Wine for Game, Metzgete & Autumn Cuisine: 6 Red Wines and Chestnuts as a Side

A robust red wine with ripe tannins and enough acidity pairs well with game – but it's not the animal that decides, it's the preparation. Rare roasted venison calls for an elegant, fresh wine like a Dão. Braised wild boar or game stew demands power and structure, so a Douro Reserva or an Alentejano is ideal. For a traditional Swiss "Metzgete," you need something entirely different: acidity to counteract the fat. And the best side dish for all three doesn't grow in Switzerland, but in Portugal – the chestnut. Below are three recipes.

Which wine pairs with game – and why?

Game meat has less fat than beef and more aroma. It is darker, denser, often slightly mineral, sometimes with that subtle note politely called "strong." A thin wine disappears without a trace next to it.

But there is a second factor that most pairing rules overlook: game almost never comes alone on the plate.It comes with cranberries, red cabbage, pear, chestnuts, sometimes with a cream sauce. These side dishes are sweetish – and sweetness makes tannin appear harsher than it is.

This leads to the rule of thumb you can follow:

The longer the meat is braised and the sweeter the side dish, the more fruit and softer tannin the wine needs. The shorter the roast and the more minimalist the plate, the more elegant and fresher it can be.

What you don't need is a wine with a lot of new oak and 15 percent alcohol by volume. It overwhelms the venison and turns the evening into a power demonstration. I've experienced it often enough to write it here.

Venison, deer, or wild boar – which wine for which animal?

The Swiss game season runs depending on the canton from early September to January, with the peak in October and November.In these two months, practically every bistro features a game dish on the menu.Here is the pairing that works:

Dish	What the plate demands	Portuguese answer
Saddle of venison, pink roasted	fine, fresh, fine tannin	Dão – Granite soils, cool climate, elegant
Venison entrecôte, game jus	power, dark fruit, structure	Douro Reserva – Slate, depth, firm tannin
Wild boar ragout, game pepper	fullness, soft tannin, lots of fruit	Alentejo – Alicante Bouschet, Touriga Nacional
Jugged hare, terrine, pâté	acidity against fat, spice	Baga from Bairrada or Beira Interior
Metzgete, Rippli, Sausage	Acidity, Freshness, little wood	Baga still or as Espumante

The Dão is the region that is most underestimated in Switzerland.It lies between two mountain ranges on granite and sand, at 400 to 800 meters, producing red wines that are more slender and aromatic rather than powerful. Exactly what a pink saddle of venison can handle. Where the Portuguese regions are located and what distinguishes them is detailed in our overview of the wine regions of Portugal.

Which wine goes with the Metzgete?

The Metzgete does not call for a big red wine. It consists of blood and liver sausage, smoked pork, bacon, sauerkraut, and pasta – so fat, salt, and acidity. What you need instead is not strength, but freshness.

The Portuguese have a solution for exactly this problem, which has been on the table in Bairrada for generations.There, one enjoys Leitão da Bairrada, roasted suckling pig with crispy, fatty skin. And with it, one drinks Espumante – sparkling wine from the Baga grape. The carbonation and acidity cut through the fat like nothing else. This is the Portuguese feast, just with bubbles.

If sparkling wine with sauerkraut is too adventurous for you: a still Baga does the same. The grape naturally has a lot of acidity and firm tannins and was considered too austere for decades until it was realized that it is unbeatable with fatty meat. We have written more extensively about Baga and the other great Portuguese varieties here.

Chestnuts as a Side Dish: Why Chestnuts and Game Belong Together

There is a very direct reason why chestnuts pair well with game: The game eats them.

In autumn, wild boars largely feed on acorns and chestnuts. In Portugal, this is not random knowledge but part of the cuisine. The Presunto de Chaves, the cured ham from the north, has its typical nutty note because the pigs there eat chestnuts. And in Douro and Trás-os-Montes, Javali estufado com castanhas has been on the table for generations – stewed wild boar with chestnuts, red wine, bay leaf, and olive oil. The animal and its side dish come from the same forest.

From a culinary perspective, it works because chestnuts have almost no fat and a lot of starch. They are mealy-sweet and absorb game jus like a piece of bread, without losing their own shape.Potatoes can do this too, but without the nutty sweetness that rounds off the slightly austere tone of game.

Prepare chestnuts: boil, do not roast

For side dishes, boiled chestnuts are better than roasted ones. Roasted chestnuts taste great on their own but tend to break apart when peeled. Boiled ones stay whole.

1. With a sharp knife, score a cross on the rounded side of the shell. Do not cut into the flesh, just through the shell.
2. Cook in boiling water for 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Remove from the water in portions and peel hot. The thin brown inner skin only comes off while the chestnut is warm. Once cold, you can't remove it anymore.

Expect about a fifth loss due to shell and skin. So from 1 kilo of raw chestnuts, you get about 800 grams of side dish – generously calculated for four people as a filling side.<|vq_10892|>For those who prefer to roast chestnuts traditionally over a fire, find the instructions in our post on Chestnut Roasting and the Magusto Tradition.

Recipe 1: Red Cabbage with Chestnuts

The most obvious combination and one that pairs well with practically any game roast. Add the chestnuts at the end to keep them whole.

For 4 people: 1 head of red cabbage (approx. 1 kg), 1 onion, 1 tart apple, 2 tbsp olive oil, 100 ml red wine, 3 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 bay leaf, 2 cloves, salt, pepper, 200 g cooked, peeled chestnuts.

Quarter the red cabbage, remove the core, and finely slice. Dice the onion and sauté in olive oil until translucent. Add the cabbage and briefly sauté. Deglaze with red wine and vinegar. Add grated apple, bay leaf, and cloves, season with salt and pepper.Cover and simmer for 45 minutes over low heat. Fold in the chestnuts 10 minutes before the end so they warm up but do not fall apart. Remove bay leaves and cloves before serving.

Recipe 2: Brussels Sprouts and Chestnut Skillet with Bacon

For the roast, if red cabbage would be too sweet. Bitterness from the Brussels sprouts, sweetness from the chestnut, salt from the bacon – they balance each other out.

For 4 people: 600 g Brussels sprouts, 200 g cooked chestnuts, 80 g bacon cubes, 1 tbsp butter, salt, pepper, freshly grated nutmeg.

Clean the Brussels sprouts, trim the stalk, blanch in salted water for 6 to 8 minutes, drain and halve. Render the bacon cubes in the pan without fat until crispy.Butter, add Brussels sprouts and chestnuts, and sauté for 5 minutes while turning until the cut surfaces take on color. Season with salt, pepper, and plenty of nutmeg.

Recipe 3: Chestnut Purée with Olive Oil

The Portuguese variant – without cream, without butter, but with good olive oil. This makes it lighter and it complements any game stew with a strong sauce.

For 4 people: 500 g peeled chestnuts, 300 ml vegetable broth or milk, 1 bay leaf, 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, salt, nutmeg.

Place chestnuts with broth and bay leaf and simmer gently for 25 minutes until soft. Remove bay leaf. Drain chestnuts, reserving the liquid. Purée, adding enough cooking liquid until the consistency is creamy.Stir in the olive oil at the end, do not cook with it – otherwise, it loses its aroma. Season with salt and nutmeg.

The difference in oil is truly worth it here because it is not heated. Which olive oil lives up to its label promise is detailed in our article on Portuguese olive oil.

Six Portuguese red wines for the game season

Sorted by dish, not by price. All are in stock in Switzerland and available for immediate delivery.

1.To the pink venison: Código Or1gem Tinto 2022, Dão DOC – CHF 23.00. Granite soil, high altitude, fine tannins. The wine does not push forward and allows the venison to take the lead.

2. For venison with wild jus: Sequeirinha Reserva DOC Douro Tinto 2020 – CHF 21.00. Slate from the Douro, dark fruit, firm structure. Comes from the same house as the Sequeira family's port wines.

3. For wild boar ragout: Brejinho da Costa Alicante Bouschet 2023, Alentejo – CHF 18.50. Alicante Bouschet colors to the core and brings exactly the richness that a stew with chestnuts demands.

4. For the butchery and terrines: Souvall Baga Vinhas Velhas 2022, Beira Interior DOC – CHF 27.00. Old vines, high acidity, firm tannins. The wine that can handle fatty meat.

5. For the grand evening: Qalt Reserva Tinto 2022, Douro – CHF 25.00.If the roast is on Sunday and guests are present, this is the bottle that belongs on the table.

6. For weekdays: Portal da Estrela Tinto 2021, Dão DOC – CHF 12.00. And here's an honest tip: If you're having wild sausage with red cabbage on Tuesday, you don't need a Reserva. This Dão for twelve francs does the job just as well, and the expensive wine stays for the occasion when you'll truly appreciate it.

Where can I buy Portuguese wine for game in Switzerland?

At Vall'doAido, the entire range is stocked in Switzerland and is available for immediate delivery. The chestnuts are a seasonal natural product and therefore available for pre-order – delivered after the harvest in autumn.

• Venison and Fine Game: Código Or1gem Tinto 2022 and Portal da Estrela Tinto 2021
• Deer and Braised Dishes: Sequeirinha Reserva Douro 2020 , Qalt Reserva 2022 and Brejinho da Costa Alicante Bouschet 2023
• Butchery and Terrines: Souvall Baga Vinhas Velhas 2022 and Original Espumante Baga Bairrada 2018
• The Side Dish: Castanha Martaínha , from CHF 12.50 per kilo

Frequently Asked Questions

Does white wine go with game?

With feathered game and lighter game preparations, certainly – a robust, oak-aged white wine pairs well with pheasant or quail. With venison, deer, and wild boar, it becomes challenging because the meat is too dark and aromatic.

At what temperature should red wine be served with game?

16 to 18 degrees Celsius. "Room temperature" comes from a time when living rooms were 16 degrees. At 22 degrees, the wine tastes alcoholic and broad. Half an hour in the cellar or ten minutes in the refrigerator solves the problem.

Can you use pre-cooked chestnuts from a jar?

Yes, they work for purees and pan dishes. However, they are softer, less sweet, and taste flatter than freshly cooked ones. For red cabbage, where the chestnut should remain whole, fresh ones are significantly better.

How long do fresh chestnuts last?

Stored cool at 2 to 5 degrees Celsius, they last the longest – in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator in an open container, not in plastic. Chestnuts are a natural product with a high water content and dry out quickly at room temperature.

Which wine pairs well with game stew with chestnuts?

A fruit-forward wine with soft tannins, as the chestnuts bring sweetness. An Alentejano from Alicante Bouschet or Touriga Nacional is a better match than a very tannin-heavy Douro.

Does Port wine go with game?

Not with the main course, but afterwards. A Tawny with cheese after the game dish is one of the best combinations autumn offers. Our comparison clarifies which style suits what Tawny or Ruby.

Autumn is the only season when wine, meat, and side dishes can all come from the same forest. Take advantage of it. And if you're torn between two bottles: Choose the cheaper one and buy an extra kilo of chestnuts.