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Wine with curry and hot dogs

Last night curry, tonight hot dogs (using award-winning sausages from Archers in Norwich - if you get a chance to try them you'll be hooked!). Is there an ideal wine to go with either, let alone both? Almost certainly not, is the answer but that's no reason not to have a glass anyway.

The bottle of choice was Domaine des Côteaux des Travers' 2005 Cairanne which, for some reason carries the additional title of "Sélection" (I would hope it is!). That minor grumble aside, time to turn to the bottle. Still quite youthful but perfectly drinkable (my guess is that most people would be less ageist than me) with lots of very ripe, sweet Grenache character. When it's as ripe as this (not overripe though), the fruit is almost black, certainly a little tarry and, looking now to see the blend, I am surprised to see so much Mourvèdre and so little Syrah. I must go back to basics! In terms of food matching, despite my completely unfair choices, the wine held up extremely well with enough in it to combat the sweetness of the balti sauce and the extra chilli I had loaded into it whilst Jill wasn't looking and although Rhone wines do generally go well with sausages, it had to work with fried onions and ketchup - it managed very well under the circumstances.

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