlooked when it comes to more complex culinary couplings. However, with fresh acidity, lively effervescence and layers of flavour, méthode traditionnelle wines present the perfect opportunity to heighten any epicurean experience.
Howard Park’s Jeté range, comprising four captivating wines, serves as an exquisite entry point into the intricate world of sparkling wine and food pairing. The collection offers sophistication, variety, and versatility, making it perfectly suited to accompany a wide range of cuisines. In collaboration with the acclaimed chef Evan Hayter, we invite you to embark on a gastronomic journey that highlights the remarkable affinity of Jeté sparkling wines with a diverse array of dishes. Elevate your moments with these fantastic food and Jeté pairings.
The Petit Jeté is all about bold, energetic bubbles that are filled with crisp, punchy fruit and undercurrents of patisserie, sea spray and white blossom. Rich layers of flavour and texture are effortlessly counterbalanced by a juicy, lemon-like acidity. When crafting a dish to pair with this wine, Evan aims to capture this same interesting interplay of richness and vibrancy.
A classic Risotto with Ossau Iraty and Pecorino presents the perfect combination, with cheese and kombu dashi adding richness, while citrus and chives bring freshness to the dish. The pecorino and Ossau Iraty contribute creaminess and depth mirroring the wine’s more opulent notes. The acidity of the Petit Jeté is able to artfully cut through the fat of the cheese, cleansing the palate in between bites.
The kombu dashi stock adds umami, rounding out the flavour profile, elongating the experience and adding volume and richness to the rice. The chives and lemon juice added at the end introduce sharpness, mirroring the bright acidity in the wine. In this way, the wine and dish are built upon similar elements assembled in a delightfully complimentary way.
The Jeté Premier Brut is refined and elegant, gaining significant complexity and appeal from its 33 months on lees. A more sophisticated wine requires an equally sophisticated dish, leading Evan to explore an ultimate pairing of sparkling and crayfish. With its irresistible fruit presence and persistence, the Jeté Premier Brut is rounded and full of flavour meaning it can easily stand up to a more intricate cooked seafood dish.
For Jeté Premier Brut’s perfect coupling, Evan chooses Augusta Crayfish with Celeriac Salad and Beach Succulents. For this pairing, his first thought went to local crayfish with its sweet and subtle flavour profile. Evan explains, ‘Crayfish from around here is both delicate and refined just like the Jeté Premier Brut.’
Embracing his no-waste approach in the kitchen, Evan builds the rest of the dish around the off-cuts and castaways of the recipe, repurposing scraps like the crayfish shell and legs to make a savoury stock and creamy bisque. By harnessing the untapped potential of these typically discarded ingredients, Evan elevates the dish to new heights, infusing it with an unparalleled depth of flavour and a luxurious richness. Beach succulents add a salty herbaceous note, introducing an ocean influence, while the celeriac salad contributes a distinct earthy tone with celery-like freshness. The final touch is fried curry leaves to add a hint of soothing spice.
The newly released and limited-edition Jeté En Pointe is fine and lean in style suggesting a dish that is equally pure and pristine. Not wanting to overpower the subtle nuances of the wine, Evan opts for raw seafood with Oyster served with Champagne and Shallot Vinaigrette and Scallop served with Ginger Milk, Wild Leek oil, Pear.
Reimagining the iconic coupling of Champagne and oysters, Evan elevates the dish by adding caviar, which brings heightened creaminess. He finishes the oyster with a champagne and shallot vinaigrette, introducing acidity through the inclusion of sparkling wine. With the scallop, Evan completes the course, showcasing this sparkling’s exquisite ability to couple with a wide spectrum of seafood. In this setting, the wine artfully enhances the umami notes of the shellfish while mirroring the marine freshness with its balanced acidity.
Dewy rose petal, pomegranate, wet slate and strawberries with cream come to mind when sipping the Jeté Rosé, evoking an array of sweet fruit and floral aromas. Rosé and fish is a classic combination and personal favourite of chef Evan. Choosing Pickled Nannygai with Chilli, Ginger, Apple and Potato Croquette with Sunchoke and Ossau Iraty, Evan incorporates elements from both earth and sea to amplify the Jeté Rosé’s easy appeal.
Opting for something local, he chooses Nannygai, otherwise known as Bight Redfish, which can be found in the cooler waters surrounding the southern half of Australia. With a medium to high oil content, its fillets are of a mild to delicate flavour making it a desirable table fish. If Nannygai is too difficult to source, use Gold Band Snapper or Pink Snapper instead.
Evan adds spice to the dish in the form of chilli and ginger, perfectly counterbalancing the abundance of sweet fruit in the wine. Local red apples add a crispness, mimicking the hints of orchard fruits on the palate of the Jeté Rosé. To finish, Evan adds a sunchoke and Ossau Iraty potato croquette to give the pairing rich and earthy components that complement the acidity of the sparkling.
Embark on this culinary journey curated by the talented chef Evan Hayter and discover the many pleasures and possibilities of food and sparkling wine pairing. As a Wine Club member, you can gain access to two of these coveted recipes: the Risotto with Ossau Iraty and Pecorino and the Augusta Crayfish with Celeriac Salad and Beach Succulents. Simply follow the link below to view the complete recipes and recreate these culinary masterpieces in the comfort of your home. Buy the bespoke Jeté four-pack here to complete the experience with perfectly matched wines.
Not a Wine Club member yet? Not a problem, sign up here today and get the full recipes sent to your email address. It costs nothing to join the Wine Club and there are no fees or ongoing purchase commitments. By joining, you will gain access to amazing discounts across all our brands, as well as special access to limited and museum-release wines plus invites to our special events.
Link to Full Recipes:
Risotto with Ossau Iraty and Pecorino
Augusta Crayfish with Celeriac Salad and Beach Succulents
Photography by @oviscreative.
