Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food Club Med
by David Scott Allen
Winery: Bieler Père & Fils
Cuvée: Bandol
Appellation: Bandol
Type: Rosé
Vintage: 2021
Grape Varieties: 58% Mourvèdre, 40% Grenache, 2% Cinsault
Alcohol: 13.5%
Average Retail Price: U.S. $25.00
One thing I love about wines from Provence is that they tend to pair very well with many Mediterranean foods. Like Spanish cuisine, for example. For today’s post, I paired a 2021 Bieler Père & Fils Bandol with an Arroz con Pollo, a cousin to Valencia’s paella. The recipe is one I watched Jacques Pépin cook on television more than 30 years ago… and you can get my version today on Cocoa & Lavender.
I first read of Bandol as a teen in Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo. At that time, I hadn’t even sipped a wine and had no idea what a Bandol was. I thought it was a sword, but why would he drink a sword «bien frais» (well-chilled)? I know better now, though, and I did indeed drink this wine bien frais.
Bandol wines often have a salinity that makes them a bit savory and a perfect foil for a tomatoey rice dish such as Arroz con Pollo. It hails from the Var, a major appellation of Provence, where the cuisine is rich and flavorful — ratatouille, soupe au pistou, and tapenade. Many of the ingredients of the Arroz con Pollo appear in Varoise dishes: tomatoes, bell peppers, olives, capers.
The Bieler Bandol is a stunning orange with hints of pink. It is fruit-forward on the nose and the flavors of summer ensue: strawberry, clementine, peach, red currant, rosemary, and lavender. Summer in a glass. It is well-balanced and, though I started it well-chilled, it opened up nicely after coming down a bit in temperature.
It paired very well with the Arroz con Pollo, which brought out the savory aspects in the wine. It is fresh and bright, and would sip perfectly on its own for apéro, though I didn’t find it paired well with aged cheeses; it was very nice with fresh chèvre. Also, consider any of the above-mentioned dishes from the Var — you won’t be disappointed.
I’m sure that’s delicious – I’m very fond of rosé and Spanish rosado.
Mad Dog — we enjoyed many a bottle of rosado when we were in Spain a year ago — perfect for some of the hot weather we had. On another note, I am getting a wine shop with six bottles of Spanish Garnacha in a week or so — very excited. Thanks for visiting and commenting!
This is a nice pairing. The rose has enough complexity to stand on its own without competing with arroz con pollo. The nuance of briny from the olives and the acidity of the tomatoes works well.
Velva
Thank you so much, Velva. I’m very pleased that you like the pairing, considering how knowledgeable you are on the subject! I wish I had half of your knowledge. I just know what I like when combining food and wine. It’s really nice that you could put it into words so beautifully.