gastronomy of Southwest France: food & wine pairing

GRAND MAYNE - Gastronomy of the Southwest France: food & wine pairing

Terroir of the Southwest

Foie gras, wines, duck confit, exquisite cheeses: an ideal destination for epicureans!

The region of France, Southwest, is famous for its gastronomy and its wines. Fertile soils, generous climate and a land filled with traditions makes the Southwest of France an ideal destination for both foodies and wine lovers. With a rich heritage (Romans brought vines to the region 2000 years ago), and with Bordeaux as a main port for wine trade, the region soon exported its culinary identity. Home of the world’s greatest wines, the gastronomy became soon equally famous: healthy and gourmet products to ideally pair with the wines.

Confit, foie gras, the King of the Southwest: the duck

Duck is omnipresent in the culinary traditions of the Southwest of France. Some of the most famous French dishes with duck are from the Southwest: foie gras (fattened duck livers), duck confit (preserved duck leg in duck fat), duck magret (duck breast) and gizzards (in French “gésiers”, found in the salad “landaise”).

Let’s see how to pair these duck dishes from the Southwest with our wines:

Foie gras

Although famously enjoyed with sweet wines from Bordeaux region like Sauternes, foie gras can be ideally paired with our Reserve Sauvignon Blanc: a gastronomical wine yet fresh with scents of wooded vanilla will be a perfect pair with a foie gras with pistachio, walnuts and a hint of coarse salt over a roasted slice of bread.

Duck confit

A warm, generous meal, the duck confit will be ideally paired with a Reserve Merlot Cabernet: the black cherry tasting notes of the cabernet will fit perfectly over the generosity of this dish. We recommend sautéed potatoes with parsley, garlic and duck fat to go with: it is divine!

Salade Landaise

Salade Landaise is a Southwest dish combining hot and cold: a bed of fresh mixed salad with dried duck magret, duck foie gras and duck gizzards. This Southwest dish is extremely popular in the summer and will be best paired with a Fruity Cabernet Merlot: the fruitiness combined with a hint of spice within the matured red fruit flavors assures a perfect fit for this fresh yet gourmet salad.

A treasure from the Basque region in the Southwest: Bayonne Ham – Jambon de Bayonne

Bayonne ham is from the Basque region of the Southwest of France. This gastronomical delicacy is made from dried pork ham cured to perfection for at least seven months. Eaten as an aperitif, a starter or with fresh melon, Bayonne ham will be ideally paired with our Fruity Rosé for a lunch on a hot summer day: the fruitiness and citrusy aromas will blend deliciously with the ham and melon.

GRAND MAYNE - Gastronomy of the Southwest France: food & wine pairing
GRAND MAYNE - Gastronomy of the Southwest France: food & wine pairing
GRAND MAYNE - Gastronomy of the Southwest France: food & wine pairing

Cheeses of the Southwest of France: Roquefort & Istara Ossau-Iraty

Roquefort cheese

Southwest France most famous cheese, Roquefort is a blue cheese made from raw sheep’s milk. Creamy and full of character, Roquefort fits perfectly with a sweet wine like Monbazillac, Loupiac or Sauternes. For a blue cheese and walnut salad, we would recommend our Reserve Sauvignon Blanc: the spiced notes and the vanilla scent will be a great combination for this healthy traditional salad!

Istara Ossau-Iraty

Made in the northern Basque region of Southwest France, Istara Ossau-Iraty is an exceptional sheep’smilk cheese aged for at least six months. With a semi-firm body and a harder outter layer, this Southwest cheese offers sweet and nutty flavors when tasted. Many enjoy this cheese with a full-bodied red wine but we would recommend to try it with our Fruity Sauvignon blanc: the crisp, fresh finish with hints of citrus will perfectly reveal the sweetness of this cheese. Fantastic pairing for an aperitif!

 

Come and stay at Domaine du Grand Mayne and start your culinary journey in the Southwest of France!

Book a tasting at Domaine du Grand Mayne and we will happily recommend the best restaurants from our partners in the region!

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