Game birds pose a unique problem in terms of pairing wines: They are strong - flavored, but because they are also poultry, they can be easily overpowered. Therefore, you should choose your wine wisely. As far as white wines go, an unoaked French Chardonnay would be excellent, as would a Pinot Gris. And when it comes to red wines, pinot noir is an obviously good choice, since it offers a lot of flavor without all those overpowering tannins. Syrah also works well, just make sure it's not too concentrated - you still want to taste your game bird, after all.
Food & Wines
Game Bird
Recipes
Suggested Wines
Hen
Recipes
Quail
The quail family of birds includes edible game species. The Common Quail was previously much favoured in French cooking, but quail for the table are now more likely to be domesticated Japanese Quail. Quail is also used in Indian cuisine such as a bhuna. Quail are commonly eaten complete with the bones, since these are easily chewed and the small size of the bird makes it inconvenient to remove them.
Recipes
Pheasant
Like quail and other game birds, pheasant provides the texture of more familiar poultry coupled with the gaminess and depth of flavor uniquely its own.
