3 Comments In my previous post on Bordeaux last month, I covered some of the major appellations for white wines, both dry and sweet. This month’s post will concentrate on some of the red wines that Bordeaux is so very famous for.
Let’s first start out with a little about the red grapes that are grown in Bordeaux. There are three major varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. There are also two lesser-known grapes that are sometimes used in the blend as well: Petit Verdot and Malbec. A third grape, Carmenère, used to be part of the blend, but after Bordeaux was hit by phylloxera in the late 1800s, much of it was not replanted and so today it is very rarely used.
While Cabernet Sauvignon is considered by many to be the King of Bordeaux, it is in fact, the second-most planted red grape in the region. The most-planted red grape of Bordeaux is actually Merlot. Much of this has to do with the soils that are found in Bordeaux. On the well-draining gravelly soils that dot the region, Cabernet Sauvignon is typically the favored grape. But for the cooler, damper soils that are found throughout much of the rest of Bordeaux, Merlot has proved easier to grow. Merlot tends to tolerate dampness better than Cabernet Sauvignon and it also ripens earlier. The differences between these two grapes can be very helpful in a region with a lot of wet weather and the possibility of rain during the harvest months.
In fact, while some interpret blends as a way of camouflaging a grape’s limitations, another way of looking at a blend is that the sum is greater than the parts. Not only do Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon act almost as insurance policies for each other by ripening at different times and having a preference for different soil types, but they also work to complement each other in a blend. Merlot adds a softness and a fullness to Cabernet Sauvignon while Cabernet’s acidity and tannins can be used to prevent Merlot from being too plush and lacking in structure. Each of the other grapes, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec have something to add as well and the combination of all of these grapes ideally works to create a wine that is well-balanced, long-lived and harmonious on the palate.
As we discussed in the first post about Bordeaux, the region’s appellations can be thought of as concentric circles. The largest circle for red wines would be the AOC Bordeaux – think of it as a regional appellation that encompasses almost all of Bordeaux. It accounts for approximately 40% of all red wines produced in Bordeaux. A slightly smaller circle is the AOC Bordeaux Supérieur, which has a minimum alcohol that is a half a percent higher than AOC Bordeaux, a slightly higher aging requirement of a minimum of 12 months and is made from selected spots within the appellation.
Now here is where the circles get a bit confusing as there are lots of smaller appellations that are well worth discussing. This post will focus on the Left Bank, or the west side of the Gironde where we find the very important appellation of the Médoc. The Médoc is perhaps the most famous home for Cabernet Sauvignon in the world. With its well-draining soils with their high gravel content and a climate moderated by close proximity to the ocean, the Médoc is well-suited to growing high quality Cabernet Sauvignon. The Médoc is also very famous because it is the main subject of the historical Classification of 1855 (Graves was included as well, but we are going to discuss that area separately in another post). This classification of the chateaux on the Left Bank was put together by the merchants in Bordeaux and the rankings were based mainly on price. Chateaux were grouped into growths, going from First Growths (or Premier Crus) to Fifth Growths (Cinquième Crus). While many of the chateaux that were classified back in 1855 have ceased to exist, for the most part, the 1855 classification is still used in Bordeaux and there has only been one formal change to the list in 1973, when Château Mouton-Rothschild was changed from a Second Growth to a First Growth. It is important to note though, that the classification of 1855 is not part of the AOC system and in many ways, getting to know the different appellations is much more important than memorizing the entire list of classified growths.
Returning to our idea of concentric circles, within the Médoc is the Haut-Médoc, an appellation made up of vineyards located in several communes that are not entitled to their own commune AOC. Many of these wines can represent excellent buys for Bordeaux lovers. Château Corconnac, one of the wines from my list, is a great example of an affordable and very delicious Haut-Médoc wine.
Finally, within the Médoc we reach the most important Left Bank appellations – the communes of St-Estèphe, Pauillac, St-Julien, and Margaux, which are home to the majority of those chateaux from the 1855 classification. St. Estèphe is known for producing full-bodied, but rather austere red wines with high levels of acidity that are typically very age-worthy. Two of the most well-known producers are Ch. Montrose and Cos d’Estournel. Pauillac is perhaps one of the most famous communes in the Médoc as it is home to three of the five first growths – Ch. Lafite-Rothschild, Ch. Latour and Ch. Mouton-Rothschild. The wines of Pauillac are very powerful, concentrated and long-lived and especially known for their distinctive Cabernet Sauvignon character and notes of cassis and cedar.
The next commune, that of St-Julien, is perhaps a bit underrated compared to the others. It typically produces wines that are a bit more subtle and approachable. Chateaux such as Léoville-Las-Cases, Léoville-Poyferré and Léoville-Barton, Gruaud-Larose, and Ducru-Beaucaillou are some of the best-known producers from St-Julien. Finally, we reach the commune of Margaux, the home of the well-known Ch. Margaux as well as Ch. Palmer, Ch. Lascombes and Ch. Brane-Cantenac. Wines from Margaux are considered to be some of the most perfumed and silky of the Médoc. While many will argue that Margaux has experienced more ups and downs than other communes, when the 1855 Classification was originally put together, Margaux had more properties included than any other commune. Fortunately for Cabernet Sauvignon (and Merlot) lovers everywhere, it is back on the upswing today.
We’ll continue in another post with some of the other smaller communes in Bordeaux that can offer wine lovers a good buy, but I thought it would be important to cover some of the most historical and well-known appellations in this post about the Left Bank. As always, let me know if you have any questions and comments!
What's Going On in the World of French Wines
I’m working on a post on Bordeaux for later this week, but I had a really interesting wine last night and so I wanted to share it with everyone on the blog. A few months ago, I was in a wine store in my area when I spotted an interesting looking bottle of wine. The first thing that caught my eye was the label – it was one of those labels that grabs your attention – not because it is showy or there’s a cute animal, but because it was, well, so very pretty. Intrigued, I picked it up and was even more interested to see that it was made with organically grown grapes and that, best of all, it was priced at $9.99. So, naturally, I had to buy it!
So what’s funny about this is that the Les Chemins de Bassac Isa Rouge has been sitting in my wine fridge in my kitchen untouched since that impulse purchase. Every time I’ve gone to pull out a wine for dinner, I’ve looked at it and then thought to myself, am I really in the mood for this wine? I’m not really sure what made me hesitate to open the Isa – I think I was so excited to find it that I was worried that drinking the wine would be a bit of a let-down…amazing how sometimes you can be your own worst enemy!
Well, last night I made spaghetti and meatballs and when I went to grab a wine to serve with dinner, lo and behold, I discovered that I was out of my stash of everyday Italian wines. Yes, I keep a selection of inexpensive Italian red wines on hand to serve with my red sauce – I find that my tomato sauce tends to go best with either a Valpolicella or a Chianti. But I digress…so, unfortunately (or fortunately) for me, there were no Italian reds to be had. So I went searching through the other shelves to see what I could find. And that’s when I spotted the Isa, which had been languishing on the top shelf of the wine fridge for way too long.
What the heck, I thought – why not open it? I’ll admit it, I didn’t have high expectations – not only because of the potential problem of pairing it with my red sauce, but also because I had stupidly convinced myself that something that pretty, that reasonably priced and made with organically grown grapes wasn’t going to be all that tasty – it seemed just too good to be true. Well, silly me. The Isa was lovely, with soft earthy black fruits, notes of spicy plums and hints of ripe cherries. The tannins were fairly soft and the acidity and alcohol were balanced, but somehow the wine went very nicely with the sauce. Perhaps it was the addition of the meatballs to the sauce, but the combination was really enjoyable, and the wine that was left in my glass was equally delicious with my dessert of chocolate chip cookies.
The Les Chemins de Bassac Isa Rouge is a Vin de Pays des Côtes de Thongue, which is located in the Languedoc, in the South of France. The wine is a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir and the grapes are all farmed organically. If you would like more information about the wine, I recommend checking the estate’s website.
So what did I learn tonight? Well, first off, it was a great reminder that I need to take my own advice when I spot something interesting – I need to not hesitate to open the wine once I get it home! I foolishly made some assumptions about the wine (the label’s too pretty and the wine’s too reasonably priced for it to be really good) that were definitely without merit. And this was a great reminder that there are wines made with organically grown grapes that can be found for under $10. So for all those people who say you have to pay extra for grapes grown without synthetic chemicals, the Isa is a terrific example of the value wines that are available these days. Finally, it was definitely a treat to discover a delicious wine that stood up to my red sauce – and I bet it would be great with a whole bunch of other dishes too!
Even if the weather doesn’t want to cooperate where you live, there is no denying that there is a whiff of spring in the air. Living here in North Carolina, spring has a tendency to come on the early side – in fact there have been years where I’ve spotted flowers poking through as early as late January! There’s something about the start of spring that always fills me with excitement and energy, and a good dose of anticipation.
There’s also just something about warm weather that makes me want to entertain. I’m sure it has a bit to do with the fact that as we get further into spring and summer the fresh vegetables and fruits at the local farmers markets just beg to be shared. But there’s also something easy about parties that involve the grill and letting kids play outside. Recently, we had a brief window of warm weather and so we used the opportunity to get together with some friends. The menu plan was simple – burgers, hot dogs, salad, chips, pasta salad, fruit and ice cream. Nothing really fancy, but with 10 little kids running around, the object was to be as family-friendly as possible!
Of course, wine is always a big part of parties in our house, no matter the occasion. It might sound a bit resentful of me to say that my friends expect to be served something interesting at my house, but in truth, I’m glad that they do. I think it is all too easy to get into a wine rut (it has happened to me before) and I’m happy to help prevent that from happening. So for this particular gathering, I chose to serve the Lafite Réserve Spéciale Bordeaux Blanc and the Mas de Guiot Vin de Pays du Gard. The first is a white Bordeaux made from a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon and the second is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Both wines went over well, but much to my surprise, it was the white wine that was the big success. In the past, I have found that my guests were more likely to drink red wines over whites, so this was a bit of a departure and I one that I chalked up to two things – the warmer weather seemed to make people favor white wine and also the wine was extremely drinkable, both with or without food.
I’ve consistently found that people who like Sauvignon Blanc don’t seem to know that it is one of the grapes used in white Bordeaux. While it is true that there are many Bordeaux Blancs that are on the more expensive side, there are also a large number of very affordable and food-friendly examples; wines such as the Lafite Réserve Spéciale, Chateau Coucheroy or Chateau Bonnet spring to mind. The combination of the zesty flavors of the Sauvignon Blanc grape with the more mellow orange marmalade notes of the Sémillon grape makes for a versatile wine that is delicious with or without food. And because white Bordeaux is usually a bit fuller in body compared to other white wines, it stood up to the hamburgers and hot dogs just fine.
So if the weather has started to warm up where you live, think about the possibility of getting a group of friends together to celebrate the fact that spring is right around the corner. And if you are looking for a versatile, food-friendly white, I recommend you take a look through the White Bordeaux section of your favorite wine store. You might just find something to put a little spring in your step.
A few weeks ago I had a really interesting conversation with a fellow wine educator about coffee. Last spring, as part of our CSA/farm-share program, Bill and I started getting a one pound bag of whole bean single-origin coffee every other week, thanks to a local roasting company. This, naturally, led us to start thinking a bit more about what kinds of coffee we prefer. We were able to see (taste) that there was one type of roast we favored over the others, but because we got the coffee every other week, it was hard to compare countries or regions and so we just weren’t able to keep track of our favorites. But after my conversation with my friend, who has done some rather extensive tastings of coffee and really zeroed in on what she liked and didn’t like, I was inspired to try again.
So, luckily for me, last week one of our local gourmet stores was having a pretty big sale on coffee and tea (we’ll have to save the tea discussion for another post). So since we were actually pretty low on coffee beans anyway, I decided to use the opportunity to stock up on a few different coffees from around the world to see if I could make any conclusions about our tastes in coffee.
Just to give a little background, Bill and I have coffee every morning (most mornings it is the only thing that gets me to open my eyes willingly). We are pretty much at the opposite ends of the coffee spectrum – he drinks his black and I take mine with a good deal of milk (according to Bill, who usually makes my coffee, the mix is 55% milk (which has to be heated so it doesn’t make the coffee cold), 45% coffee and just a little bit of sugar (not that I’m high maintenance or anything…). But oddly enough, even though we take our coffee very differently, we both seem to like the same kinds. Which, it turns out, tend to be beans sourced mainly from Central and South America. For some reason, and believe you me, I’m still trying to work out my tasting notes for coffee, we both find the lighter flavors of these regions coupled with the higher acidity, slight floral and chocolaty notes to be pretty appealing. And, in addition to the Nicaraguan and Peruvian coffees we’ve taken a shine to, we both love one flavored coffee we’ve found – a Cinnamon-Hazelnut blend. I know some people would say that drinking flavored coffee is, well, maybe indicative of unsophisticated coffee palates, but I say it is a bit like people looking down on sweet wines…if YOU like it and enjoy it (and trust me, I do really enjoy those mornings Bill makes the cinnamon-hazelnut coffee) then who cares what other people think!
And of course all of our discussions about coffee beans got me thinking about the concept of terroir, or the taste of a place. In the past this term has been used primarily in reference to wine, but increasingly it is a word that is being applied to coffee, chocolate, cheese and any number of different vegetables and fruits sold at local markets. The French are particularly fascinated with terroir and it is this idea, that each place has a different taste, that was used as the basis for developing the Appellation Controlee system years ago.
I was really interested in looking at the single-origin coffee beans because I felt that it would be an interesting palate exercise to see if I could find big differences in coffees from different growing spots around the world. We also threw in one twist to our experiment by buying some beans from a certain location in both a “regular” style and then a “pasa” style. The “pasa” beans had been left on the plant to shrivel like raisins, which naturally reminded me of the grapes affected by noble rot that are used to make Sauternes in Bordeaux. Although the two styles were very distinctive (and delicious), there was definitely a taste that was common to both.
Overall, I would say that like wine, we felt that the coffee beans we tried did show some regional differences. I don’t know about you, but I find this idea of tasting a place so interesting and exciting. I thought it was pretty neat that like wine, we were able to taste so many different nuances in the different coffees we tried and also that each location seemed to have a unique taste. It reminded me of how much fun it is to drink broadly – that drinking wines from all over really allows you to realize the special characteristics that make each grape variety and each region interesting.
Why should you care about terroir? Well, just like each of us is a unique individual (with a unique palate), terroir is something that can make wines distinctive. Unfortunately, terroir is one of those really hard taste concepts to put into words – it sort of comes down to a particular taste or feeling you get from something. I’ve always found that the smaller the location from which you are sourcing a product, the more intense the sense of place, but I do find that even wines made with grapes that are grown in multiple regions and then blended can still have some kind of identity (although this does also depend on the skill of the winemaker). But perhaps if we can start identifying differences in food products, maybe it will help us to understand wines better, and in turn, this will encourage us to do what we can to preserve these differences and embrace them. After all, one of the other things our coffee terroir experiment taught us was that there were a number of different coffee terroirs that we really liked and that the best week of coffee involved rotating through several different types.
Be sure to let me know if you’ve ever done a “terroir” experiment with your food or beverages and what the outcome was. I’d love to hear about it!
A few weeks ago I found myself in the midst of a bit of a wine dilemma. I was in the process of planning my Mother’s 60th surprise birthday party and I was trying to organize the wines with the menu for dinner. Starting off with Champagne was a pretty obvious choice, and I knew it would go nicely with the two appetizers the caterer had suggested, so that part was pretty easy. But I have to admit that I had some difficulty with the appetizer and the entrée. My difficulty stemmed from the fact that I had to balance the wines that I wanted to pair and thought would pair best with the menu, with the need to serve wines that my guests would enjoy.
The appetizer was to be a goat cheese tart topped with mixed roasted vegetables and a small frisée salad. In my mind, this was a course that called for a Sauvignon Blanc or a Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon blend. However, when thinking about the family members who would be attending the party, I needed to take into consideration what kind of wine would best suit my guests’ tastes. I knew ahead of time that I was going to have quite a mix of palates at the party. I would have several wine enthusiasts, several novices, and quite a few individuals who don’t really care much for wine. It was important to me to have a wine that would work for all of these different types of wine drinkers. Adding to the challenge was the fact that I knew that a few folks wouldn’t drink the red wine I was planning on serving with the main course, so the white needed to be fairly substantial.
So how did it all turn out? Well, for the first course I chose to serve a Vouvray, a Chenin Blanc with some residual sugar. I knew that several of the people who would be attending tend to prefer wines with some residual sugar to them, so that was one of the key reasons I chose it over a Sauvignon Blanc. The issue of residual sugar in wine is an interesting one to me. There are lots of folks out there who seem to believe that if a wine has residual sugar to it, then it is either less sophisticated or downright bad. Other wine snobs will tell you that people who prefer sweeter wines have less-sophisticated palates. I don’t particularly care to pay attention to either point of view. While I will definitely agree that there are lots of wines made with residual sugar that are not very good, then again, I will also point out that there are also lots of dry wines out there that aren’t so hot either. The key to me is whether or not the wine is in balance.
Personally, I love wines with a sweet side, but in order for me to love them, they need to also have a high level of acidity to balance the sweetness. This way, the sugar doesn’t make the wine seem cloying, but rather refreshing. So a good quality Vouvray, which is made with Chenin Blanc which is a grape with lots of racy acidity, is rarely sticky sweet and syrupy, but rather vibrant and mouth-watering. And in terms of that whole “sophisticated” palate argument, I often wonder why people think that is so important anyway. Why does having a “sophisticated” palate make you better? Do you enjoy your food more? Speaking for myself, some of my very favorite meals that I have ever had were not elaborate exotic chef creations, but were fresh, in-season foods that were simply prepared. My goal for my Mother’s party was that people had a pleasurable meal with good food and good wine – it wasn’t about a palate challenge to rate sophistication levels. When so much of our experiences with wine come down to whether or not we have a pleasurable experience with it, why do we worry so much about what other people think?
Now the Vouvray might not have been my number one choice for a pairing match for the goat cheese tart, but it was a fine pairing, and I also knew that it would go fairly well with the main course, which was a beef stew. I also served a red Bordeaux with the stew as there were some people at the party who were red wine lovers and well, to be honest, the beef and Bordeaux combo is a personal favorite of my Mother’s (and mine, for that matter).
In the end, the party – especially the surprise of it – was a great success and everyone seemed to enjoy both the food and the wine. Which for me, was the sweetest part of it all.
Last night we had dinner at Revolution, a fairly new restaurant here in Durham, NC. It’s been fun to watch the restaurant scene expand here over the last few years, and this place is one that people have been eagerly anticipating the opening of for quite some time. Usually, I like to focus my food and wine pairing posts on meals that I have at home, as I think what you eat and drink every day is what should get the most attention. However, that being said, every once in a while I have a restaurant experience that I think is worth blogging about, and last night was one of those times.
I’ll start with the food. The menu was very interesting, with lots of dishes composed of unusual and creative combinations. As there were four of us having dinner, the meals that were ordered were fairly diverse, although two of us did opt for the same entrée. Bill and I decided to share an appetizer of thinly shaved parma ham served with a side salad of arugula, parmesan cheese, almonds and hints of orange. For our main courses, Bill’s Dad, Tony, ordered the salmon which was grilled and served over a bed of lentils. Bill chose the scallops which were served with a side of goat cheese and diced potatoes, which as I type this sounds sort of strange, but was actually really delicious. Bill’s Aunt Barbara and I both opted for the pork chop served atop a bed of tomatoes, onions and sweet potatoes. Again, the combination of the sweet potatoes and the tomatoes sounds a bit odd, but it was extremely tasty, with the acidity of the tomatoes cutting through some of the sweetness of the sweet potatoes.
Now I will say that the entrees we ordered were not the most challenging food and wine pairings I’ve ever had to deal with, but they certainly were a bit tricky. You’ve got pork, seafood and shellfish, not to mention the strong flavors of tomatoes, sweet potatoes and goat cheese to balance.
So what did I do? Well, the wine list presented a bit of a challenge. It was a bit on the short side, but there were some very interesting wines. However, given our mix of meals, there were really only 3 or 4 that fit the bill. Add to that that there was a request for the wine to be white, and my options went to 2, although in hindsight, after tasting all of the dishes, I do think that a white was the way to go – the tomatoes/sweet potato combo would have been an issue for the Pinot Noir I was thinking about as a red option. After a few minutes of deliberation, I selected a 2007 Albert Mann Pinot Blanc from Alsace.
The wine was delicious, and exceptionally versatile. I’ve often found that Pinot Blanc is a wonderful wine for restaurant meals. It is capable of going with such a wide range of foods and spices and can be perfect for any number of different cuisines. Pinot Blanc has a touch of floral character, notes of melons and pears and can sometimes show a slight hint of nuttiness. It is more often than not well balanced in terms of alcohol and acidity and is a great wine to pair with any number of different seafood dishes.
The Albert Mann Pinot Blanc was very well balanced with notes of honeysuckle, pear, melon and a trace of nuttiness. It went with all of the different entrees on the table, including the appetizer. It is closed with a screw cap, which I find tends to be a plus for many white wines, although I do think that more wine servers need to be taught the easy way to open bottles with screw caps – too many of them struggle a bit because they hold the bottle and the very top instead of firmly grasping the neck and the cap and twisting in opposite directions – but that’s another blog entry altogether!
So if you happen to be in Durham anytime, I recommend checking out Revolution, and whether it is at that restaurant, or any other – when you find yourself in a tricky pairing situation, check to see if there are any Pinot Blancs from Alsace on the menu. This is one heck of a versatile grape that, more often than not, will prove to be a winning choice for pairing with a variety of foods.
