A Taste of Provence

I’m probably the last person on the planet to see the movie “Bottle Shock” but I finally saw it last night and it’s worth the time investment. There are lovely scenes of ripe grapes hanging heavy on the vines in Napa Valley. There are attractive young people whose hormones are fueled by drugs and wine, and also by, um, hormones. Alan Rickman gets to play a snobby wine shop owner – at which he excels, I might add. But the best part (spoiler alert!) is at the end when the French do a blind tasting contest of French wines and California wines. Guess which wine wins. That’s right, California. And the wine that took first place is (second spoiler alert!) a Chardonnay. Hey, it was the 70s!

So it seems like more than a small co-inky-dink that I attended the monthly Seattle Wine Society meeting last Wednesday and the wines that evening were from Provence, a wine region in the south of France. The French-American Chamber of Commerce collaborated with the Seattle Wine Society to celebrate the mutual interests of their members. That evening, we all came together to taste and learn about French wine. There was nary a “freedom fry” in sight, nor a Canadian flag lapel pin. Have we grown? Perhaps.

The first two wines we tasted were whites, paired with Provence herbs and goat cheese “candies.” These delightful little nibbles were not sweet nor were they candy. But, my God, they were so awesome I could’ve eaten my weight in these little goodies. Phyllo dough, brushed with egg white, wrapped around herbed goat cheese. Drool. Oh yeah, the wines. The first was a Viognier du Var, Domaine de Triennes. The color was nearly as pale as water, the nose had a sweet, floral aroma but it was dry and tasted like pear. The other white served was a Cassis, La Badiane, Terrior des Duex Soeurs. This one was very pale straw in color and smelled like Bees Wax. I’m not kidding. It was dry, very delicate and it was wonderful with the goat cheese “candies.”

The second wines were roses paired with orange and raisin cracked wheat taboule salad. The first rose was a Coteaux-d’Aix-en-Provence, Bargemone. It was a blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, and I believe Counoise. It was very light pink in color with a sweet, floral nose, and dry but the unripe strawberry flavor didn’t really make me want to go back for more. The second rose was a Bandol Rose, Domaine Sorin and I felt the better of the two. It was a blend of Mourvedre, Grenache, and Cinsault and it was a couple of shades darker pink in color. It had a heavier mouth feel and tasted more like ripe strawberries. I thought it was a better match for the taboule.

The next two wines were reds and were paired with the best black olive tapenade spread on crostini I’ve ever had (the chef gave away most of the ingredients in this as black and green olives, capers, anchovies, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice – he probably left something out to preserve his recipe). The first red was a Coteaux-d’Aix-en-Provence, Bargemone and was a blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Grenache. It had a beautiful, fragrant nose, medium purple in color, dry to the taste, and was a light-bodied red. The second red was a fuller-bodied, deep purple, dry wine made with Mourvedre, Grenache, and Cinsault. I liked it better with the olive tapenade than the first, lighter-bodied red.

The last two wines were reds paired with lamb meatballs with pine nuts and fresh mint and were my favorites of the evening since they were the tastiest and the most full-bodied of the evening. The first red was a Luberon, Chateau La Canorgue made of Syrah and Mourvedre. It was ruby colored and had that barnyard smell that turns some people off but makes me stand up and take notice. I love wines that have a funky natural aroma. But that’s just me. It was well balanced, the tannins matched the acid. The last wine of the evening was a Les Baux de Provence, Mas de Gourgonnier and was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere (I think), Old Vine Grenache (who knew?), and Mouvredre. It was a lovely ruby color and tasted, well, tasty. What can I say? It was the last wine of the evening and that’s when my note taking goes south, coinciding with my attention span.

So, in conclusion, if any of you are still reading this, I don’t speak or read French. I know that all of these wines were provided by Champion Cellars, http://www.championwinecellars.com/ in Seattle. The chef who delighted us all through the evening with his wonderful creations is a genius by the name of Eddy Ricco, a native of Cannes, France, and is the chef and owner of Provence Gourmet French Catering on Mercer Island. What’s he doing here when he could be frolicking in the south of France? I wondered the same thing.