Cat Amongst the Pigeons Fat Cat Mataro 2018

I am a big fan of comfort food when it’s prepared with care. Meatballs with pasta is a bit of speciality at home. As always, the quality of the ingredients are vital for the optimal taste of the dish. In this case the organic tomato sauce and the super tasty low-fat meatballs are the key elements. The richness of the dish required a pairing with plenty of tannin, rusticity and character. Mataro ticked all the boxes. 

Mataro offers so much, yet there is limited availability as a single varietal. However, those you can find in the marketplaces are generally very good. I anticipated that the generous texture and herbal touch of the wine would work in synergy with the meatballs and chunky mushrooms, and it didn’t disappoint. The toppings of basil, pine nuts and cracked pepper added to the excitement for this matching.

The mataro, under the Fat Cat label, comes from the Cat Amongst the Pigeons range. Winemaker Nick Badrice describes this parcel of Barossa fruit as ‘The ultimate mataro’ and after tasting it, I can agree that it is of the highest quality. This wine is dense, has lush blackberry flavours with hints of thyme and black pepper.

The organic tomato sauce is delicious in itself. There is a natural sweetness that I love. I elected to fill a spoon with sauce, and then add meatball pieces with pine nuts, and topped it with pepper, as if it was a rich soup. Experimenting with the interaction of food and wine is always so rewarding. The Mataro wine washed down that soupy spoon nicely and the sauce highlighted its blueberry spectrum as it finished on the palate.

I highly recommend mataro. They are characterful and invite contemplation with a pool of aromas and flavours combining earth, thyme, lavender, spices, blueberry, blackberry and plum. This Fat Cat Mataro wine delivered way more than I expected. Coming from 2018 vintage it is a real treat.