Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food Take Two
by David Scott Allen
Winery: Maison Saint Aix
Cuvée: AIX
Appellation: Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence
Type: Rosé
Vintage: 2022
Grape Varieties: 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 20% Cinsault
Alcohol: 13%
Average Retail Price: U.S. $17.00-$20.00
In the film world, you often need at least two takes to get a scene right. It is similar with food and wine pairing. This is my second go at pairing my Fish Tacos with rosé.
Take One. The wine I chose for the pairing just didn’t work for my palate. There was no synergy between the wine and food, and the wine almost tasted sour.
Take Two. This wine worked much better and was quite good; the blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Cinsault played nicely off the spices in the tacos. I would love to try them with a Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre blend, too. The Fish Tacos are outstanding (he avers immodestly), and I hope you will try them; the recipe is on Cocoa & Lavender.
AIX, a wine from the Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence region, is a beautiful, strong salmon pink in color, which goes nicely with the strong graphic design of the label. When I saw it in the store, I immediately gravitated to it over the other rosés; in this world of trying to avoid labeling, I still find wine labels matter.
When opened and poured, there was a rich, fruity essence on the nose — strawberry, raspberry, apricot, and grapefruit. It is a medium bodied wine, with a round and creamy mouthfeel that continues on the finish. Flavors of strawberry, peach, and grapefruit dominate, with some underlying floral notes of apple blossom.
You needn’t think of AIX only when pairing your meal. It is a wonderfully drinkable wine on its own — perfect for apéro. Aside from spice-forward foods, like my tacos and Asian cuisines, it pairs well with fish and seafood, grilled chicken and pork, grilled veggies, salads, and nuts. In fact, we had it with a nut and seed-based hummus and it was an excellent match.
I definitely recommend this wine, especially for its price point. From what I can see, it is readily available in the United States.
All I have on hand is a Lafage Miraflores but I plan to try it tonight with your fish tacos. I will look for AIX in DC.
Lisa — that could be an excellent pairing. I’ll be very curious to know what you think — both about the tacos and the wine pairing!