I hope you enjoyed the dramatic (and definitive) finale of Stage 6. It may have ushered in a new era of dominance for UAE Team Emirates XRG and its superstar rider, Tadej Pogacar. The drama started on the steepest part of the climb up the Col du Tourmalet, one of the most iconic mountains in Tour de France history.

Check it out:

Friday’s race should be less death-defying (at least for the climbers) but it will pit the fast men against one another as they vie for top honors at the finish. There aren’t many pure sprint stages in this year’s Tour, so it will be a tense, frantic day.

Wine Recommendation: Pairing Golden Bordeaux with Savory Dishes

In 2020, I submitted an article to the Millesima Blog Awards in the category of food and wine pairing. My topic was an experiment I conducted in which I paired traditional sweet Bordeaux wines with savory foods. It turned out pretty well! I won my category and was invited to attend En Primeur week 2022 (thanks to COVID, the awards were presented a little late.) I and three other wine writers were treated to a week of chateau visits, a cocktail party at Chateau d’Yquem, among other fabulous experiences.

I’ll never forget that week.

Friday, the peloton will pedal right through the region that inspired my post, so I’ve decided to republish the pairings in hopes of inspiring others to look at sweet wines in a new way.

Pairing #1: 2011 Château Dauphiné Rondillon Loupiac with Savory Pumpkin and Smoked Bacon Tart

Fellow blogger April from Wine Travel Eats originally posted this recipe and I knew it would make a fabulous pairing with Golden Bordeaux. I treated my husband to a delicious brunch one Sunday, and he swooned over the tart and even enjoyed the wine (even though it’s not really his thing.) As for me, I went hog-wild over the pairing: smoky, salty, earthy flavors in the tart found their mates in the Loupiac. And the wine had plenty of acidity, helping to cut the richness of the dish.

Pairing #2: 2016 Château Manos Cadillac with Pizza Affumicata

This pairing came about on a busy weeknight when both Gabe and I were starving but were short on time and ingredients. So we did what hungry people everywhere do: we ordered pizza. Our choice? The Pizza Affumicata from our favorite local joint: a white pie layered with mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, scamorza, and pancetta, topped with a sprinkling of arugula (that last bit was our addition.) Smoky and creamy with a punch of tangy sweetness from the tomatoes, and a little spice from the arugula. It made a bang-up match with the Château Manos, which brought crisp fruit and a backbone of acidity.

This was a pairing with much potential: just imagine all the toppings and possible combinations! I especially like the idea of a white pie with Golden Bordeaux; something about the interplay of the cheese with the tart-sweet wine is really appealing.

Pairing #3: 2014 Château du Cros Loupiac with Chicken and Duck Fat-Roasted Potatoes

Once I warmed to the idea of pairing Golden Bordeaux with savory dishes, I looked for more opportunities to put them together on my table. I love to make roast chicken for Sunday supper and thought it would be great with the Château du Cros. I was not wrong!

It was a simple meal consisting of a spatchcocked chicken roasted with herbs and garlic, and a skillet of diced potatoes roasted in duck fat from the freezer. Wow! The pairing is one I will definitely make again: the potatoes brought out a floral note in the wine I hadn’t noticed before (that duck fat!) and the crisp chicken skin acted as the perfect foil to the wine. A new Sunday dinner tradition has been established.

Pairing #4: 2016 Château Lapinesse Sauternes and Roast Sunchokes with Pistachio Yogurt and Mint Oil

I first tasted this dish at Vic’s in New York City and loved it so much that I reverse-engineered it at home a few weeks later. It brings together earthy, sweet sunchokes with pistachio yogurt and mint oil. Sounds like a far-out blend of ingredients at first, but they all work together. It’s one of my favorite restaurant dishes. Ever.

My homemade version stayed pretty true to the original, as best as I can tell, and it was a hit with the Chateau Lapinesse. The zesty orange notes in the wine contrasted with the nutty, herbal notes of the dish and complemented the caramel-sweetness of the sunchokes.

Pairing #5: 2006 Castelnau de Suduiraut Sauternes with Slow-Roasted Porchetta

As you might have guessed, when the weather turns chilly, I start roasting things! Just before Thanksgiving, New York City received its first dusting of snow; a perfect time to prep and cook Porchetta – combination of crispy, crackly pork fat on top and fork-tender, juicy meat on the inside. My pairing was a variation on a theme: rich, flavorful protein meets tangy, slightly-sweet wine. I, for one, will explore this theme throughout the winter. The juxtaposition of slow-roasted pork, chicken, or lamb with succulent sweet Bordeaux is too much to resist!

Have You Been Inspired?

My first takeaway from this experiment was to look at familiar things (wine, books, people) with a fresh perspective. Just because something or someone has historically fit into one category doesn’t mean they can’t easily flow into another. Sounds trite, I know, but in the wine world we often typecast bottles into tried-and-true tasting experiences.

The second realization was more specific to these wines and the dishes with which I paired them. Golden Bordeaux, with its rich fruity texture and tangy acidity can stand up to almost any dish. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be inspired to add a touch of glamour to your next feast with a few drops of Golden Bordeaux.

Enjoy Stage 7; see you again tomorrow for a preview of Stage 8 and to recommend a wine to match.