Red Wine

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... [...]

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... [...]

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... [...]

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 ... [...]

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. [...]

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... [...]

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... [...]

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