In my last column, I revealed the variety and high quality of the wines from France’s longest river valley, the Loire. It’s the wine region closest to Paris and therefore one that tourists often explore.
Not only is there fine wine, but also there are gorgeous gardens, châteaux, and palaces to marvel at.
At the luncheon I attended in Yaletown, I tasted a white wine I enjoyed with a spicy orange salad with cucumber, arugula, peppers, almonds and chèvre, the goat cheese that the Loire is famous for. It’s a Saumur Blanc Bobinet Les Gruches 2014 ($37.99).
Saumur is the name of the town where the 80 year old Chenin Blanc grapes are grown. The age of the vine is often a sign of quality. Old vines don’t produce as much fruit as younger ones but the fruit is mature and more concentrated. With a bouquet of hay and melons much like a fino sherry, with flavours of apricot, pear, green apple, nuts, and a long crunchy finish, the Saumur Blanc was a wine to savour.
Although salads are often anathema to a wine, the high acidity of the Saumur was able to match the vinaigrette. As a result, the flavours of the delicious salad were kicked up a notch and the orange and spice sang out.
Our main course proved that you can serve red wine with fish and enjoy both. The red was a 2011 Hureau Saumur Champgny Tuffe ($30). It’s made from Cabernet Franc grapes in 15 parcels grown on limestone soils or Tuffe. Unlike its cousin Cabernet Sauvignon, the Cab Franc grapes have thinner skins making the wine smoother and less tannic, which pairs beautifully with the fish.
And it wasn’t just any fish; it was a poached salmon in a parsley sauce on Japanese rice with roasted parsnips and carrots. If the protein is darker and more flavourful, it can easily work well with the smooth red wine. Furthermore, Cabernet Franc is a crisp red, with enough acid to be refreshing with the salmon, like a squeeze of lemon.
And it has a green pepper vegetal component that is complementary to the parsley sauce. Finally the overall complexity of the wine with herbs, dark fruit, and the whiff of barnyard from the 15 sites of terroir make for a delicious match with the main course.
The only disappointment was the dessert course. A delicious strawberry cheesecake was served with a Pinot Noir rosé and a Cabernet Franc.
You would think that the red fruit in the wines would marry well with the fresh fruit in the cheesecake but matching dessert with a wine is very problematic.
I’m not saying the pairing didn’t work, but the previous courses had worked really well so that this dessert pairing was underwhelming. A black coffee would have worked better.
My thanks to Vins du Val e Loire and the culinary team at Earl’s Kitchen and Bar in Yaletown for inviting me on this wine and food adventure down the delightful Loire Valley of France.
Eric Hanson is a retired Richmond teacher and local wine expert.
