Wine Pairing Recipe: Tannic Wines + Lamb Chops with Herbed Goat Cheese Couscous

One of the reasons I adore wine so much is discovering different cuisines and dishes, and how they pair beautifully with wines from around the globe.

A favorite memory of mine in my wine career was when I was taking my WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) classes at The Wine And Spirit Archive here in Portland and my instructor, Carrie, shared with the class her favorite pairing: Ribeye steak with an Italian Nebbiolo. After class wrapped up, I immediately called my husband on the drive home and told him I was picking up a bottle of wine and a ribeye to throw on the grill for dinner that night…

I had to try this pairing!

And Carrie was right. This pairing blew my socks off. One trait of Nebbiolo is that it’s loaded with tannins — Tannins are naturally occurring compounds found mainly in plants, bark, and leaves (and in the stems, seeds, and skins of wine grapes) that create a drying, astringent sensation on your tongue.

For wine paring, tannic wines go great with fatty, rich dishes (like ribeye). Fat offsets the bitterness and astringency of tannins, brings out the fruitiness in the wine, and creates a soft, velvety sensation on your palate… it’s so good!

Here are some wines that are typically high in tannins — and the wine regions that you can find them:

• Cabernet - Everywhere

• Nebbiolo - Piedmont, Italy

• Tannat - Uruguay

• Xinomavro - Greece

• Mourvèdre - Spain, France

• Sagrantino - Central Italy

And here are my top pairings for tannic wines:

• Steak with marbling, like ribeye, strip steak, or short rib

• Ribs

• Burgers

• Pasta with a hearty bolognese

In addition to the dishes mentioned above, lamb chops is also a stellar wine pairing for tannic wines.

I was happy to partner with Kate Johnson of Survives on Wines on this post to share her Lamb Chops with Herbed Goat Cheese Couscous recipe that goes excellent with wines high in tannins:

Lamb Chops with Herbed Goat Cheese Couscous Recipe:

Ingredients:

Chops:

• 1 rack (or 8 chops) rack of lamb, separated

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 4 cloves garlic minced

• 1 tbsp ground coriander

• 1 tbsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

• Salt and pepper to taste

Couscous:

• Log of goat cheese

• Handful of fresh parsley

• Handful of chopped chives

• Zest of 1/2 lemon

• Pearled couscous

• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth

Instructions:

• Mix all ingredients together and then rub on lamb chops - do this at least 30 mins prior to cooking

• Pre-heat oven to 425

• Place 1-2 tbsp butter in a sauté pan or cast iron skillet on high heat and sear the outside of lamb chops

• Set the seared lamb chops on baking sheet and then bake for 5 mins (for medium doneness)

• When you take them out of the oven, let them sit for 10 minutes covered in foil

• For the goat and herb couscous:

  • In a food processor, place a log of goat cheese, a handful of fresh parsley, a handful of chopped chives, and the zest of 1/2 a lemon. Whip it up and let it sit while you cook the pearled couscous. I use pearled couscous for better results

  • In a sauce pan heat olive oil and toast 1 cup of pearled couscous till lightly browned over medium heat

  • In a kettle (or different sauce pan) boil 1 1/2 cups chicken broth. Add this to the couscous pan and cover - cook on low for 10-14 minutes. Fluff with a fork and add your whipped goat cheese mixture

• Top the couscous with the lamp chops and serve with a lovely red wine full of tannins: A Cabernet from Napa, a Shiraz from Australia, or a Nebbiolo

• ENJOY!

In conclusion: I hope you try Kate’s lamb chop recipe with a delicious tannic wine and see if it works for you. Wine pairing is ultimately all about what YOU enjoy. Don’t be afraid to experiment and get creative with your pairings!

About Kate

I am the woman behind Survives on Wine. My background is in design, but cancer made me need to switch gears for my career (the name comes from that) and I have been dedicating the last few years to studying wine, writing about wine, and focusing my art on wine for fun (and to educate wine enthusiasts with).

I have a BS in Fashion Design and hold my WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) Levels 1 + 2. I am currently studying for Level 3 as well as taking the eCornell Wines of Spain and Portugal certificate. There is never enough time to learn everything you can about wine, so I will be focusing on Portuguese wines in the future.