The Best Wine To Pair With Your Seared Duck Breast

For dark-meat lovers, duck is often preferred over chicken. Although it's considered to be a game meat — and there's a big taste and texture difference between wild duck and farmed duck — duck is milder and more tender than other water fowl. Yet, roast duck and seared duck breast definitely have more of a gamy flavor than chicken or turkey, and because of its layer of fat beneath the skin, duck can also be greasy. Duck does pair beautifully with red wine, and a pinot noir is often suggested to balance out duck's richness. 

There are many types of red wine to choose from, but Amy Racine, beverage director and partner at JF Restaurants told Tasting Table there's a variety that pairs better with duck than pinot noir. "Northern Rhône syrah is a fantastic pairing for duck breast," Racine said, "because its bold flavors of black fruits, spice, and earthiness almost act like the ultimate seasoning on a duck." 

The syrah grape (or shiraz as it's called in Australia) is grown mostly in the northern Rhône valley in southeastern France, a region that runs along the Rhône river, which also includes the southern valley that's renown for its wines. The valley's particular terroir affects the syrah's tannins, aroma, and texture and is notable for fruit-forward wines, which are ideal for pairing with duck.

Duck's marriage with fruit makes it an especially versatile fowl. In many duck recipes you'll find apples, oranges, peaches, pears, or a simple berry compote featured as co-stars. For seared duck breast, Amy Racine recommends pairing the wine as if it were a fruit accompaniment. "The fruit in the wine plays against the game of the duck as a fruit compote would," she said, "and the spice of the wine is excellent like a seasoning on the breast." 

The climate, soil, and even the direction of the slopes where the grapes are grown contribute to the fruity flavors of the northern Rhône syrahs, which are most often described as redolent of blackberry. As to the seasoning that Racine mentions, this type of syrah can have peppery or smoky overtones, so in effect, you simply need to salt the duck breast and let the wine do its spicy magic. 

When searing duck breast, it's essential to score the skin so that some of the rendered fat beneath the skin exudes out of the meat. The delicious fat also keeps the duck breast juicy and flavors the meat, and you need a wine that balances the fat's luscious unctuousness. According to Racine a northern Rhône syrah does double duty because, its "firm tannins cut through the fattiness of the duck, while its acidity refreshes the palate."