What Sparkling Wine To Pair With Duck à l’Orange?

Duck à l’Orange, a succulent roasted duck, crispy and crackling skin, coated in a brown sauce made from beef or veal stock with the juice and zest of an orange.

Duck à l’Orange, canard à l’orange or orange duck is traditionally known as a French dish, believed either to have been enjoyed since 1533, in Medici court, when Catherine de’ Medici married the Duke of Orleans or it was created by French Chef, Marie-Antoine Careme, born in 1769 and died on the 10th of April in 1846.

Although it very much seems like a French Dish, Italy also lay claim to it being first created in Florence, during the middle ages, when it would have been called ‘papero alla melarancia’, during this time it became more common for noble chefs to incorporate citrus fruits as a way to preserve meats.

Medot

The vineyard of the Medot estate lies across three hectares in the heart of Goriška Brda, The wine tradition of the Simčič family goes back to as early as 1812. If you’re interested in finding out more about this unique Slovenian Sparkling Wine then check out A Visit To Slovenian Sparkling Wine Medot.

The Goriška Brda region in Slovenian hasn’t always been a top-quality wine region, back in 1812, the region was poor, people were struggling to make ends meet, but with the hard and relentless work from families like the Simčič family, working the ground, overcoming the challenges of nature, but even when the region started producing wine, it was hard to sell, and it would take years to gain recognition for the work they all were putting in.

Zvonimir Simčič, otherwise known as ‘Bric’ who studied at one of the most prestigious international oenological schools in Italy, with this knowledge he started looking at the Goriška Brda region, he saw a new potential route to take, he decided to plant a lot of Rebula grapes, he was nicknamed ‘the Father of Rebula’, this decision ended up gaining attention and the region grow in popularity and started to flourish, becoming the region we know today.

Medot – Brut Rosé

Aroma 👃 “Red berries, orange blossom, orange floral, raspberries and strawberries on the aroma.”

Flavour 👅 “Red berries, alcohol soak sponge cake, pink floral with raspberries and strawberries on the palate.”

This Slovenian Sparkling Wine Won a Silver Medal in the Summer Days Gatoegry at the Glass of Bubbly Awards 2021

LUST – Orange Sparkling Wine

LUST makes Sparkling Wine in a slightly different way, instead of using Grapes, they use Oranges, with there being 400 different varieties of Orange, but LUST’s Sparkling Wine is made from the Fukumoto orange.

The Orange Sparkling Wine is 100% natural, made in the Charmant/Tank Method, they were given the idea when they travelled to southern Spain and visited an orange farm that created Orange Sparkling Wine in the Traditional Method.

They grew fond of the idea, and as owning their own orange fruit farm in Chile, they decided to create their own Orange Sparkling Wine. You can read more on this fascinating Orange Sparkling Wine right here: Sparkling Wine made from Fukumoto Oranges

Aroma 👃 “Orange skin, orange blossom, wild orange flavours and orange tree leaves on the aroma.”

Flavour 👅 “Freshly squeezed juice from various fruits, including lemon, limes and oranges.”

Pairing Notes

Our Duck à l’Orange was accompanied by a handful of Sugarsnap Peas and a few Broccoli Tenderstem and an orange twist.

Medot & Duck à l’Orange Pairing Notes – “The Sparkling Wine comes in strong at the start, playing a big hand, then at the mid-palate the orange sauce enters the room and combines nicely with hints of red berries from the Sparkling Wine, balancing out perfectly, by the close you’re left with the delicate savoury duck flavours.”

LUST & Duck à l’Orange Pairing Notes – “The orange sauce is sweetened and heightened in flavour with the addition of this orange sparkling wine, by the close the orange lingers in the background allowing the savoury duck flavours to shine.”