Wine Food Pairing

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 ... [...]

October 3, 2025 5

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
A Prize in Paraza

If you are going west on the Canal du Midi heading to Castelnaudary for some cassoulet (isn’teverybody?), make sure you stop along the way for a sip of wine at Château de Paraza. They off a variety of reds, whites, and rosés, and (from what I read online) the reviews are quite good. I would second those reviews for their 2024 Cuvée Spéciale rosé. [...]

August 1, 2025 5

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
C’est Si Bon!

«C’est si bon!» — French for, “It’s so good!” — is the perfect saying for this homophonous vineyard, Clos Cibonne. The wines they produce are quite wonderful, and today I was tempted by their cuvée, Tentations. (See what I did there?) I was looking for a rosé to pair with my Sweet Potato and Scallop Napoleons, and this particular wine seemed promising. You can get the recipe for the Napoleons on... [...]

July 4, 2025 8

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Allons Enfants!

While I am one day late for the 4th of July, we have a whole week to prepare for the Fête de la Bastille, which makes much more sense when writing about French wines, n’est-ce pas? Allons enfants! Let’s celebrate!

For the recipe this month, I combined a modern American recipe for “beer can chicken” with some very nice French ingredients, also making it a perfect Bastille Day meal. Please check out my recipe for Champagne Roast Chicken on Cocoa & Lavender. I paired it with a Famille Perrin... [...]

June 6, 2025 5

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Seeking Simplicity

I make a lot of complicated food; I enjoy the challenge. However, every once in a while, I need to kick back and make something simple. And that is just what I did this week — seared Elk Medallions with Sautéed Mushrooms. Admittedly, I complicated it a bit by adding a red wine sauce. Did I have a choice? In the words of Nathan Lane... [...]

May 3, 2025 5

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
The Blue Oak

I picked up a bottle of Chêne Bleu Aliot recently. I have known about the experience of Chêne Bleu Winery — the wine, the food, the hospitality — for a long time but have never had the opportunity to take part. At least until now. While I am not sitting beneath their eponymous blue oak, I can happily imagine it. I called Towny, my culinary copain, to ask his thoughts on a pairing for this wine. The two of us went right to... [...]

April 4, 2025 8

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
Never Have I Ever

I did something new and different this month. I actually followed someone else’s recipe to the “T.” Crazy, right? It is Pork Belly, Radicchio & Hazelnuts from Polpo by Russell Norman. You can find the recipe on Cocoa & Lavender. I could tell just from looking at the recipe that the dish would be fantastic, so I went out seeking a nice red wine that would pair well with this simple yet flavor-filled and unctuous... [...]

February 28, 2025 7

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
The Weight of Wine

For something new and different, Susan and I tasted this month’s wine together online from across the country (check out our tasting video HERE), and then I made a plan for the menu. It was a really fun way to do this and we hope to do it more in the future.

The menu ended up being for a recipe I have been working on for a while, and I think I finally got it right for this pairing. (See more below.) Lamb Steaks with Olive Sauce... [...]

February 1, 2025 5

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food A Well-Traveled Tavel

Today’s pairing was a bit tricky. At first glance, my Duck Teriyaki recipe looks like an easy shot. Many rosés pair perfectly with Asian cuisine and that is what I thought, too. But when you examine the teriyaki glaze I created, you will see three different Asian wines in the mix (sake, mirin, and xiaoxing) and, to me, that tends to wreak havoc on a wine... [...]

January 4, 2025 5

Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food
A Decade of Wining and Dining

Today is the celebration of 10 years of monthly wine and food pairings I have written for the Provence WineZine. I do hope you have enjoyed this journey and I invite you to reach out if you have any requests for future posts.

When I created these pairings over the past decade, I did my best to give you choices that worked. I used my knowledge of wine to create a meal that would pair well. [...]

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