Appetizers, entrées and yes, dessert please, with sweet Bordeaux (#Winophiles)

Who doesn’t need a little sweetness in their lives right now? We all do!

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been saying “heck, yeah” to sweetness while opening four gorgeous bottles of sweet Bordeaux and pairing up a storm – everything from appetizers to entrées and yes, dessert. Because when drinking sweet, there’s a world of possibility!

The French Winophiles are delving into sweet Bordeaux wines for this month’s #Winophiles Twitter chat. Hope you can join the fun Saturday 11/21, starting at 8 am PT/11 am ET. Simply follow the hashtag.

Some 20 bloggers are offering reactions and pairing ideas. Be sure to check out the links at the bottom of this post. Many of us were lucky enough to receive samples, thanks to Jeff at foodwineclick. Please note that while the wines for this post were provided, opinions are my own.

For background on the region and its two styles of sweet wine – with and without Botrytis, the fungus (pictured above) that shrivels grapes and concentrates their sweetness – please read my preview post.

Why sweetness counts

Do you tend to binge on Oreo cookies? We’re predisposed from birth to prefer sweet foods. Human breast milk contains lactose, a sugar.

Our bodies break down sugar into glucose and fructose. Scientists say fructose appears to activate processes that make humans hold on to fat, an evolutionary adaptation that was especially important during periods of food scarcity.

Nowadays most authorities agree on five taste sensations: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami (savoriness). But despite what some of us learned in school (remember that old map of the tongue?), it’s not actually true that certain areas are responsible for certain tastes. In some people, taste receptors are more concentrated in certain areas, but all of them are found everywhere on the tongue.

Of course, as wine aficionados know, taste receptors alone don’t produce tastes; they have to be connected to taste centers in the brain. Only a small part of our experience of food and wine comes from our taste buds. When we chew, swallow, and exhale, volatile molecules are forced up behind our palate and into our nasal cavity from the back. The brain combines this retronasal smell with taste, creating what we call flavor.

Sources: Australian Academy of Science, Business Insider, National Geographic Magazine.

Perception is everything

So what about wine and food together? Generally, food has more impact on the way a wine will taste than the other way around, according to the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.

Sweetness, chili heat, and umami in food increase the perception of bitterness, astringency, acidity, and alcohol heat, and decrease the perception of body, sweetness, and fruitiness in the wine.

Solutions?

• Pair dishes high in sugar (i.e., dessert) with a wine that has at least as much sugar.
• Pair dishes high in umami with wines that are more fruity than tannic.
• Pair foods high in chili heat with white wines or low-tannin reds, both with low alcohol, or with fruity or sweet wines.

Let’s dig into the wines

2018 Château La Hargue Moelleux Bordeaux AOC
Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, Sémillon

Acquired in 1954 by Henri Ducourt, this 64-acre, Entre-Deux-Mers property benefits from proximity to running water and good sun exposure. Diurnal temperature shifts between hot days and cool nights intensifies flavor.

Planted with only white varietals on loamy soils. Grapes are machine harvested, fermented at low temperatures, and aged in stainless steel.

My tasting notes: Pale gold in color. Peach, nectarine, apple, and a hint of freshly mowed grass on the nose. Grapefruit, pineapple, lemon curd, and a dusting of toasted almonds on an off-dry palate. Medium acidity. Medium+ finish. Delicate, balanced, and refreshing. Alcohol: 11%. Price: $15. Excellent value for price.

Suggested pairing: This delicate, balanced, and refreshing wine was beautiful with Pad Thai. But the pairing that truly won us over was this savory winter vegetable cobbler with cheesy biscuits and a hint of hot pepper. (Thank you, Martin at ENOFYLZ, for sharing this recipe.)

2014 Château du Cros Loupiac AOC
90% Sémillon, 5% Sauvignon, 5% Muscadelle

The Boyer family’s 116-acre Château du Cros vineyard lies in Loupiac, a sweet white wine appellation covering wines made on the northern bank of the Garonne River, about 25 miles south of Bordeaux. This is the heartland of Bordeaux’s sweet white wine production area. Vineyards are located between Cadillac and Sainte-Croix-du-Mont, and just across the river from Sauternes and Barsac.

The clay-limestone soil rests on an entirely limestone subsoil. Average age of the vines is 60 years. Grapes are manually harvested with five successive sortings. After slow and gradual pressing, the juices ferment separately in small vats. Barrel aging lasts a year (1/3 of the barrels are reused).

My tasting notes: Amber in color. Nose is a perfumy blend of toffee and overripe peach. The palate is structured (having tannins), slightly pungent, and reminiscent of lemon-honey cough drops. Medium+ acidity. Medium+ finish. Alcohol: 13%. Price: $30.

Suggested pairings: These moist turkey meatballs have a secret ingredient: chopped mushrooms. I added the cooked meatballs to spicy marinara sauce and served on hamburger buns. Quite tasty with the Château du Cros. Here’s what surprised me: Though sour cream isn’t my favorite food, this super easy spicy green onion dip, courtesy of David at Cooking Chat, and this zingy, statement-making wine were perfect together.

2015 Cuvée d’Or du Château Dauphiné-Rondillon Loupiac AOC
80% Sémillon, 20% Sauvignon Blanc

The producer considers this late-harvest wine its best. Made from the oldest vines, planted in 1910, from their approximately 10-acre château, this is a concentrated wine with intense Botrytis.

Soils are clay and gravel. Grapes are hand-picked in successive harvests and gently pressed. The juice is racked into barrels where fermentation is completed and stopped naturally. The wine is aged one year in one-year-old barrels. After the wine is matured, the different barrels are blended together, and the wine is filtered.

My tasting notes: Light gold in color. Heady aromas of honey, honeysuckle, and dried fruit, followed by a lemon-lime freshness on the palate. Medium+ acidity. Long finish. Balanced, mouthcoating and warm. Alcohol: 13%. Price: $42.

Suggested pairing: Socca flatbread with thinly sliced, carmelized red onions, feta (or goat) cheese, and wilted spinach. Salty, tangy cheese complements the honeyed sweetness of these wines. You’ll find directions for making Socca on the package of Bob’s Red Mill chickpea flour. Flavor your flatbread however you wish – I used thyme and rosemary. Be sure to drain the spinach after sautéing. After adding your toppings, return the flatbread to the oven for 5 minutes.

Château La Rame Sainte Croix du Mont AOC
95% Sémillon, 5% Sauvignon Blanc

Château La Rame is one of the oldest properties in the Sainte Croix du Mont appellation. Situated on a hill overlooking the Garonne River, the estate was lauded in the past for its outstanding wine (winning gold medals at exhibitions in Bordeaux in 1895 and in Paris in 1900). The property was purchased by Claude Armand, father of the current owner, Yves Armand, at a time when the appellation had fallen out of favor. The Armand family is working to re-establish the reputation of Sainte Croix du Mont as an equal to the Sauternes and Barsac estates directly across the river.

The 20-acre Château La Rame vineyard is covered in clay-limestone soil and fossilized-oyster subsoil. Vines are an average of 50 years old. Grapes are harvested in successive passes, when they have a high degree of Botrytis. The undamaged grape is brought (without crushing) to the press, two hours after harvest at the latest. After slow pressing and settling, the must ferments for 2-3 weeks at a low temperature. Aged 70% in stainless steel and 30% in oak barrels (1/3 new) for two years. The wine is not fined and only lightly filtered before bottling.

My tasting notes: Gold in color. Dried apricot, honey, and honeysuckle dominate the nose with faint aromas of slivered almonds and anise. On the palate, I get lemon and a hint of grapefruit. Medium+ acid. Long finish. Light, buttery, and delicious. Alcohol: 13%. Price: $35.

Suggested pairings: I went with chicken/cheddar cheese quesadillas and salsa this time around. For dessert, I served dark chocolate squares and broke open a bag of Milano cookies. Savory? Spicy? Sweet? Yes, yes, and yes.

As promised, here’s the full list of posts and pairings:

• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla: “Surprise! Pairing Spicy and Savory Dishes with Sweet Bordeaux”
• Terri at Our Good Life: “Spicy Hot Tacos and Sweet Bordeaux”
• Martin at ENOFYLZ: “Pairing Golden Bordeaux with Southern Fare”
• Lauren at The Swirling Dervish: “Golden Bordeaux Meets Savory Pumpkin and Smoked Bacon Tart: a Delicious Thanksgiving Twist!”
• David at Cooking Chat: “Pairings for Sweet Bordeaux Wine”
• Katrina at The Corkscrew Concierge: “Golden Bordeaux Delights in Louisiana’s Cajun and Creole Cuisine”
• Payal at Keep the Peas: “Four Sweet Bordeaux Wines with Four Courses”
• Jane at Always Ravenous: “Golden Sweet Bordeaux Wines: Tasting and Pairings”
• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm: “Hot Chocolate and Halva Pudding paired with Lion De Tanesse L’Amour”
• Jeff at foodwineclick: “Sweet Bordeaux Meets the Smoke”
• Jill at L’OCCASION: “Sweet Bordeaux Wines Aren’t Just for Dessert”
• Lynn at Savor the Harvest: “Sweet Bordeaux Wines Get Savory Pairings”
• Rupal at Syrah Queen: “Sweet Bordeaux Is A Sweet Delight – Savor These Perfect Food Pairings”
• Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles: “Sweet Bordeaux Wines and pairings from opposite sides of the globe”
• Pinny at Chinese Food & Wine Pairings: “Sweet Bordeaux Paired with Asian Carbs – Chinese Sticky Rice and Korean Japchae”
• Susannah at avvinare: “Delightful Sweet Wines from Bordeaux”
• Nicole at Somm’s Table: “Château Loupiac Gaudiet with Cinnamon Apple Crème Brûlée”
• Gwendolyn at wine predator: “Successful Pairings of Salty and Savory with Sweet Semi-Dry Bordeaux”
• Jennifer at Vino Travels: “A Look into the Sweeter Side of Bordeaux Wines”
• Payal at Keep the Peas: Four Sweet Bordeaux Wines with Four Courses
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass: “Appetizer, entrées and yes, dessert please, with sweet Bordeaux”