Bordeaux Wines & Charcuterie Masterclass
I’ve had charcuterie and wine together many times but I hadn’t really given much thought to pairing specific wines with different styles. Spoiler alert! I definitely will now.
I was very excited when my delivery of 6 tubes, full of Bordeaux wines courtesy of Lea & Sandeman, and 6 of styles Tempus charcuterie arrived. The pack also included a handy Waiters Friend Corkscrew, a Bordeaux workshop & map of the region, a tasting sheet & a dropstop - helpful if you’re a messy pourer like me! - all of this for £30, including a tutored tasting with two experts, was an absolute steal!
Hosts Mike Turner, wine writer & founder of Feel Good Grapes, & Dhruv Baker, creator of Tempus Foods & winner of Masterchef 2010, were both knowledgeable & engaging and paired well, much like the charcuterie & wine. There was plenty of crossover, Dhruv is clearly a fan of Bordeaux wines and Mike a passionate foodie & restauranteur - Sauternes & Jaffa Cake pairing suggestion aside but I won’t knock it until I’ve tried it!
Mike gave us a brief history of Bordeaux, its appellations, terroir & grape varieties, plus tips on how to taste & food and wine pairing. Bordeaux is renowned for its red wines, often referred to as Claret, at toppy prices but, as Mike explained, there’s a lot more value and diversity to be found - you just need to know where to look - he recommends the Cru Bourgeois wines as good place to start.
Dhruv talked us the through the different types of charcuterie & what to look for when assessing the quality - meat should be vivid & bright in colour & smell ‘clean’, flavour profiles should also be harmonious and well-balanced, particularly to have ageing potential, much like a fine wine. He also explained that the quality & age of the animal is important; Tempus uses only ex-breeding sows and ex-dairy beef to create their award-winning range of British Charcuterie.
This was all fascinating & just long enough to get a thirst for the main event: The Tasting. Details on the pairings can be found below but the star of the show was most definitely the Sauternes (a sweet wine) & Number 8 (a spicy spreadable sausage, much like Nduja). The sweetness of the wine combined with the spiciness of the Number 8 went together perfectly!
We ended with Dhruv and Mike’s favourite all-time food & wine pairings, Sauternes & Foie gras for Dhruv, Cru Bourgeois & Duck confit for Mike. It's a dry white Bordeaux with oysters for me, preferably enjoyed in Bordeaux but sadly that will have to wait. Bordeaux wine & food is truly a match made in heaven.
For upcoming Bordeaux food & wine pairing events checkout our gatherings and follow @BordeauxWinesUK on social. If you’re keen to learn more about the Bordeaux region, there’s an app for that: OenoBordeaux
What we learnt
Noble Rot is a fungus that weakens the skins of the grape, causing it to dehydrate whilst still maintaining sugar and adding complexity. This is how the Bordeaux sweet wine Sauternes is made
Cru Bourgeois is a Bordeaux wine classification reviewed every 5 years, it’s the level below classed growths/crus classés, five classifications of the top 60 Bordeaux châteaux which have remained unchanged since 1855
There are two main types of charcuterie, whole muscle (e.g. bacon) & Salami (e.g. sausage)
Beef bungs are fresh intestines cut and tied/moulded for making salami.
The wines & charcuterie
PAIRING 1
Le G de Guiraud 2019
Appellation: Bordeaux Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc / Sémillon
Citrus, nectarine & grapefruit but with a lovely freshness & slight spiciness to finish. Well-balanced and could age for a few years yet.
£12.95 Lea & Sandeman
King Peter Ham
Sweet, nutty with a hint of chestnut smoke
£9.50/75g Tempus Foods
PARING 2
Château Beaumont 2018
Appellation: Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc / Sémillon
Pineapple & grapefruit with a hint of smokiness. My favourite of the dry whites.
£12.50 Lea & Sandeman
Smoked Coppa
Sweet & nutty with a unique spice profile of black pepper, cinnamon and clove
£7.50/75g Tempus Foods
PAIRING 3
Lea & Sandeman Bordeaux 2016
Lots of lovely ripe red fruit with a little pepperiness, balanced with good acidity. As Mike said “this isn’t a deathbed wine” but it does very nicely thank you & demonstrates excellent value.
Appellation: Bordeaux
100% Merlot
£11.95 Lea & Sandeman
Handcut Salami
Saucisson sec-style fermented salami, with black pepper & a tangy finish
£5.50/75g Tempus Foods
PAIRING 4
Château Lauriol 2016
Appellation: Franc Côtes de Bordeaux
100% Merlot
Plum fruit with spice and a lovely smokiness. As Dhruv suggested, it’s perfect for bringing out as a second wine at a dinner party (remember those?!)
£14.95 Lea & Sandeman
Achari Spiced Salami
Rich & rounded with a Tempus blend of Achari spices
£7.00/75g Tempus Foods
PAIRING 5
Château Sénéjac 2015
Appellation: Haut-Médoc (Cru Bourgeois)
52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot. 8% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot
A delicious blend with black fruit & pepperiness. Another great value wine.
£20.50 Lea & Sandeman
Air Dried Dairy Beef
Rich with a pronounced beef flavour, star anise, coriander & cardamom
£8.50/75g Tempus Foods
PAIRING 6
Château De Cérons 2010
Appellation: Cérons
90% Sémillon, 5% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Muscadelle
Lots of citrus with lemon & honey balanced by acidity. A classic example of a Bordeaux sweet wine
£16.50 Lea & Sandeman
Tempus Number 8
Dried orange peel, fennel, two types of Mexican chilli, cayenne and mace, compliment the tang & the rich garlicky pork
£8/150g Tempus Foods
