Wild Boar Ragout with Pappardelle

The Start of Game Season on Your Plate

In Germany, September marks the start of game season—the time for dishes that call for patience and depth. A wine from Australia—specifically from the Clare Valley in South Australia—is the perfect pairing for this wild boar ragout served with pappardelle: The meat simmers slowly for two to two and a half hours in red wine, game stock, and juniper until it falls apart, tender as butter, and blends with root vegetables to form a velvety sauce. Wide pappardelle absorbs the sauce completely, while shaved Parmesan and fresh thyme round out the dish. It’s a dish perfect for those first cool evenings—rustic, hearty, and with exactly the depth a concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon from the Clare Valley needs to fully unfold.

Ideal wine pairing: Claymore “Bittersweet Symphony” Cabernet Sauvignon (Clare Valley, Australia)

The 2024 vintage marked an exceptional chapter for Cabernet Sauvignon in the Clare Valley: a long, balanced summer produced uniform ripeness, deep color, and tannin qualities rarely found there. Claymore Wines decided to combine its best plots—normally divided among two cuvées—into a single wine for this vintage, fermented in small batches and aged exclusively in French oak. In the glass, it glows a deep, dark crimson. On the nose, boysenberry and black currant stand out, accompanied by crushed cassis, ripe plum, and a cool hint of mint chocolate, while cedar and cocoa provide support in the background without dominating. On the palate, it reveals a silky-matte texture with fine, graphite-tinged tannins through which cassis and dark chocolate pulse, before the finish lingers long and warm. It is precisely this combination of velvety texture, dark fruit, and supportive oak that perfectly complements the depth of the game ragout, while the cool note of mint chocolate provides a fresh counterpoint to the rich sauce.

The recipe:

Wild Boar Ragout with Pappardelle

Tenderly braised wild boar in a rich red wine sauce with root vegetables, thyme, and juniper, served on wide pappardelle with shaved Parmesan. A dish for those first cool autumn evenings—rustic, hearty, and full of depth. Pair it with the Claymore “Bittersweet Symphony” Cabernet Sauvignon 2024 from the Clare Valley: boysenberry, mint chocolate, and graphite-tinged tannins.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 55 minutes mins

Course Fall Dish, Pasta, Wild

Cuisine Rustic, Seasonal

Servings 2 people

Calories 780 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Schmortopf mit Deckel (Gusseisen)
• 1 Großer Topf für die Pasta
• 1 Küchenreibe für Parmesan
• 1 Feines Sieb

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

FOR THE RAGU:

• 500 g Wild boar shoulder or leg into 2-cm cubes
• 2 Tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 Onion finely diced
• 1 carrot finely diced
• 1 Stalk of celery finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• 2 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• 200 ml dry red wine
• 400 ml Game stock or rich beef broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 1 A sprig of rosemary
• 4 Juniper berries pressed
• sea salt freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE PASTA:

• 250 g Pappardelle fresh or dried
• Coarse sea salt

FOR SERVING:

• 50 g Parmesan cheese freshly sliced
• Fresh parsley or thyme leaves
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

 

PREPARATION:

• Pat the wild boar meat dry and cut it into 2-cm cubes.
• Finely dice the onion, carrot, and celery.
• Finely chop the garlic.
• Have the thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf ready.

COOKING STEPS:

• Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over high heat.
• Sear the wild boar cubes in batches over high heat until they are browned on all sides.
• Remove the meat and set it aside.
• Sauté the onion, carrot, and celery in the cooking fat over medium heat for 5 minutes.
• Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
• Stir in the tomato paste and sauté for 2 minutes, until it’s lightly caramelized.
• Deglaze with red wine and let it reduce completely.
• Return the meat to the pot.
• Pour in the game stock until the meat is just covered.
• Add bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, and juniper berries.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cover with a lid.
• Simmer over low heat for 2 to 2.5 hours, until the meat falls apart easily.
• Stir occasionally and add a little more broth if needed.
• Remove the sprigs of herbs and bay leaves.
• If necessary, simmer the sauce uncovered until it thickens to a creamy consistency.
• Season with salt and pepper.

COOKING PASTA:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Cook the pappardelle al dente according to the package directions.
• Before draining the pasta, scoop out one cup of the pasta water.
• Drain the pasta and add it directly to the ragout.
• If necessary, thin the mixture with a little pasta water.

SERVE:

• Arrange the pappardelle with the ragout in preheated deep plates.
• Sprinkle with shaved Parmesan.
• Sprinkle fresh parsley or thyme leaves on top.
• Finish with a dash of olive oil and black pepper.
• Serve the Claymore Cabernet Sauvignon at 16–18 °C with this dish.

SIDE DISHES:

• Creamed Savoy Cabbage with Nutmeg
• Rustic Sourdough Bread
• Lamb’s Lettuce with Toasted Walnuts and Balsamic Vinegar

Nutrition

Calories: 780kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 48gFat: 32g

Keyword Australia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Clare Valley, Claymore, Fall Recipe, Game Dish, Pappardelle, Wild Boar Ragout

Habt Ihr das Rezept ausprobiert?Lasst uns wissen ob es Euch gefallen hat