The tannic wines of Madiran and Irouleguy - TonghamTaster’s French Wine Tasting Course – week 18

The 12 month on-line course to help you learn about French wines - Top tips on how to get value when buying them - Reasonably priced up-to-date recommendations of what to buy and  try in the UK - Bringing you the best of Tongham Village Hall wine tastings.

INTRODUCTION
This week we complete our discovery of the lovely wines of South West France with the tannic reds of Madiran, Irolueguy and other local appellations containing the Tannat grape varietal.

LOCALITY
From the same area as the white wines of Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh come the red wines of Madiran. They have been known for centuries because it was on the old pilgrims route to Santiago de Compostela in Gascony. Next to Madiran are the two VDQS appellations of St Mont and Tursan that produce relatively similar wines.
Right on the Spanish border, in the heart of Basque country not far from Biarritz, come the red wines of Irouleguy. A similar VDQS appellation slightly further into France is that of Bearn. .

VARIETALS
The grape that makes these wines distinctive is the Tannat varietal. As might be expected from the name, this grape produces quite a tannic wine. Due to these characteristics the wines are often softened by the use of other varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Fer.

THE WINES
If you are interested in the wines of France and like the distinctive food of South West France, the appellations of Madiran and Irouleguy are essential tasting.
The wines of Madiran are often very Tannat dominated and can age for many years. The older style of Madiran needs at least 5 to 10 years before drinking. However, there is now a softer modern style that can be drunk younger.
The wines of Irouleguy are instantly recognisable on the wine shelves due to the distinctive basque script and amazing amount of “X”s that you find in their names. Irouleguy is a small appellation in the Pyrenees and produces lighter reds than Madiran.

THE TASTE
These wines can be quite rustic but can often be mistaken for the left bank wines of Bordeaux. The tannins give these wines high levels of astringency. They are often big wines that require to be drunk with strong flavoured food.   Tastes may be of dark berries or plum.

TOP TIPS

• Look out for the wines of Madiran and Irouleguy. To me they represent good value, particularly when bought in France, and are also suitable for drinking with the local dishes.

HOMEWORK
For your homework this week you need to buy and try a Madiran or Irouleguy. You will find buying these wines quite difficult but not impossible in the UK It may include the following wine but I also highly recommend a trip to Les Caves de Pyrene near Guildford:
Waitrose – Château d'Aydie 2007, Madiran – about £13.

FOOD PAIRINGS
These distinctive tannic wines go well with the local cuisine such as Confit of duck, cassoulet and the local Pyrenean brebis cheeses. Try it also with lamb and game as these wines need powerful flavours.

COMING SOON
Next week we move on, eastwards, to the Rhone Valley and discover the great value wines of the Cotes du Rhone which has had great vintages recently in both 2007 and 2009. If you missed the early weeks of this course, it is not too late to catch up. Just click on the French Wine Course link at the top of this page.

Dining without Wining

For me drinking wine is about drinking wine over a nice dinner with friends or someone I love, Jane. Thus I have, over the years, come to associate wine with food and vice versa. In this way I am probably quite continental European, despite my English background. Matching food and wine for me is a fun experience and one where one can experiment and if the matching is not perfect, so what! It is certainly nothing to get stressed over.

Fine wine has always demanded fine food. It is difficult to imagine drinking a nice bottle of Pauillac without some perfectly cooked lamb or a good Barolo without some beautifully prepared Italian food. However, by fine food I mean the best quality and freshest ingredients. These ingredients also need to be well but very simply cooked. We want to taste the complexity in the wine and not have it masked by the complexity of the food.

With less fine wines one can have fun matching the wine with some less simple food. An example would be matching a sweet white wine with a spicy dish whether it be Icewine with Haggis or a Montbazillac with Tandoori chicken. Neither haggis nor tandoori chicken could be regarded as fine dining and I am not suggesting Grand Cru wines to accompany them either. With both my examples the wine is in effect almost the “sauce” for the dish in that it provides both a counterpoint of flavour and the moistness needed to help down the dish.

Fine dining today is increasingly about Chefs achieving amazing flavour and texture combinations on the plate. In many ways good food no longer needs wine. In England perhaps the traditional English food never needed wine; roast lamb was served with mint sauce and in many ways this acted liked a good Medoc in making the lamb more palatable. However, try lamb and mint sauce with a nice Pauillac and you are definitely going to ruin the wine. Nowadays, a powerful wine might actually ruin the good food.

Yesterday we visited the talented Mr Drake at the Clockhouse in Ripley. Steve is a great exponent of flavour and balance and is looking for ingredients that work well together on a plate. We had the lunchtime tasting menu and none of the dishes needed wine to appreciate them. That being said, and despite the fact that I am a wine lover, it was probably the best lunch I have ever experienced. Most wines would have altered the balance of his beautifully prepared dishes. The way to enjoy the food is to lose some of your inhibitions with a glass of champagne, Mailly Grand Cru Rose or Gosset Brut, in the well tended garden before you start and then to just have water throughout the meal. Certainly don’t go further than a glass of relatively simple clean Gruner Veltliner or Pinot Blanc. Steve’s food is magnificent and doesn’t need the help of wine. The great thing is you can drive home with no worries. His portion sizes are also spot on for lunchtime and you won’t be snoozing all afternoon. Nowadays, fine dining is possible without fine wines or in fact any wine at all.

Drake’s at the Clockhouse is in the High Street, Ripley, Surrey GU23 6AQ. Lunchtime tasting menu was £45 and we had an amouse bouche and six small courses. Coffee or tea was an extra £4 but came with some superb petits fours. Overall bill for two with service came to £150. Dress is casual and service is good; I know this is fine dining but I just wish they would lighten up a little. Highly recommended.