We tend to think of the sweet wines of Bordeaux as dessert wines and as a “classic” pairing for foie gras. However, many of these wines are only lightly sweet and even the richer bottles are well-balanced by acidity. They are good as aperitifs or paired with savory courses throughout a meal.  – Fred Swan

One of the joys of wine for me is pairing it with food.  At our home, we rarely drink wine as a cocktail.  Instead we pair it with our dinner virtually every night.

I have a lot of experience with food and wine pairing, because far more often than not,  it is myself who is picking the wine to pair with our meals.  I became comfortable with food and wine pairing by reading articles,  books (a favorite is Perfect Pairings by Evan Goldstein), and doing a lot of experimentation to see what works.  Along the way I’ve come to rely on some guidelines such as “acidity is your BFF”,  “what grows together, goes together”, and  “spicy likes sweet”.

I was recently invited to participate in a Snooth #GoGoldenBordeaux Virtual Tasting intended to create an aha moment, or as Snooth put it …

the moment when you discover that sweet wines can be enjoyed with salty/spicy/savory foods.

Hmmm…despite knowing that “spicy loves sweet” and having experienced the vibrant acidity these wines possess by drinking the wine of Sauternes and Cadillac, I’d never thought about pairing them with anything other than dessert or salty cheeses.

I eagerly accepted the invitation and the opportunity to broaden my food and wine pairing knowledge.

Disclosure: These wines were provided to me as media samples. I received no compensation for this post, and all opinions presented are my own.

I was provided samples of eight Sweet Bordeaux wines…and special package of gourmet snacks.

Before I get into the wines and the food pairings, here’s a quick overview of the sweet wines of Bordeaux

•  There are a total of 10 sweet wine appellations in Bordeaux (plus one in Bordeaux Superieur), of which Sauternes is the most renown.
• The sweet wines of Bordeaux tend to be blends, consisting primarily of Semillon, plus Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle.
• Botrytis, “noble rot,” is what makes these Bordeaux wines so flavorful and sweet. Botrytis grows on the grape bunches late in the season, fostered by cool, morning fog and warm, dry afternoons. The botrytis feeds on the grapes’ water and, to a much lesser extent, acidity and sugar. Between the water consumed by botrytis and that which evaporates from the now porous grape skins, the concentration of flavor, sugar and acid in each grape increases dramatically. (Source)
• Be mindful of the serving temperature for these wines.  Serve as you would a white wine (preferably in a white wine glass)  between,  44° –55° F is ideal.  Serve the richer, sweeter wines closer to  44°,  and older wines served closer to 55°.

In preparation for the virtual tasting, I enjoyed several of the wines with an assortment of bold, spicy and/or savory snacks that included meat (beef jerky and Calabrese sausage) chips, crackers and nuts.  I especially enjoyed pairing a few of the wines with the spicy jerky, the Calabrese sausage, and the Chicken Jalapeño chips.

Sampling the savory/spicy snacks definitely opened my mind to pairing possibilities of these wines.  Once my mind was opened to the possibility of pairing sweet Bordeaux wines with salty/spicy/savory foods, I decided to try a couple of pairings.

My Pairings

The first pairing I tried was the 2011 Chateau Dauphine Rondillon from Loupiac paired with Thai food.  It’s a, new to me, region that  is located in the heartland of Bordeaux’s sweet white wine production, between Cadillac and Sainte-Croix-du-Mont and just across the river from the prestigious Sauternes and Barsac appellations.  (You’ll find my tasting notes on this wine and the others below)

The Thai food included pumpkin curry,  and lemon fish.  The wine was excellent paired with the pumpkin curry, but the pairing with the lemon fish was just OK because of the spicy heat of the dish (One a scale of 1-10, I asked for a 5, but the heat felt more like a 7).  But it’s a pairing, I’d gladly do again because the wine worked well with the fish.

Lesson learned:  Look foods featuring a complex mixtures of spices that result in “spicy” food, but keep the spice from chiles on the more gentle side.

My second pairing was the 2014 Château du Cros Loupiac paired with Chicken White Chili.   It was a wonderful pairing!  The dish was spicy with what for my palate was a gentle heat from peppers.  The sweetest of the wine was a great counterpoint to the spice of the dish, and the wine’s acidity had my palate ready for another spoonful of white chili deliciousness!

If you’re looking for food and wine pairing ideas, be sure to check of these suggestions on the Sweet Bordeaux website.  I know I’m definitely going to try the pairing a sweet Bordeaux with one my favorite dishes – Jambalaya

My tasting notes on the wines follow:

• 2016 Chateau Manos Cadillac ($13): Light bodied and fresh, between off-dry and sweet with apricot, honey, and candied mandarin orange peel character. Medium finish.
•  2014 Château du Cros Loupiac ($12): Light bodied,  fresh and balanced with some appealing savory notes with a ripe apricot, pineapple, guava, mandarin orange confit character with a medium-long clean finish.
•  2016 Château Loupiac-Gaudiet ($17): Medium bodied, fresh and complex with a juicy peach, honey, mango and spice character with earthy and minty notes. Long finish.
•  2011 Chateau Dauphine Rondillon Loupiac ($28): Medium-bodied, and fruit forward with a honey, candied orange zest, pineapple character. Medium finish.
•  2015 Chateau la Rame Sainte Croix du Mont ($22): Full bodied, rich and layered with a ripe peach, honey, apricot character accented with minerality, and spice.  Long finish.
• 2015 Château Filhot Sauternes ($25): Full-bodied, and unctuous with vibrant acidity a apricot, mango, marzipan, and honey character with some appealing savory bits and a long finish.
• 2016 Chateau Lapinesse Bordeaux Sauternes ($20): Full-bodied, rich, decadent, more of a meditative wine for me, with a peach cobbler, honey, apricot, candied lemon peel and floral character with a long finish.
• 2006 Castelnau de Suduiraut Sauternes ($90): The age of this one shows with a deep gold approaching amber color.  It’s full-bodied, viscous and aromatic with vibrant acidity.  It has a deftly balanced sweet and savory apricot, caramel, mandarin orange zest, and subtle spice character with a long finish

Takeways

• The sweet wines of Bordeaux offer wonderful pairing opportunities beyond cheese and dessert.
• My experience with the sweet wine of Bordeaux has primarily been with fuller-bodied more unctuous style. But the wines are diverse.  Some were lighter and fresher.  Some offered an intriguing savory/sweet character with notes of mushrooms, earth, or dried herbs for example.  Additionally, the presence of botrytis varied.. some had little or no botrytis, and other had much more.  The amount of botrytis affects the mouth both the mouthfeel and the aromas/flavors of these wines.
• About half the wines (all from 375ml bottles) were $20 or less and offer wonderful quality for the price.  I think that makes it easy to pick up a bottle or two and experiment.  These wines will keep well because the sugar and acid in the wines act as a preservative.  Refrigerate after opening and they should be fine for two or three weeks.
• While Sauternes and Barsac are the most prestigious of the sweet Bordeaux wines, there’s value and diversity in the character of the wines from the lesser known appellations such as  Cadillac, Loupiac and Sainte-Croix-du-Mont

I highly recommend you try pairing the sweet Bordeaux wines with something other than foie gras and salty cheeses.  While both of those are great pairings, the sweet wines of Bordeaux offer many more possibilities at the table (or even in a cocktail) especially with spicier fare or foods that include tropical flavors. 

I’m already contemplating a 3 or 4 course dinner featuring the sweet wines of Bordeaux.

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