Kale stamppot with sausage and, yes, wine

 Sausage, rich gravy—we’re fans. Miss WineLane tells you what to drink with this foundation of Dutch society. 

They were inextricably linked, that sausage and that kale. With a floury Bintje potato, crisped bacon and a well of gravy, they brought out the best in each other time and again. But now everything is different. Kale has transformed from humble peasant mash into a superfood with star allure. And all the while, its juicy and succulent bosom buddy is being accused of having less healthy qualities.

But is there such a thing as the ultimate kale wine? I think there is.

Nonsense, of course: kale is still just kale, and no one has ever died from a good sausage. Quality is the key word here. But when a breakup looms, it’s important to look for a renewed connection, to forge a relationship like never before. And the best way to do that is with a good glass of wine.

But is there such a thing as the ultimate kale wine? I think there is.
The way we eat stamppot—mashed, with that well in the middle—is actually a fantastic way to achieve the best wine-and-food experience. Because even a professionally composed wine-and-food pairing will be disappointing if you taste the chosen wine with the individual ingredients. With such an archetypal Dutch kale mash with sausage, all the flavor elements arrive in your mouth in one swift movement. The wine then frames the whole as a sweet sauce. No Michelin-starred restaurant can replicate that.

Hopeless

Such a bite consists of the robust, fatty character of the sausage, alongside the earthiness of the kale. All in all, pretty intense flavors. Something like that calls for a companion of comparable caliber. A full-bodied, sturdy wine, in other words. Overly elegant wines, or wines with high acidity, are hopeless with this type of winter fare.

So don’t choose an overly expensive wine; its refinement will have disappeared after the first bite. Instead, choose one that gives you exactly what it has to offer, while creating harmony between wine and food. Think of a red wine with sufficient tannins. Tannins, derived from the tannic acid in the skins, seeds and stems, temper the fat of the sausage, while that same fat makes the often firm tannins a little milder in return. The wine becomes softer and the dish more subtle; harmony is born.

Jammy and peppery

Syrah wines, whether blended or not, pair fantastically with kale thanks to their jammy and peppery character. Choose one from southern France, such as Corbières, Minervois or the Rhône region. Or its younger sibling Shiraz from countries such as Australia and South Africa. A Chilean Carmenère, another robust and sunny style, could also work perfectly well.

Would you rather choose a white wine? No problem. The days of ‘red with meat’ and ‘white with fish’ are long gone. A full-bodied, oak-aged Chardonnay from a warm region can work well too. But for white wine to withstand the full force of those rustic flavors, it does need to have a robust character.

So whether it’s frost or not, controversial or a superfood, kale with sausage can simply be served at the table. And mashing it is allowed too, provided a lovely glass of wine is sparkling beside it, of course. Enjoy your meal!

Text: Romy Kooij – Miss WineLane