Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food A Decade of Wining and Dining
by David Scott Allen
Winery: Stéphane Ogier
Appellation: Côtes-du-Rhône
Cuvée: Le Temps est Venu
Type: Red
Vintage: 2019
Grape Varieties: 80% Grenache, 20% Syrah
Alcohol: 15%
Average Retail Price: U.S. $20
Today is the celebration of 10 years of monthly wine and food pairings I have written for the Provence WineZine. I do hope you have enjoyed this journey and I invite you to reach out if you have any requests for future posts.
When I created these pairings over the past decade, I did my best to give you choices that worked. I used my knowledge of wine to create a meal that would pair well. Most of the time, I won. Sometimes, I lost — but that’s how I learned and then I could share that with you. Maybe you remember the time I paired a French Viognier with Lobster Thermidor. It was my first French Viognier and I just assumed it would be similar in body and flavor to one from California. That was a big oops.
Today, I am pairing a dish that I had, and have now recreated, from the Intercontinental Hotel OR Tambo In Johannesburg, South Africa. It is the perfect illustration of how I learned to play with my pairings. Check out the recipe for my Roasted Pumpkin Salad on Cocoa & Lavender.
I tested the recipe — a roasted wedge of pumpkin with butter and cinnamon, garnished with light pickles, pumpkin seeds, radishes, and balsamic pearls — with a different wine and it was not a good match. But, having a fresh bite in my mouth brought me to today’s wine: a Stéphane Ogier Côtes-du-Rhône which I felt would have the perfect body and flavor profile to stand up to the flavorful pumpkin. It was a good call.
The wine is a deep ruby color with notes of cherry, rosemary, and lavender on the nose. Upon tasting, it is very full-bodied and velvety with intense dark fruit and spice. On the finish I sensed a hint of anise and resin. It is one of the most drinkable Côtes-du-Rhône I have tasted and the price point is excellent. Of course, if you cannot find this particular wine, another full-bodied Côtes-du-Rhône would work well.
This wine would pair well with all variety meats and fowl, but also with salmon. It’s two thumbs up for my 120th post!
David, congratulations for 10 years of pairing your wonderful recipes with wines that compliment the food. It has to be difficult at times! The Le Temps est Venu sounds perfect for the roasted pumpkin salad. You are both a talented chef and sommelier!
The only difficult times are when I miscalculate the wine if I didn’t know it before, or only have one bottle to open. Over time, I have learned to have two recipes at the ready just in case — as was the case with this wine. Thanks for reading and, as ever, for your kind comments!