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What type of drink would be best paired with roast goose?

Prior to the discovery of the Americas, roast goose was served as the main course on major days of celebration in Europe. Turkeys were introduced to England in 1550.

In the Middle Ages, goose was served on feast days such as Christmas, St Michael's Day, Martinmas and the Feast of Sts Peter and Paul for example.

Canada will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of its foundation as a country on July 1, 1867 and we are planning to make the meal more European in nature in order to remind ourselves of our roots.

We will have be basing our meal on some Michaelmas traditions from England by having roast goose, chestnut stuffing, rice, gravy, Brussels sprouts and blackberry pie for dessert (in remembrance of the Blackberry legend involving Lucifer and St Michael).

My question is quite simple: What alcoholic drinks pair well with roast goose? I am thinking wine, but am open to other recommendations.

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  • Good question, don't know the answer, but I am sure that there are some here who are expert at wine pairing who can give you a great answer. Apr 2, 2017 at 12:44
  • I would like to see a great answer to this as it affects many other dishes and not just goose... Apr 2, 2017 at 12:57
  • It's ROAST goose not roasted goose cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015806-roast-goose Apr 5, 2017 at 1:58
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    @SteveS. Both forms are good English. "Impress your holiday guests with this crisp, moist, and undeniably delicious roasted goose. The recipe requires a day or two of advance preparation, but the results will create memories to last a lifetime, and maybe even inspire a seasonal tradition." - Super Crispy Roasted Goose
    – Ken Graham
    Apr 5, 2017 at 2:35

4 Answers 4

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As a nod to my Canadian ancestry, both the French and Scot, I'd consider:

  • Wine: a red, such as Bordeaux, and it still makes the long Atlantic crossing in perfect condition
  • Mulled wine: cinnamon, cloves, oranges, or Caribou with the extras tossed in
  • Rum: soldiers and their rations; a toddy or hot rum punch would go nicely
  • Cider: Quebec, need I say more?
  • Beer: spruce or ice beer, or selecting one from Molson, Sleeman or Labatt's (since the Jesuit's wouldn't share)
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Thought I would add my own answer to this fine list of excellent answers.

Goose is, of course, stronger-flavoured than turkey - more like game but - crucially - quite a bit fattier which makes it essential in my book to look for a wine that has a fair level of acidity. It also tends to be accompanied by powerfully flavoured accompaniments such as chestnuts and red cabbage. Other traditional (and very good) accompaniments are potato or potato and apple stuffing, apples and prunes which can also affect your pairing:

Top quality German or Alsace Grand Cru Riesling

Probably the best match of all if you’re planning an apple or apple and prune stuffing. A dry spätlese Riesling would be ideal, cutting through the fat and providing a subtle touch of sweetness. The drawback is that your guests may well expect a red - but there’s no reason why you can’t serve both.

Gewürztraminer

A bolder choice still for Christmas. Obviously it’s not to everyone’s taste but if you serve a slightly spicy stuffing, especially one that contains dried fruits and/or ginger it would make a great match. Again look for a top quality wine with some intensity from Alsace or New Zealand which is making some great examples.

Pinot Noir

Probably the most likely wine to please your guests and certainly the one to choose if you’re going for red cabbage, sweet potatoes or other richly flavoured veg. I’d choose an example with some sweet, silky fruit rather than big tannins otherwise you may suffer from palate overload .

And some beers to go with goose

Strong Belgian Trappist beers such as Chimay or beers made in that style

These are just as good a match for goose as wine is if truth be told but there are, admittedly, likely to be fewer takers. No harm in having one or two available though. - What to drink with goose

Here is what another site has to say about pairing drinks with goose:

The richness of goose demands a good wine, such as a top red Burgundy. However, it is often served with sweet side dishes, in which case a sweetish German Riesling might be a good option. In the mid-range, you could try a California Pinot Noir, a good red Rhône or an Australian Shiraz. - Pairing Wine with Meat, Game and Poultry

If it is beer your into than here you go:

Dubbel is also great with duck or goose. The rich and earthy flavor of these birds requires a beer with some heft to it and the dense, dried fruit flavor of dubbel recalls the dark berry sauces that are so commonly served with these birds.

Doppelbock offers another riff on this idea, offering strength and dark berry flavors amidst those of caramel, plums, and figs.

Beers to try: For Dubbel, look to the Chimay above, or grab a Rochefort 6 or Ommegang Abbey Ale. For Doppelbock, Ayinger's Celebrator and Weihenstephan's Korbinian are awesome, widely-available choices. - The Serious Eats Guide to Holiday Beer Pairing

As for Vodka, how about trying some Grey Goose Vodka.

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I think you need something that is kind of big, but has the acid to cut through the goose fat and clear you palate when you take a sip. To that end I would suggest a Riesling, but not some whimpy sweet Riesling from Germany. I would suggest a really nice Grand Cru Riesling from the Alsace. They have power to cut through the flavor, yet don't weigh you down like a big red wine. If you can find it, I suggest a Paul Blanck from Kayersburg. I visited them a few years back, wonderful wines!

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    If you want to keep it all Canadian, there are some excellent Canadian Rieslings too. vivino.com/toplists/… Apr 2, 2017 at 13:04
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    There are plenty of dry German rieslings.
    – Eric S
    Apr 2, 2017 at 15:19
  • Yes, but they are way more expensive and it gets hotter in the Alsace than on the Rhine river (well technically both are on the Rhine) mostly giving a more full bodied Riesling than the German ones. These are generalities as I'm sure you can find some German ones that match the Alsatian ones in warmer years. Apr 2, 2017 at 17:28
  • There are good dry rieslings from many places. I've had some nice ones from Washington. What bothers me is the curt dismissal of German rieslings. Also off dry and sweet wines have there place and aren't "wimpy".
    – Eric S
    Apr 2, 2017 at 17:36
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    I lived on the Rhine river for 3 years so I know my German Rieslings quite well, thank you very much, but IMNSHO I think you need more power than what German rieslings can give you. The Alsace is warmer and drier than most of the Riesling growing territory in Germany. Grand Cru Alsatian Rieslings especially give you more "stuff". Apr 2, 2017 at 17:48
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OK, I am giving two answers to this after I thought about it. If you REALLY want to stay super traditional to the spirit of the day and dig deep into your English roots, you would have some a nice medieval beer, or nice Mead and/or some type of cider. Unless you were royalty, you wouldn't have access to wine from France.

All of the above would be a great match for Goose.

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