Wine

December 3, 2022 3

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
I Like Big Reds and I Cannot Lie

Big reds. I love them. Châteauneuf-du-Pape has been a favorite since I was young, even the time when my father mortifyingly embarrassed me at a fine restaurant while I was in college. He had ordered a Châteauneuf-du-Pape to go with our meal; I was sitting on the inside seat of a cozy booth. The sommelier was a stunningly beautiful... [...]

November 5, 2022 5

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Timeless

In early December last year, Susan, Towny, Mark, and I descended upon Sue and Rodney Tipton at their winery, Acquiesce, located in Acampo, California, in the Lodi wine region. Sue and Rodney are the consummate hosts — they fed us, entertained us, and set up one of the most incredible days of wine tastings that I have ever... [...]

October 2, 2022 1

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Meanwhile, Across the Pyrenees…

Between Valencia and Barcelona you can find the wine growing region of Terra Alta in the western part of the Province of Tarragona. It is only recently that wines from this region have come abroad for our pleasure… and today’s wine is indeed that — a pleasure. You may be wondering why... [...]

Photo of Clos Beylesse and pairing with scallops recipe

September 3, 2022 3

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Rhapsody en Bleu

Five months ago, I wrote about a rosé bottled in green glass, and how that was — and still is — unusual for a rosé. Today’s wine, to take this one step further, is bottled in blue glass. The colored glass provides an ultraviolet filter to preserve the wine’s quality as long as possible. I’m glad for this blue glass, as the wine is quite... [...]

August 6, 2022 1

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Le Pique-Nique

Picnic, anyone? Now is the time and, even if your temperatures don’t support being outdoors these days, today’s wine and food pairing is perfect for an indoor picnic. Just spread a blanket on the floor, put on a YouTube of forest sounds for background (hold the mosquitoes), add an oscillating fan for a light breeze, and you are... [...]

August 1, 2022 3

Gabay and Bernheim’s Rosés of Southern France should be in your wine library

The recent publication of Rosés of Southern France is cause for great celebration among casual rosé drinkers and oenophiles alike. Elizabeth Gabay MW and Ben Bernheim have written an engaging and comprehensive book that not surprisingly centers on Provence rosé but it also includes rosés from all other neighboring regions in the South of France. Their depth of... [...]

July 1, 2022 6

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Strange Bedfellows

Today’s pairing is one I approached with some trepidation. I was confident that the wine was going to be good (okay, excellent), and I knew the recipe well enough to be happy with it. But together? I just wasn’t sure. I certainly didn’t expect a full-on tug-of-war, but I had no idea it was going to turn out be one of my favorite pairings in recent... [...]

June 3, 2022 3

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Same Time Next Year

Susan, Towny, Mark, and I re-zoomed our online dinners again this week. (Don’t you just love bad puns?) It has been been a long time since we have seen each other, even though Susan and I chat frequently on the phone, seeing them via zoom is much better than not seeing them at... [...]

May 6, 2022 1

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Pink Wine of the Earth

Pink wine of the earth. That is what Randall Grahm calls his rosé. Its official name is Vin Gris de Cigare. The reference to “cigare,” a French term for flying saucer, is a nod to the 1954 law in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation which outlawed flying saucers from flying over the vineyards. Vin Gris typically refers to a very, very light rosé wine that results from next-to no maceration time (compared to the traditional rosé methods).

Seven grapes come “to the table” to create this wine; together, they make a unique and delicious rosé. But I am getting ahead of myself… [...]

April 1, 2022 1

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
When White Is Pink

I was in a local, high-end wine store recently, looking (as I am wont to do) for Provence wines. That day, I was specifically looking for a red wine, though my expectations were low as Provence wines — other than rosé — are not generally stocked here in Tucson. The store manager confirmed that he had nothing red, but he had a really highly-rated Provence white for a great price ($21.00!). I took him at his word, without really looking at the bottle, and bought two. Now, I wish I had ... [...]

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