My friend was delighted that he alone had the clever idea to bring a white one. And he was even more delighted that his bottle was voted best in the tasting. But such are the vicissitudes of life. The wine he brought, by the way, is from La Bastide Saint Dominique, a blend of clairette, roussane and grenache blanc.
Now how does this fit in with my theory? It is simply this: that certain wine regions become associated with one particular type of wine to such an extent that others from the region get overlooked. Intriguing aromas, floral and spice—cardamon and vanilla—as well as a bit of lychee, beckon you to this citrusy, medium-bodied wine. I tried one not long ago with olive tapenade-crusted cod. This red grape variety, developed in Austria, is almost exclusive to the country there are some exceptions.
The fresh, crisp, and lively profile of this wine with a silky mouth-feel and lengthy finish won me over immediately. Ah, the Loire. The longest river in France can seem synonymous with great white wines to enjoy with seafood or whatever else pleases you.
But, hold on, what about one of my favorite grapes, cabernet franc? Aside from being delicious, they go well with a wide range of foods. Deep in color, robust, saturated with plenty of fruit to balance the tannins, this wine, we all agreed, was just what we loved to drink.
They all shared the characteristics of being woodsy, earthy, smoky and pungent—think shitake mushrooms—and were dry, dry, dry. A vintage from Domaine des Chesnaies showed this wine ages well, yet I can recommend more recent vintages from the same producer.
