Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food

Consistency

Winery: Château Mont-Redon
Cuvée: Côtes du Rhône Réserve
Appellation: Côtes du Rhône
Type: Red
Vintage: 2023
Grape Varieties: 75% Grenache, 25% Syrah (also saw 80%/20%)
Alcohol: 14.5%
Average Retail Price: U.S. $14.00-$20.00

When a winemaker 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. You can get the recipe on Cocoa & Lavender. It was an excellent pairing, I’m happy to report.

The wine is a very dark, ruby red, with nose of red and dark fruits. I opened the bottle about an hour before serving and, at first taste, the dark fruits were evident — blackberry, black cherry, and plum. Additionally, there were notes of leather and dark chocolate.

The wine has a very smooth mouth feel, and is extremely well balanced with soft tannins and a long finish of tart black cherry. I can’t imagine finding a nicer wine in this price range.

Serving it with grilled lamb was a perfect consideration, though any grilled meats or poultry would work beautifully. I can also imagine it would pair well with pasta al ragù and meat stews. And, since it’s summer, a glass of this wine with a perfectly cooked hamburger would be heaven.