Featured Wines
As we say in France, Good food and good wine are part of "L'art
de vivre" that the French are famous for! I have been working with
Chef Christophe Marque and together we discovered the joy of these
wines from South West France (Aquitaine).
Story: Having just returned myself from another
French Wine Education Tour: a workshop wine seminar from a visit
in France from Cahors and Gaillac where I selflessly sampled many
new south west wines. It was late January, time for local farmers to
sell their fattened ducks. Following traditional recipes, we made
Foie Gras and Confit . Further north in Perigord, the goose is king.
In the true south, it is the duck. Connaisseurs hold that duck is
superior to goose for both taste and texture. Prices at the time
were in the 200-220 franc per kilo range for the liver and 17-20
franc per kilo range for the duck without liver. Having been raised
for its fattened liver, the duck itself is too fatty for the meat to
be cooked by traditional means, such as roasting. Instead it is used
for confit . The meat given a healthy dose of salt and left to
macerate overnight. The fat is then melted and the meat cooks over
low heat for several hours. It is then placed in containers and
covered in the fat. The containers are processed for conservation.
Confit is an integral part of the local delicacy, cassoulet .
Here, the appellations are Bergerac, Montravel, Pécharmant, or
Monbazillac, the famous sweet white wine also known for its splendid
Château de Monbazillac. The charming Bergerac as well as the Maison
des Vins de Bergerac, located in the very beautiful Cloître des
Recollets, are well worth a visit. Lot-et-Garonne, “The smallest of
all the great wine areas”, produces mainly red wines: Buzet,
Marmandais or Duras, “the most secret of the terroir”. Even in
Dunes, on the Atlantic coast, there is the old tradition of “sand
wines”. Pyrenean wines - Irouléguy, Jurançon, Madiran and Pacherenc
de Vic-Bilh – respect an ancestral winegrowing tradition. Vineyards
are on mountain slopes and the vines are planted on natural
terraces, and sometimes in cirques.
South West France also produces a significant amount of wine
entitled to be distilled into Cognac. As Chef Christophe's has
touched on a few of South West regional specialties on his featured
monthly Café du Parc menu this allows me to tempt and allure you to
taste the region of wines from South West France.
Please enjoy just a few of the following notable wines that
represent South West France these wines illustrates the genuine
flavours of this specific region. Wow! Some of the wines areas of
the southwest of France. The Southwest is a region comprising
several separate areas, from the Bordeaux neighbors, to the Basque
region of Irouleguy, to the Mediterranean areas of Fitou and
Corbieres. Bergerac and Monbazillac flank either side of the
Dordogne, bordering on its better known neighbor, Bordeaux. Buzet
lies to the south along the Garonne. Lying to the east is Cahors,
through which winds the Lot river.
*White: Chateau Le Raz, Bergerac Blanc Sec. Glass $8/Bottle $40
Blend of 70% Sauvignon, 45%Semillon, 10% Muscadelle.
This is also a great region for hunting and fishing. Hunters go
to the Pyrenees in search of migrating wood pigeons. These are a
real treat when wrapped in a thin slice of bacon and roasted. As for
fishing, succulent freshwater fish are pulled from local streams,
while tuna, sardines, and chipirons (squid) make their way from the
ocean to the table. This great White Chateau Le Raz, Bergerac Blanc
Sec will complement any traditional Aquitaine fish course.
*Red: Cahors, Clos La Coutale. Glass $9 - Bottle $45
The blend is 70% Malbec (known locally as Cot), the traditional
grape of the region, blended with 15% Merlot which gives finesse and
bouquet, 15% Tannat which gives it its aging potential. Yields
average 40-45 hl/ha (about 2.5 - tons/acre.) In Pays Basque, It’s
All about the Peppers
The traditional cuisine of the seaside Pays Basque, or Basque
Country, is full of tasty, colorful fish and shellfish, which are
often red as if rubbed with a piment d'Espelette (a pepper). This
pepper is found everywhere. It is the main ingredient in a local
pepper dip as well as in piperade, where it is cooked with tomatoes
and onions. Produced all over the region, ham can be found at all
meals and in every season. As for foie gras, made either of duck or
goose liver, it is prepared here as it is in other major farming
regions (Landes, Gers, and Lot-et-Garonne): the bird is force-fed
and then the liver is cooked in the traditional way, preserved in
its own fat. You must try this red with the meat dishes form
Aquitaine.
* Fortified Wine: by Pierre Ferrand, Pineau des
Charentes, Glass $18 - Bottle $65
(Cognac Brandy & Grape Must) will excite you while you try any one
of the following regional specialties: cannelé (mini-cakes
from Bordeaux), and macaroons from Saint-Émilion. Regional Cheeses:
Cheeses to enjoy here include Brebiou, Cabécou, Etorki, Ossau-Iraty,
Rocamadour, and bleu des Basques.