Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food

Never Have I Ever

Winery: Crous St Martin
Cuvée: Cairanne “Les Goupilles”
Appellation: Cairanne, Southern Rhône Valley
Type: Red
Vintage: 2019
Grape Varieties: 25% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 25% Carignan, 25% Mourvèdre
Alcohol: 14.5%
Average Retail Price: U.S. $25-$30

If any of you are familiar with Garagiste, you know that sometimes they offer mystery wine purchases. They give a general description, but no real idea of what the varietals are or where it’s from. If the price is right, I enjoy playing the mystery game. I think of it as my wine-centered version of “never have I ever.”

That is how I purchased three wines from the vineyard Crous St Martin, in the Southern Rhône Valley — a Rasteau, a Vacqueyras, and today’s wine, a Cairanne. I don’t remember ordering any of them, so it must have been a mystery purchase! Never have I ever sipped a glass of Cairanne, so I called my trusty friend Susan to see what she thought of my pairing with today’s recipe; Goatherd’s Pie. I’m sure you’ve heard of shepherd’s pie: this is my version using ground goat meat from our farmers market and a slightly different combination of vegetables. Susan gave the combination a thumbs up. The pie is delicious; you can find the recipe on Cocoa & Lavender.

If you are unfamiliar with Cairanne, as I was, it is a Southern Rhône appellation that encompasses red, white, and rosé wines. Why mightn’t we have known about it? It is one of the newest appellations in the Rhône Valley, having achieved the AOC status only seven years ago in 2016. Prior to that it was under the appellation Côtes du Rhône Villages. The Crous St Martin Cairanne is made from four grape varieties, evenly divided: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Carignan.

It is a deep ruby red, with dark fruits and wild rose on the nose. It has a fantastic mouthfeel — very soft and velvety — and I tasted plum, black cherry, leather, chocolate, and anise. This beautiful wine achieves a jammy quality without being cloying, and it is full-bodied: excellent with and without food. To me, it favored the Syrah grape and the other three grapes softened the wine. It was perfect with the goat and vegetables I chose for the dish, but would be stellar served with grilled lamb chops or steak. I could also see this as a holiday wine, alongside a Beef Wellington.

Price wise, this is a terrific value.