Home to escargot, mustard, along with a number of savory meat dishes, Burgundy is widely considered France’s food and wine mecca. The region’s rich cuisine and insanely detailed wine culture (Burgundy is credited for essentially creating the perception of terroir) make it a good place to get started on in relation to consuming meals your way through France. Firstly, dive into Burgundy’s namesake dish, boeuf bourguignon, which is actually a tender meat and vegetable stew. Once deemed a peasant’s meal, boeuf bourguignon now finds itself on a number of the country’s best menus, including those at Michelin-starred restaurants. Serve alongside a local glass of pinot noir, the region’s signature wine grape, for an outside of body French eating experience.
Look for wines from: Alex Gambal and Simon Bize
Alsace: choucroute with gewurztraminer
Located for the border with Germany, along with a medical history of occasionally being a member of Germany, Alsace makes German-influenced cuisine which is unique of all of France’s food. The region’s most desired dish, choucroute (French for sauerkraut), can be purchased in a number of preparations. Many of the most popular include using sausage, smoked meats, or bacon, put together with potatoes and fermented cabbage. Despite cabbage being generally tricky to pair with wine, sipping a glass of local gewurztraminer (gewurz means spicy in German) helps make for any solid pairing. The wine’s floral, lychee-driven aroma along with sweet spice perfectly balances the tanginess from the dish.
Look for wines from: Pierre Sparr and Hugel
Savoy: fondue with jacquère or mondeuse
It’s hard not love fondue using its rich, gooey cheese. This Alpine-inspired dish may be a cold weather favorite for residents around France, especially right after a day\’s snow-filled activities in Savoy, and that is close to the Swiss border. Traditionally, fondue in Savoy is ready which has a mix off Beaufort, Emmental, and/or Comté cheeses, white wine, and garlic. That’s all blended together and served which has a selection of crackers, bread, meats, and veggies. A dish this heavy could use a wine by acidity, so pair which has a bottle of jacquere or altesse, which balances your richness of the cheese. For dark wine lovers, check out your local bottle of mondeuse, an indigenous, high-acid red variety.
Look for wines from: Ann & Jean-Francois Ganevat, Trimbach, and Ruhlmann-Schutz
Provence: bouillabaisse with rosé
Nothing says Provence as well as the south of France as being a savory fish dish paired with mouthwatering rosé. Bouillabaisse can be a traditional Provencal fish stew made out of local Marseillais fish, tomatoes, celery, potatoes, and Provencal herbs, then served alongside slices of grilled bread. The final dish is both layered and sophisticated, requiring a flexible, food-friendly wine with bright acidity. The local bottle of Provencal rosé will the trick.
Look for wines from: Domaine Tempier and Domaine de Terrebrune
Occitanie: cassoulet by using a red blend
Occitanie is a region over the gulf of France that shares a border with Spain and also the Mediterranean. It encompasses the fact that was formerly referred to as Languedoc (the name changed in 2019 to Occitanie). Cassoulet is Languedoc’s gastronomical state they fame. This rustic, casserole-stew hybrid is usually manufactured from a variety of meats, including pork sausage, goose, and duck, then rich in white beans and spices. Traditionally, cassoulet is served in a round pot with slanted sides, and it’s mostly found within the cities of Toulouse and Carcassonne. For any warming winter pairing, offer your cassoulet that has a red blend in the Languedoc region, that is usually composed of grenache, syrah, and/or mourvedre grapes.
Look for wines from: Maxime Magnon, Le Bout du Monde, and Maison Ventenac
Brittany: crepes and melon de Bourgogne
Although the normal pairing for crepes is frequently beer or cider, serving up savory pancakes alongside a glass of local white is usually a thirst-quenching changeup. This coastal, Atlantic-influenced region makes wine from your melon de Bourgogne grape — though these bottles are typically called Muscadet — creating high-acid, saline-tinged wine that’s certain to satisfy, whatever which fillings you prefer as part of your crepes.
Look for wines from: Domaine de l’Ecu, Domaine de la Louvetrie, and Domaine en Pepiere
Gascony: duck confit and foie gras with merlot or sauvignon blanc
Duck confit and foie gras are two of Gascony’s most popular local delicacies. The former is manufactured out of your entire duck employing an ancient preserving technique that cures the meat and cooks it rolling around in its own fat. Foie gras, on the other hand, is prepared with the fattened liver of ducks or geese. Duck confit pairs perfectly with a local merlot-, cabernet-, or duras-based burghundy. Foie gras is outstanding with dessert wine, particularly a sauvignon blanc- or sémillon-based white wine from Sauternes as well as The west.
Look for wines from: Château Haut Lavigne, Chateau Massereau, and Château La Clotte-Cazalis (Sauternes)
