Best Wine Pairing for Seared Duck Breast with Pumpkin Cream Rigatoni
winemaking style reflects her love of wild foods. Taking a minimalist, but detail-oriented
approach, Jessica strives to make balanced wines that express the unique character of
the vineyards she sources from.
Among other outdoor activities, Jessica enjoys foraging mushrooms and hunting upland
game and waterfowl, appreciating the deeper connection to the outdoors that these
pursuits bring. Dedicated to knowing the source of her food, Jessica is an avid cook
who loves pairing food and wine.
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Original Recipe by Justin Townsend
While I’m out of most wild game in my freezer this time of year, I usually have plenty of duck left in there, so I’m continually looking for new waterfowl inspiration. I was intrigued by the pumpkin in this recipe, and since pasta is always a crowd pleaser, I was excited to try this one from Justin Townsend.
Recipe Notes
First of all, this recipe was so easy to pull together. The ingredient list is not long, and I had almost everything in the pantry already—I only had to run out to the store to grab canned pumpkin and heavy cream. You could use different shapes of pasta, but the larger Rigatoni tubes are nice for holding lots of sauce. Second of all, this was a delicious dish! The pumpkin flavor was mild but added a nice sweetness to the duck and balanced out the richness of the cream. Everyone in the house absolutely loved this meal, it will definitely be in heavy rotation at my house!
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Pairing Notes
I had fun pairing this dish with wine because it is so versatile. I tasted the duck rigatoni with all our white wines, Pinots, and lighter Zinfandels.
The Sauvignon Blanc was enjoyable with the sauce but didn’t do much for the duck. All three of our Chardonnays were nice and would work just fine with this meal if you were really in the mood for Chardonnay.
The standout white wine for me was our Fiano. Historically, this grape varietal is grown in Southern Italy, but one of our Italian growers in Dry Creek Valley happens to have one acre planted to Fiano. On a spectrum of white wines, it falls somewhere between Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. It has delicate floral aromatics along with a fullness on the palate. It is one of my favorite wines, and pairs well with a lot of foods, especially duck! Paired with this dish, the sauce and wine both have a complementary weight. The Fiano pushes the duck flavor to the forefront, adding layers of sweetness, while the sauce and duck flavors elevate the floral notes in the wine. Neither the dish nor the wine takes over, they bring out the flavors in one another.
We make two different Pinot Noirs—one from Russian River and the other from Anderson Valley. The Anderson Valley Pinot was a bit too heavy, and the dish accentuated its tannin. On the other hand, the Russian River Valley Pinot was phenomenal. Together, the Pinot and the pumpkin created notes of warm spices, and the wine allowed the duck flavors to shine. The weight of the sauce and wine were well-matched, and the dish amplified the berry component of the wine. The Fiano and Russian River Valley Pinot Noir were both such great pairings, I would suggest trying them both. Start with the Fiano, maybe even while you’re cooking, then finish with the Pinot.
Overall, the Zinfandels I tasted with the dish were a little too heavy and took over the flavors of the duck and sauce, with the exception of one. Our Bacigalupi Vineyard Zinfandel is from Russian River Valley and has a bit more acid and a softer more delicate palate than the rest of our Zinfandels. The Bacigalupi complimented the sauce in weight and showcased the duck really well. The flavors of the dish accentuated the red fruit notes in the wine and added softness to the palate.
