The season for wild poultry starts again in autumn. This can be a delicacy if you treat it right. Otherwise it quickly becomes dry, because pheasant, partridge and the like are not animals that have a particularly pronounced layer of fat to keep the meat juicy. It is therefore best to combine the meat in the oven with ingredients that add fat to the food, or to ensure there is enough wine in the food during cooking.
Originally from Asia, this bird with its striking plumage only has a subtle gamey flavour. When roasted, it goes well with slightly spicy but also acidic red wines such as Sangiovese or Syrah or a not too heavy, rather fruity Pinot. If you prepare it "Norman-style" with apples and cream, you can also use a white wine. For example, a Pinot Gris, a Grüner Veltliner or, if you prepare it in a similar way to a coq in Alsace, with Riesling.
Partridge plays an important role in French and Spanish cuisine. Southern fruity wines and mature Rioja pair perfectly with partridge braised in the oven. A Chardonnay without wood harmonises particularly well with the classic French dish Perdrix aux Choux, i.e. partridge with cabbage.
The wild duck is an aromatically powerful animal that should be paired with a correspondingly powerful wine whose own flavour can match the aromas of the wild duck. Syrah or Shiraz are ideal. Burgundy and Bordeaux are also true classics with duck, especially if they are combined with cherries, which in turn serve the flavours of the accompanying wine.
Pigeons also come in wild form and are classics of gourmet cuisine. Just think of a pigeon suprême with savoy cabbage and black truffle with Syrah or Châteauneuf-du-Pape, stuffed pigeon or pastilla de pigeon with port wine. You can also prepare the pigeon in a similar way to a coq au vin and serve it with overseas Pinot Noir or with Connawarra Cabernet or Shiraz.
