Our first stop was Alsace. August 2008 was a cooler month with regular rain, which was said to bring higher than normal acidity to the fruit. I chose Trimbach's 2008 Pinot Blanc for our first course and paired it with PEI mussels in a wine & herb sauce, along with a Caprese Salad made with fresh BC tomatoes and basil grown in our Alberta garden. Trimbach's 2008 Pinot Blanc carries a concentrated blend of melon, grapefruit and fresh pear aromas, with hints of ripe nectarines and white apple lingering on the finish. There was crisp acidity on the palate, but nowhere near as high as I was expecting. Because I used some of the Pinot Blanc as part of the sauce for the mussels, the wine matched the seafood perfectly and the medium body on the wine did not overpower the delicate mussels. The crisp acidity cut through the mozzarella cheese in the Caprese Salad, and because the cheese isn't strong in flavour, it did not overpower the wine.
Other foods that would pair well with Trimbach's 2008 Pinot Blanc include shellfish, fresh mixed greens salads and light egg dishes. It is also excellent on it's own and as an aperitif.
Our next stop was Bordeaux. Usually, the region's white grapes are made into the lusciously sweet wines from Sauternes and Barsac. Since not all grapes are affected by the botrytis that renders them sweet, some wineries will make a dry white wine with the unaffected fruit. Such is the case at Chateau Guiraud (see my blog post from April 2013 for more information). I paired Le G de Guiraud 2008 with Atlantic pan-fried salmon and homemade pesto. Le G de Guiraud 2008 is a well-balanced white with notes of underripe pineapple, passion fruit, fresh snap peas and green grass. There is also a refreshing acidity and a mouth-filling richness on the body. This richness, courtesy of the Semillon grape in the blend, cut through the fattiness of the salmon while complementing the rich flavours and textures in the pesto. This was my favourite pairing of the night!
Other foods that would pair well with Chateau Guiraud's Le G de Guiraud 2008 include grilled chicken breasts, portobello mushrooms, cooked asparagus and other vegetable dishes topped with goat's cheese.
The next stop was the Loire Valley. This wine region is known best for the grape varietal Chenin Blanc, which can be made into wines of different styles including sweet, sparkling, dry and off-dry wines.The 2008 vintage started poorly, with lots of cloud cover. Conditions changed into late summer, and sunshine extended the harvest season well into Autumn. Although off dry and sweeter wines were the focus in 2008, I chose a dry white, Chateau de Targe Les Frenettes 2008 and paired it with Spinach and Parmesan in Puff Pastry. Les Frenettes 2008 is delicate and light-bodied, with flavours of green apple, lemon, and white blossom married with zesty acidity and a subtle complexity with vanilla and herbal notes on the finish. Although the delicate body of the wine did not stand up well against the dense puff pastry, the wine flourished once we got to the spinach and Parmesan center.
Other foods that would pair well with Chateau Targe's Les Frenettes 2008 include both light and fatty fish and lighter cheeses like feta. I personally prefer this wine on it's own.
Our last stop was Chateauneuf-du-Pape, which is most well-known for its robust red wines. However, some perfumed, beautiful white wines are also made in this region using grape varieties that include Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc, among other varieties. I paired Domaine des Senechaux's 2008 Blanc blend with Smoked Oregano Chicken, Haricots Verts and Roasted Bell Peppers. The wine contains notes of lime, cantaloupe, and wet stone on the palate, with an intriguing hint of ginger on the finish. Full of racy acidity that doesn't overpower the flavour profile and minerality that really speaks to the terroir of the region, this wine is great with food as the wine has a 14% abv content. The wine complemented the chicken, beans and peppers really well and the quince notes really brought to life some of the other spices used in the chicken.
Other foods that would pair well with Domaine des Senechaux's white blend include everything listed above!
After these 4 courses, we were too full for dessert! However, the regions of Bordeaux, Loire Valley, and Alsace all create excellent sweet white wines that will pair well with many dessert dishes, as long as the wine is sweeter than the food. This is so that the wine's sweetness and flavour profile will stand out against the sweetness of the dessert.
Whichever foods you decide to pair your French white wines with, remember to match the weight of the wine with the weight of the food. The majority of these wines are both food friendly, and all are excellent on their own. If you choose to try any of the wines and/or the food pairings we tried, I hope you like them as much as I did. Enjoy!
