French Wines And Cheeses

I Love French Wine and Food – A Red Sancerre

If you are hankering for some fine French wine and food, you should consider the Loire Valley region of central France. You may even find a bargain, and really I hope that you’ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a red Sancerre wine based on the Pinot Noir grape coming from the eastern part of the Loire Valley.

The Loire is France’s longest river. Of the eleven French wine-growing regions the Loire Valley ranks third in total vineyard acreage. It is subdivided into four regions going from west to east: Nantais, Anjou-Saumur, Touraine, and Central Vineyards, the home of the wine reviewed below. This region’s major white grape is Sauvignon Blanc and major red grape is Pinot Noir.

Sancerre is a medieval hilltop town home to fewer than two thousand residents. The town’s name is synonymous with a White Wine. The town may have hosted a temple dedicated to Julius Caesar. Sancerre is proud to have pushed back the British twice during the Hundred Years’ War and to have been a regional command center for the French Resistance in World War II. Sights to see include the Sixteenth Century bell tower Belfry of St. Jean, the Tour des Fiefs, the remains of a feudal chateau built at the end of the Fourteenth Century, and the wine exposition house dating from the Fourteenth to Sixteenth Centuries. You’ll enjoy the medieval streets and fine food And Wine.

Before reviewing the Loire wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Salade de Perdreau Roti (Roasted Partridge Salad). For your second course savor Pot au Feu de Canette (Duckling Stew). And as dessert indulge yourself with Crepe au Grand Marnier (Grand Marnier Crepe).

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Fournier Sancerre Rouge 2003 12.5% alcohol about $24

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. Red Sancerre is made exclusively from Pinot Noir. These wines are rarely seen in our market because a large portion of them are enjoyed locally. In the Loire, red wines require a warm, consistent growing season to obtain ripeness. In 2003, with the European-wide heatwave, Fournier was able to achieve just that. The wine exhibits classic Pinot aromas and flavors of cheery, underbrush and beetroot. The producer recommends serving this wine, lightly chilled, with bouillabaisse. And now for my review.

My first meal consisted of beef stew and potatoes with a Tunisian hot pepper sauce and Moroccan spiced carrots. The wine was earthy and somewhat powerful tasting of black cherries and tobacco. This Pinot Noir had no trouble dealing with the meat’s spicy sauce.

The second meal was an Atlantic salmon marinated in a commercial Italian-style grill sauce. The fish was accompanied by potatoes roasted in chicken fat. The wine was round and earthy, and relatively long. There was some aftertaste.

The final pairing involved a purchased barbecued chicken breast, once again potatoes roasted in chicken fat, and caponata, Italian style eggplant with tomatoes, garlic, and olives. Quite surprisingly the wine was plummy. The combination was excellent, bringing out the fruit in the wine.

Something happened and I did not get to taste this wine with cheese. As you may be aware, I am not usually all that happy with wine and cheese pairings. Anyway, my apologies and at least for the time being I plan to go back to wine and cheese tastings.

Final verdict. I think that the wine was overpriced. To my way of thinking a wine priced in the mid-twenties it should have been excellent more than once out of three tastings. I definitely won’t buy it again just to try the wine and cheese pairings. And it is simply impossible to get authentic Bouillabaisse this far from Marseille.

About the Author

Levi Reiss authored or co-authored ten computers and Internet books, but prefers drinking fine German, Italian, or other wine with the right foods and people. He teaches computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His global wine website www.theworldwidewine.com features a weekly review of $10 wines and new sections writing about and tasting organic and kosher wines. Visit his Italian travel website www.travelitalytravel.com.

SoGood.TV: Wine and Cheese Pairing on the North Fork

French Cutting Board with Cheese Cutter and Wine Stopper set of 3 #mw302507 $35.00

FRANCE French Chef with Wine and Cheese Chubby Christmas Nutcracker $12.95

Vintage French Country Oil Reproduction Wall Art Le Chateau Wine and Cheese $272.80

Wilton Armetale Country French Charger, Small $52.46 Stovetop and oven safe. Keeps food warm or cool. Each Wilton Armetale piece is hand made in sand molds from a food safe aluminum alloy. Durable. Elegant matte finish….

Laguiole 4 cheese knives in box gift set French imported Monsieur Pierre Dubost, a professional in cutlery, who was himself a cutler’s son, founded Dubost Colas Pradel in 1920. They started in a small workshop but rapidly grew under the inspiration of Jean Dubost, the founder’s son. The bumblebee that is found on all the Laguiole knives is one of the emblems of the area, signifying its reliability The blade, made of high-grade stainless steel, is stampe…

EuroQuest Imports 4-Inch Opinel Picnic Knife $24.89 Suitable for all manner of cutting and slicing tasks, this Opinel folding picnic knife from EuroQuest is perfect for kitchen, picnic and even outdoor use. The blade is made of durable and extra sharp carbon steel, and folds down into the beechwood handle for safe and convenient storage when not in use. The attractive Opinel crowned hand logo is imprinted on the handle, signifying its quality.Opine…

Cheese and Wine – 24W x 16H – Peel and Stick Wall Decal by Wallmonkeys $33.99 WallMonkeys wall graphics are printed on the highest quality re-positionable, self-adhesive fabric paper. Each order is printed in-house and on-demand. WallMonkeys uses premium materials & state-of-the-art production technologies. Our white fabric material is superior to vinyl decals. You can literally see and feel the difference. Our wall graphics apply in minutes and won’t damage your paint or l…

Round of Camembert Cheese with French Stick and Red Wine – 48H x 36W – Peel and Stick Wall Decal by Wallmonkeys $77.99 WallMonkeys wall graphics are printed on the highest quality re-positionable, self-adhesive fabric paper. Each order is printed in-house and on-demand. WallMonkeys uses premium materials & state-of-the-art production technologies. Our white fabric material is superior to vinyl decals. You can literally see and feel the difference. Our wall graphics apply in minutes and won’t damage your paint or l…

The French Lunch – 24W x 16H – Peel and Stick Wall Decal by Wallmonkeys $33.99 WallMonkeys wall graphics are printed on the highest quality re-positionable, self-adhesive fabric paper. Each order is printed in-house and on-demand. WallMonkeys uses premium materials & state-of-the-art production technologies. Our white fabric material is superior to vinyl decals. You can literally see and feel the difference. Our wall graphics apply in minutes and won’t damage your paint or l…

I Love Lucy – The Complete Fifth Season $18.46 I Love Lucy: The Complete Fifth Season finds Lucy Ricardo (Lucille Ball) making an international mess out of husband Ricky’s globe-trotting tour as an entertainer. Beginning with “Lucy Visits Grauman’s” and “Lucy and John Wayne,” the impulsive redhead risks Ricky’s sanity in Hollywood by stealing a cement slab, from the famous entrance to Grauman’s Chinese Theater, that contains the imprint of Joh…

Igourmet French Cheese Assortment, 1.8-Pound $35.99 When the word cheese is mentioned, most of us immediately think of France. We can’t help it; it’s a knee-jerk reaction. As excellent as are the hundreds of cheeses that originate from all corners of the globe, France is always the first country the comes to mind when discussing cheese making. Our French Cheese Assortment captures a good bit of French cheese culture with the four cheeses listed bel…

Whole Duck Foie Gras w/ Sauternes Torchon Style, Hudson Valley, 1 lb $115.00 Whole lobes of fresh Hudson Valley duck foie gras seasoned with sauternes, salt, pepper and brown sugar, perfectly cooked in a log shape. This delicious product really retains the exquisite texture of foie gras-similar to a terrine. The texture is soft and buttery and somewhat gelatinous as you would find with seared foie gras. Note: There is a fair amount of foie gras fat in and around the torcho…

Moulard Duck Breast Prosciutto, whole 12-14 OZ $28.99 Dried and cured to perfection from Moulard duck breasts. Slice very thin and enjoy the same way as prosciutto. Serve with greens, melon, or use in recipes in place of prosciutto….

Tagged with: food • gourmet • merchant • shopping • wine

Filed under: Wine Selection Tips

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!