When Tom and I traveled to Bordeaux, the region impressed us—blew us away, actually—with the sheer variety and quality of food and wine available. After sampling savory and sweet treats in the city’s fresh markets and spending a day at La Cité du Vin, we decided to wind up our stay in Bordeaux with a gourmet wine-pairing workshop, “French Excellence” from Olala Bordeaux.
We welcomed an opportunity to taste and pair fine Bordeaux wines, including classified growths and old vintages. The foods we would sample were not foods we eat regularly, adding a special touch to our already wonderful Bordeaux holiday. To our delight, the workshop would be a highlight of our trip.
The “French Excellence” workshop
Our hosts, Olala Bordeaux owner Claire and sommelier Anna, immediately put us at ease with their warm hospitality. They welcomed us to our gourmet wine-pairing workshop with glasses of sparkling wine, Crémant de Bordeaux rosé, from Château La Bastane in the Entre-Deux-Mers wine-growing region between the Garonne and Dordogne rivers.
Glass in hand, we took a spin across the map and reviewed the appellations and defining characteristics of Bordeaux’s principal wine regions. We had visited some of them during our stay and tasted wines from several others. Still, the complexity of Bordeaux appellations had remained bewildering. As we sipped the sparkling wine, Anna clarified this for us, guiding us through the intricacies of Bordeaux’s diverse wine regions. She emphasized the variations in climate and soil across the region, and the nuances of terroir.
We discussed the criteria for pairing food and wine, comparing what we already knew with the workshop’s aims. Anna stressed the importance of balancing aromas or textures and the challenges of contrasting the critical elements of food and wine, especially when it comes to umami flavors.
After enjoying the crémant, we were ready for the main event: four carefully curated pairings. While not as comprehensive as a full meal with pairings for each course, each taste in the workshop was designed to showcase the excellence of French culinary traditions.
A gourmet wine-pairing workshop
Sturia Caviar and Anthologie de Marjosse “Cuvée Hirondelle” 2019
The first pairing was Sturia Caviar and a full-bodied white wine produced in Bordeaux’s Entre-Deux-Mers region. The 100% Muscadelle monovarietal was sourced from old vines and produced in a limited quantity of just 3,000 bottles. The wine is from the private estate of Pierre Lurton, manager of Château Cheval Blanc and CEO of the legendary Château Yquem.
The wine’s acidity and iodized aromas matched well with the delicate and savory flavors of Sturia’s “Baerii Vintage” caviar and with the sturgeon toasts alongside. This first pairing came with a video introduction to Sturia’s sustainable and ecologically managed aquaculture program.
Foie Gras, Duck Magret, and Château Fonroque 2016
The second pairing featured artisanal foie gras and dried duck magret from a small producer in the Southwest of France. The distinctive character of the foie gras and the sweetness and tender texture of the duck paired well with the richness of the biodynamic wine, a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé. We were encouraged to save a bit of the foie gras for the next tasting, and try it with a different wine.
Dark Chocolate and Château Grand Puy Ducasse 2014
The third tasting paired three types of dark chocolate with a wine from Médoc’s 1855 classification. The Pauillac Grand Cru Classé was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot varietals from various soils. It brought an intense color and silky mouthful to the party, along with chocolate and tobacco notes and soft tannins.
The bean-to-bar organic chocolates from three different countries—Peru, Sao Tome, and Liberia—added variety. The chocolate bite from Peru was fruity with a hint of cinnamon. The taste from Sao Tome had a sweet-and-sour cast. The chocolate from Liberia was the most intense, woody, and smoky, its cocoa aroma also expressed in the wine.
Roquefort Blue Cheese and Château Romer du Hayot 2001
Our final pairing was Roquefort blue cheese and Sauternes, two delicacies made with the help of fungi: Penicillium roqueforti in the case of Roquefort and Botrytis cinerea, or noble rot, for the production of Sauternes. The Sauternes was another wine from the 1855 classification.
The intense, pungent flavors of the sheep-milk Roquefort from the Midi-Pyrénées balanced the sweet, honeyed notes of the Sauternes. The pairing created a perfect finale to the experience.
Workshop highlights
Everything we tasted in the workshop was top-tier and regional, from the caviar to several remarkable wines. We especially relished the “great vintage” Médoc from Château Fonroque and the final Sauternes from Château Romer du Hayot.
It was a pleasure to sample a range of high-quality foods from Southwest France, and to learn more about them. For example, the Charente Maritime region, famous for fine oysters and bouchot mussels, also produces caviar. We did not know about sturgeon farming in Nouvelle Acquitaine until the workshop.
Best of all, though, we had fun! Anna, our wine expert for the workshop, was knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Ours was the first offering of the “French Excellence” pairing workshop in English. Both she and Claire were happy to discuss all aspects of the pairings and products we sampled and answer our many questions.
Why Olala Bordeaux?
Bordeaux offers visitors multiple opportunities to taste the bounty of Southwest France and learn about its varied wines. Think farmers’ markets, La Cité du Vin, and visits to the region’s chateaux. Wine tastings are available around every corner, and some are pretty comprehensive.
However, we found our options to learn about pairing good food and good wine to be somewhat limited. As much as we love cheese and chocolate, we wanted to elevate our frame of reference. We also wanted to sample fine wines without breaking the bank. Our ninety minutes with Olala Bordeaux did just that.
