Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food

I Like Big Reds and I Cannot Lie

Winery: Domaine de Fontavin
Cuvée: Cuvée Empire
Appellation: Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Type: Red
Vintage: 2018
Grape Varieties: Grenache Noir (80%), Syrah (15%), Mourvèdre (5%)
Alcohol: 14.5%
Average Retail Price: U.S. $37.00

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 woman with a very low cut, flowing Grecian gown. When the wine came to the table, my father insisted I taste the wine just so that she would need to lean over him to pour. I looked like a “big red” myself that night. What is your most embarrassing story involving a sommelier?

I had today’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape in my wine rack waiting for a special pairing, perhaps for a special occasion. As the holidays are upon us, I felt the time was right. I created a low-fuss — but very special — dish to serve with the wine. My recipe for Bistecca con Crema di Porcini is on Cocoa & Lavender. The dish, though named in Italian, is equally French (and you will understand its Italian name when you read my post). You can use dried cèpes instead of porcini, and piment d’Espelette to replace the Aleppo pepper. See? Now it’s French. Bifteck à le Crème de Cèpes.

This ruby-colored wine has an amazingly bright nose — red fruits… currants and raspberries, with a note of clementine zest. On the palate it is somewhat darker with intense fruits — black cherry and dried plum, with a touch of vanilla, pepper, and leather. It is very nicely balanced and has a nice long finish. It paired so nicely with the dish, as well. The earthiness of the porcini really played to the leather notes, while the steak was so nice with the fruits.

I really enjoyed this wine. To me — and I’d be curious to know your thoughts if you’ve had it — although it is big, intense, and robust, it had a brightness I don’t usually associate with Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Thus, I can easily see this as a summer red with lamb kebabs just off the grill. It is a great wine for both beef and lamb, and I think it would pair well with game: venison and boar, perhaps.