What wine goes with moose?

With Sarah Palin on everybody's mind, the wine geek's question is, naturally, what does one serve with moose meat?



Moose is often compared to beef, but a more apt comparison is buffalo, which like moose has a much lower fat content than beef. Moreover, even farm-raised buffalo graze naturally, as does moose, whereas most commercial beef that you buy has been raised and fed in an entirely different, less natural way that changes the taste of its meat.

As always, preparation is key. Moose can get tough fairly quickly because of its low fat content. If eaten as a steak, it's should be better rare, but this is not a popular way to serve it. Burgers are a better way to eat moose (and the Palins apparently like them) because chopping the meat prevents it from toughening prematurely. Long-cooking, especially braising, is another good way of tenderizing the meat.

With a moose steak, I recommend a good Cabernet or Merlot. These are of course classic steak pairings and they're as good with moose as they would be with buffalo or beef. I might prefer Merlot slightly purely as a food pairing because of its gentler tannins and rounder taste profile, but I prefer drinking Cab and I think either would be just fine.



A moose burger, to me, calls for a Zinfandel. Don't overdo the hot sauce, though, because that will make the Zin taste hot. I also wouldn't overwhelm the more-delicate-than-you-think moose meat with blue cheese or other other strong flavors. And as much as I like pickles on a sandwich, they are death on wine. Serve your mooseburger with a nice slice of cheddar (mmm), perhaps some grilled onions and a glass of Zin, and you're good to go.

Moose stew is a bit trickier, depending on what's in the stew with the meat. If it's a meat-and-potatoes dish without a lot of adornment, you might try a nice Syrah. But if it has some peppery spice and fresh herbs, you could go with a Grenache-based wine, perhaps something from Spain or southern France.