Sam Johnson
I come from one of the world’s great wine cities… Preston, and now I work in Boutinot’s marketing team. Outside of wine, I'm enthusiastic about almost everything else, except mushrooms - I hate mushrooms.
No question about it: of all the ‘days’ that we have, and let’s face it is seems like there’s a new one every week, ‘Pancake Day’s (or Shrove Tuesday, to give it its official title) is the greatest of them all. A day widely participated in, that is wholly dedicated to pancakes. Brilliant.
Some people like to do that thing where you’re expected to have a bunch of savoury pancakes before you move on to the sweet stuff, but let’s be honest that’s the bit you’re really looking forward to. So, whether it’s classic lemon and sugar, gorgeously sickly Nutella and banana, or one of those bougie, looks perfect on Instagram-type flavours that gets you going, you’ll need a wine with a hint of sweetness to wash it all down with. Here are our top picks for this year’s dessert fest.
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If you can only pick one, pick this one. Coming from the gorgeous Il Cascinone estate in Piemonte, Northern Italy, this Moscato is the perfect pancake partner. Winemaker, Carlo picks the grapes late and leaves them out to dry (passito method) which gives the wine some mind-blowing intensity. Imagine a bath filled with ripe citrus and stick stone fruits then just pouring honey over the lot. Well, it’s like that but instead of in a bath, it’s in your glass and it’s delicious.
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If you’re going down the classic lemon and sugar route, and you’re feeling flush, this could be a winner. A medley of honeyed citrus and stone fruits with just the right amount of sweetness and plenty of acidity so as not to be overpowered by the lemon. Riesling is good anytime, sweet Riesling though is a real treat and with a long night of batter mix and embarrassment that your pancake won’t flip ahead, you deserve a treat. Oh, and it’s fully biodynamic, so if you’re into that then it’s a huge plus, too!
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What do you have with your pancakes? I know it’s mid-week, you don’t want to overindulge so you’re thinking ‘I’ll just have a couple on their own’. I get it but let me try and tempt you. Imagine, you’ve just successfully managed ‘the flip’ and now have a hot pancake filled with gooey chocolate and a fruit of your choice, next to said pancake you’ve got a blob of vanilla ice cream that’s just starting to soften, and on that ice-cream you’ve got an irresistible mix of PX sherry and raisins. It’s heaven and you should have it. Sweet and sticky – yes. Over the top – definitely yes. Worth it? You decide and let us know.
(Check out of IGTV episode on how to execute this properly).
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A little bit of fun – especially if you’re opting for the bougie, Instagram, summer berries style of pancake. This wine is pack with juicy red berry fruit and crushed raspberries, a good amount of sweetness and ever-so-slightly sparkling – see, told you it was fun! One of the great pluses of this is that it’s low in alcohol (5.5%), so not only is it a nice match for your pancakes, but it won’t give you a headache in the morning either.
Feel free to make use of this yourself or share it with your customers who are looking to push the boat out a little bit!
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