Wine

December 6, 2024 4

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
A Red for the Holidays

For the month of December, I created a fusion dish featuring Mexican, Dutch, Western Chinese, and Moroccan flavors — my Lamb Quesadilla. While obviously not an authentic dish, it is truly delicious and was actually the product of a dream I had. I have discovered that if I go to sleep thinking of what I might want to make for dinner, my subconscious keeps working after I nod off until it comes up with something marvelous. To get the recipe, visit Cocoa & Lavender. (Happily, my subconscious seems to have good taste!)... [...]

October 4, 2024 5

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
In the Mood

Lust und Laune translates to Desire and Mood. Isn’t that perfect for a rosé? A desire for a refreshing sip of something pink… A laid back summer mood…

When Susan and Towny tasted today’s wine with us during a zoom dinner last week, they sat by the fireside and were definitely desiring anything resembling summer. We, however, in Arizona were coping with temperatures that continue to hover at 106°F/41°C. Oof. The mood here was not good. But the rosé was so refreshing that we forgot that the mercury was skyrocketing… [...]

August 2, 2024 5

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Judging a Book by its Cover

Speaking with the young and very knowledgeable woman in the wine department of a boutique grocery here in Tucson, I inquired about Rolle wines, as Rolle (a.k.a. Vermentino) has become very popular. She had one Vermentino from Corsica (which I will discuss in a future post) and a rosé that included Rolle. She warned me, “The wine is really good but don’t let the bottle design turn you off.” Okay, I thought, while I do love a good label, I don’t think I have ever been turned away from a wine because of its label... [...]

July 5, 2024 6

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Rose | Rosé, The Sequel

Here I am again pairing rosé with rose flavors, even though there is no correlation. Today’s preparation could not be more different from my Chicken Ispahan back in February. While the rose flavor in that dish was front and center, it is incredibly subtle in today’s recipe and I highly recommend that you give it a go. It is Cailles aux Roses... [...]

May 31, 2024 5

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Voulez-Vous Vouvray?

I found myself in the city of Tours (Loire Valley) for a week without a car; it wasn’t an accident that we were carless — we actually planned it this way. We love spending a week exploring a new town (city). Thus, there were no visits to any number of the beautiful châteaux in the valley or, more to the point of this article, no visits to any Loire Valley wineries. Fear not, though, Les Halles — the incredible market house in Tours — had a wonderful wine store near the main entrance: Les Belles Caves. I got to know the owners pretty well.

Being there, I knew that I would want to write about Loire wines for you, even though they are “off topic.” A note to our die-hard Provence wine aficionados: I did get one very nice and ridiculously inexpensive Provence rosé at the Carrefour our first night, as Les Halles was closed. Oddly, the grocery store had a large selection of wine, but none that I could find from the Val de Loire. A puzzlement.

A recipe I created the week before in Paris, Crevettes au Paprika Doux, needed a good wine pairing. I made it several times during out three-week trip and everyone for whom I made it loved it. It is a wonderful and easy-to-prepare ... [...]

May 4, 2024 4

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Blending In

I’m a sucker for a good red blend. And looking at today’s blend — especially the Graciano, Tempranillo, and Monastrell (more commonly known in France as Mourvèdre)— you might think I’d slipped into Spain from Provence. Instead, think New Spain, as in Arizona. While it was then only a small part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain, which also included parts of... [...]

April 5, 2024 1

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
When the Understudy Shines

I bought a Vacqueyras several years ago to write about for this column; it was a young vintage that I put aside allowing it to mature. Then, one evening, friends came to dinner (and wouldn’t leave), and more wine needed to be... [...]

March 1, 2024 3

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
How Could I Forget?

Dining chez Susan and Towny is, well, an incredible treat. Not only due to the exquisite food, mind you, but because of the wine. Whatever I make, they have the perfect wine to pair. And this month’s selection is truly exceptional.

I made something for them which I can make in my sleep. In fact, until I made it for them, I hadn’t even written it down as... [...]

February 2, 2024 5

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Rose | Rosé

It isn’t often that I have the opportunity to share a very special wine of this ilk. And when that does happen, it needs an incredibly special dish to pair with it. The bottle was a magnum of Château Léoube Singulier and it is, indeed, a singular wine. Susan and I decided this would be a good Valentine’s post, so I created a new dish: Chicken Ispahan, based on a famous Pierre Hermé pastry of the same name. Flavors — perfect for your Valentine — include rose, raspberry, and lychee. You can get the recipe on Cocoa & Lavender... [...]

January 5, 2024 1

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
White and Red, Daube and Wine

I’ve had a couple of firsts recently — the Swiss Fondue last month (see Savoie Faire) and now my first Daube. I knew daubes were generally made with red wine, but Susan introduced me to Patricia Wells’ recipe for a White Daube. Wells suggests that making it with a white Châteauneuf-du-Pape is traditional, but I find that a bit extravagant. Happily, she offered the suggestion to use “any drinkable white without too much oak.” That worked much better for me. However, when pairing with the daube, I did serve both a white and red Châteauneuf-du-Pape and thoroughly enjoyed both. For my version of Wells’ recipe, visit Cocoa & Lavender. For more about the two wines, read on.

If someone were to ask me what my favorite wine is, I would have to say it’s a Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc. While I could not bring myself to make the daube with this wine, I knew I had to try pairing it with this wine. I chose an E. Guigal 2019 vintage, and it was at its prime for drinking. The color of golden straw, it has aromas of candied melon and marshmallow, and a complex palate that offers apple compote, orange-fleshed melon, apricot, dried mango, jasmine, and a touch of pineapple with a nice long, citrusy finish. It paired beautifully with the white daube, highlighting the rich beef, vegetable, and mushroom broth... [...]

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