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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.