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Sweet wines with lively acidity are a treat with smoky, spicy, peppery meats!

French #Winophiles Celebrate Sweet Bordeaux at the Table
This month our French #Winophiles are collaborating with Sweet Bordeaux US, a group of wineries from a sub-region of Bordeaux who produce a variety of sweet wines. Our Winophiles will be exploring food pairings with these delicious wines – not just dessert! Scroll down to the bottom of this post for a list of links to all the great ideas from our bloggers and cooks!

The southern corner of the Bordeaux region has the climatic conditions perfect for botrytis infected (that’s a good thing!) sweet wines

What’s Sweet Bordeaux?
South of the city of Bordeaux, on the banks of the Garonne river, the conditions in the autumn are often right for “noble rot”, botrytis cinerea. Fog and mist overnight burns off into sunny afternoons creating the conditions for noble rot to shrivel grapes, concentrating their sugars and introducing citrus aromas and flavors. Sauternes is the the community most famous for these wines, but they are produced all around this area of Bordeaux. If you know about these less famous regions, you can find charming wines which are easier on the pocketbook!

Not all the wines are concentrated and intensely sweet. There are wines which are just lightly sweet, medium sweet or “Moelleux” and concentrated and intensely sweet, “Liquoreux”.

Thoughts on Sweet Bordeaux at the Dinner Table
I had the opportunity to participate in a number of webinars this summer on the topic of Sweet Bordeaux being more than just a dessert wine. If you’re interested, here’s a link to a fun webinar. In fact, I wrote an article for Ecole du Vin de Bordeaux on the topic, available here. If you just don’t care for sweet wine, a good food pairing isn’t going to change your mind. However, if you are open to the thought, then give a try to sweet wines with seriously savory and spicy foods. You’ll be pleasantly surprised!

Disclosure: The wines in this post were provided as samples. No other compensation was involved, all opinions expressed are mine.

Château Tanesse “Palissades” Moelleux Premières Côtes de Bordeaux is medium-sweet with a lively, refreshing acidity

Château Tanesse “Palissades” Moelleux Premières Côtes de Bordeaux AOC 2018 (sample $16 SRP or online here) 12.5% abv. 85% Muscadelle 15% Sauvignon Blanc

Eye: Clear, medium lemon
Nose: Clean, medium intensity aromas of fresh white blossoms, chamomile, lemons, grapefruit
Mouth: Medium sweet with medium plus acidity, medium alcohol, full body with a silky texture and a medium plus lingering finish. Medium intensity flavors of white flowers, chamomile, fresh lemons, a bit of grapefruit.
Observations: Refreshing white wine which maintains a nice balance between sweetness and refreshing acidity.

For a Liquoreaux (intensely sweet) wine like Loupiac, one option is to serve it on ice as an aperitif

Château Dauphiné Rondillon Loupiac AOC 2015 (sample, $42 SRP or online here) 13% abv. residual sugar: 119 g/l 80% Semillon 20% Sauvignon Blanc

Eye: Clear, deep gold
Nose: Medium plus aromas of orange marmalade, orange creamsicle, lemon curd, a bit of musk,
Mouth: Sweet with medium plus acidity, medium alcohol, full body with luscious texture, long lingering fruity finish. Flavors of orange marmalade, orange creamsicle, lemon curd, musky savory notes.
Observations: Not quite the level of intensity of Sauternes, however, a delicious balance of luscious texture, sweetness held up by a lively acidity. Also, delicious on ice with a twist of orange or lemon peel as an aperitif.

Sweet Bordeaux Wines with Smoked & Braised Short Ribs
I found the Chateau Tanesse “Palissades” Moelleux wine’s refreshing and lightly sweet nature to be a perfect balance for the smoky, spicy beef short rib.

The recipe for both the dish and the rub is in Mary & Sean’s Fire and Wine cookbook. It’s also fully described on their website Vindulge.com. My only substitutions and changes are as follows:

• For the rub, I omit the salt. I prefer to salt my meats separately, usually first. Other spices don’t soak into the meat but the salt does, plus I can independently control the saltiness and the spiciness of the dish
• I substituted the Mouelleux Sweet Bordeaux wine for the red wines listed in the recipe since I was experimenting with Sweet Bordeaux pairing!

Sweet Bordeaux Pairing Ideas from the French Winophiles
Take a look below at all the great pairing ideas tried by our group! We love for you to join us in our chat on Saturday Nov. 21 at 10-11am CST. Just look for #Winophiles on Twitter!

• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla: “Surprise! Pairing Spicy and Savory Dishes with Sweet Bordeaux”
• Terri at Our Good Life: “Spicy Hot Tacos and Sweet Bordeaux”
• Martin at ENOFYLZ: “Pairing Golden Bordeaux with Southern Fare”
• Lauren at The Swirling Dervish: “Golden Bordeaux Meets Savory Pumpkin and Smoked Bacon Tart: a Delicious Thanksgiving Twist!”
• David at Cooking Chat: “Pairings for Sweet Bordeaux Wine”
• Katrina at The Corkscrew Concierge: “Golden Bordeaux Delights in Louisiana’s Cajun and Creole Cuisine”
• Payal at Keep the Peas: “Four Sweet Bordeaux Wines with Four Courses”
• Jane at Always Ravenous: “Golden Sweet Bordeaux Wines: Tasting and Pairings”
• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm: “Hot Chocolate and Halva Pudding paired with Lion De Tanesse L’Amour”
• Jeff at foodwineclick!: “Sweet Bordeaux Meets the Smoke”
• Jill at L’OCCASION: “Sweet Bordeaux Wines Aren’t Just for Dessert”
• Lynn at Savor the Harvest: “Sweet Bordeaux Wines Get Savory Pairings”
• Rupal at Syrah Queen: “Sweet Bordeaux Is A Sweet Delight – Savor These Perfect Food Pairings”
• Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles: “Sweet Bordeaux Wines and pairings from opposite sides of the globe”
• Pinny at Chinese Food & Wine Pairings: “Sweet Bordeaux Paired with Asian Carbs – Chinese Sticky Rice and Korean Japchae”
• Susannah at avvinare: “Delightful Sweet Wines from Bordeaux”
• Nicole at Somm’s Table: “Château Loupiac Gaudiet with Cinnamon Apple Crème Brûlée”
• Gwendolyn at wine predator: “Successful Pairings of Salty and Savory with Sweet Semi-Dry Bordeaux”
• Jennifer at Vino Travels: “A Look into the Sweeter Side of Bordeaux Wines”
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass: “Appetizer, entrées and yes, dessert please, with sweet Bordeaux”