Although the Caribbean is known for its incredible rum, beer, and original cocktails (Cayman IS home to the mudslide after all), don’t think that wine isn’t an option to pair with the incredible food of the Cayman Islands.
With traditional meals such as Cayman Style Beef, Fish Run Down, oxtail and Curried goat, there are so many gorgeous wine options that we here at Jacques Scott carry to fulfill your pairing needs.
There are a ton of spices, herbs and veggies used in Caymanian food to create their rich bold flavours, including curry, ginger, scotch bonnet, seasoning peppers, tomato, vinegar, jerk seasoning, Caribbean oregano, amongst many others. While these may seem bold and could potentially overpower a wine, there are beautiful options to both bring out the intricate flavours of the food, for those wine lovers out there.
With anything including spice and curry, my immediate go to would be a gorgeous semi dry Riesling. Balancing spice is absolutely key when working with Caribbean flavours.
A Riesling is a classic pairing for food of Asian descent due to its ability to ease the spice and cut through the richness of a curry with its high acidity, so why not pair it with the rich bold spicy complexity of Caymanian cuisine? When thinking of the many Rieslings we here at Jacques Scott provide, Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett jumped to mind. Served nice and cold, light bodied and quite sweet, with the flavour of crisp apple, apple blossoms, citrus, and a nice spritz from natural carbon dioxide, it is the perfect pairing for Jerk chicken or pork, curried goat, or even gorgeously rich braised oxtail.
Speaking of oxtail, which is arguably one of the favourite dishes of the people in Cayman, it is a versatile dish, when thinking about wine. One doesn’t generally think of red wine, and Cayman sunshine, but a beautiful young Nebbiolo, such as our Vietti Perbaco Nebiolo which has a lovely, light, bright, acidity which will cut through the fatty meat, followed by unique nuances of spiced fruit with a medium body on the tongue, it’s a lovely option if you are a red wine lover. If you’re looking for something a bit heavier, a rich Napa Cab like Far Niente would hold up wonderfully against the spice and fattiness of the oxtail. The traditional flavours of eucalyptus, thyme, and rosemary would do nothing but bring out the best of the tastes of your meal.
Fish fry is not just another essential food to sample during your time in Cayman, but is a huge cultural experience. Fishing is an imperative part of Caymanian culture, and whole fried snapper is an absolute staple in the local Caribbean diet. Paired with Escovitch, which really brings the heat, it is a combination of white vinegar, onions, peppercorn, garlic and onions, it is also served on the side so you can control the amount of heat and vinegar you want to include on your fish. Snapper is a light white fish, whose delicate meat you don’t want to overpower. I would personally use bubbles! Cava specifically. Our Pares Balta Brut Nature would be a perfect pairing for a traditional whole snapper. With its golden yellow colour, brioche on the nose, followed by green fruits, this bubbly wine was aged on lees resulting in a beautiful toasty flavor and a natural yeastiness, which will accentuate the delicate batter on the fish! And who doesn’t love a bottle of bubbles on the beach?
The beauty of wine is, regardless of the cuisine, there is always a way to fit wine into the meal! If paired correctly It can only elevate and accentuate the originality of cuisines world wide.
Our guest author, Kathryn (Kat) Turley!
Kat is originally from the great state of New York. She has spent the last decade travelling extensively and working in all areas of hospitality. One of her job roles included being lucky enough to work as a travel concierge in Marlborough New Zealand, which is where her interest in wine began. She ended up on this little rock 5 and a half years ago as a scuba instructor, and then her life took a turn towards a profession in wine.
After being welcomed back into the service industry, she then had the opportunity to follow her passion and study wines in depth. While completing her WSET level 3 she worked at West Indies Wine Company as well as Blackbeard’s as a wine specialist, which then led to the next move in her wine career; proudly joining the Jacques Scott team. Moving forward she continues to follow her passion and actively broadens her knowledge through teaching the students in the school of Hospitality in UCCI, sampling new products and staying relevant on wine news, and weekly tastings!
