Wine Classification

October 3, 2026 4

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Oops! I Did It Again

Like Britney Spears, I did it again — but, unlike her, I wasn’t playing with anyone’s heart. What I did do, however, was select the wrong wine for the right dish. Longtime readers of the Provence WineZine know this isn’t my first offense. A week ago, we were all enjoying a sip of Mas de Cadenet white wine before intending to have it with my Moroccan Couscous With Seven Vegetables (the recipe is on Cocoa & Lavender). I decided to take my glass to the kitchen for a little taste test of the broth with the wine. Oops! Big oops! It was one of the worst pairings I have ever considered. Quickly, I switched gears; I conferred with Susan and Towny, then sent Towny to the wine cellar. He came back with an excellent pairing: a red from Château les Eydins, their K à Part... [...]

September 5, 2026 4

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Beauty and the Beast

Beauty? She’s a truly lovely rosé robed in pink silk seeking her prince. The Beast? He’s barbecued ribs, not at all concerned with his gruffness and smoky finish. But together they make a beautiful pair — have you not read the fairy tale or at least seen the Disney movie? Happy endings are what it’s all about. Today’s story is more like the Goldie Hawn/Kurt Russell story Overboard where the super rich, beautiful woman falls in love with the rugged-yet-handsome handyman. Still a very happy ending.

Enter (again) Château La Tour de L’Evêque. I have written about their wines several times on the Provence WineZine: La Source Gabriel, Pétale de Rose (both rosé wines), and Rouge Cuvée Classique. Each has been particularly good and now I found a cuvée locally — another rosé — that I hadn’t tried. And, as suggested, I paired the wine... [...]

July 31, 2026 4

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Unconventional

Convention and considerable knowledge tell us that there are certain foods that do not pair well with wine. I’m not talking about the debunked “no white wine with beef, or red wine with fish” myths. I’m talking about “difficult” food items, mostly in the vegetable arena: artichokes, broccoli, fennel, pickles, chiles, cilantro ... [...]

June 5, 2026 5

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Consistency

When a wine comes from the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region, my question usually isn’t if I will like it, but how much I will like it. Today’s wine is a case of “I liked it very much.” I am pretty consistent in my love of wines from this region.

I had the bottle of wine before I knew what I was making, but it seemed that grilled lamb would be good, so I created a recipe for Lamb and Shiitake Skewers which are perfumed with bay leaves and served over a farro-vegetable salad... [...]

April 25, 2026 4

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Her Colors Are Pink and Pink

In Steel Magnolias, the ladies in the beauty shop were asking Shelby (Julia Roberts) what her wedding colors would be “Blush and Bashful,” was her response, to which her mother (Sally Field) retorted, “Her colors are pink and pink.” And, today, we have another case of “pink and pink” — pink shrimp and pink wine. I paired a beautiful rosé ... [...]

Bottle of Hospice de Beaune wine next to a plate of Oeufs en Meurette

April 3, 2026 5

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Throw Me a Beaune

What to you do when confronted with an exquisite bottle of wine for pairing with food? Do you go as fancy as you can? That is usually my thought. However, Susan and Towny had another idea; go with a simple, peasant dish. And that is what we did on Christmas Eve. Towny and I pulled together a recipe (from looking at several videos online) for Œufs en Meurette or, simply, Eggs in Meurette Sauce. For the recipe... [...]

A bottle of Chateau Barbebelle Hortense pictured next to a photo of the Roasted Salmon with Meyer Lemon-Thyme Beurre Blanc dish

March 7, 2026 5

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
A Birthday Gift

What a birthday gift for Hortense! Her parents, Château Barbebelle winemaker Madeleine Premmereur and her husband Valentin, named their new Blanc de Noirs cuvée for their daughter when she was born. Hortense is the first of the 5th generation at Château Barbebelle. Such a shame she isn’t old enough to enjoy this wine... [...]

Photo of Mas de Cadenet wine and a plate of Braised Pork Ragoût

February 6, 2026 7

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
A Grand Vin

How can it possibly be February and I’m just now writing about the wine we enjoyed for Christmas? Today’s winery is a favorite of Susan & Towny, and it’s easy to see why when you taste their products. We paired this Grande Garde Rouge with a very simple Braised Pork Ragoût, which had been cooking all afternoon, tempting our taste buds every time we turned the corner. We could hardly wait to pop the cork on this wine and get to the table. You can get the recipe, as always, on... [...]

December 6, 2025 7

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Taking Chances

Several years ago, at Susan’s suggestion, I started getting Garagiste’s emails and offers. I have found many great wines through their website and I enjoy the process of buying a couple of bottles here, a couple there, and then getting my shipments when the weather is cool enough so as not to damage the wine. It’s like Christmas when the cases arrive — dozens of wonderful surprises and, for the most part, many winemakers with which I was unfamiliar. Sure, I know what wines I generally like but... [...]

November 1, 2025 5

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
The Other Châteauneuf

Just north of Avignon and its famous “pont,” is the viniculturally famous town of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. To the east of Avignon is a much less famous town — though not necessarily less important: Châteauneuf-de-Gadagne. And it is from this “other” Châteauneuf that the grapes for today’s wine come. Wine merchant Kermit Lynch works with growers and producers in the region to bring us some of the best wines showcasing the terroir of the Southern Rhône. While the grapes for the wine come from ... [...]

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