It was day #2 of our AmaWaterways River Cruise through Bordeaux and my group of food and wine lovers were about to be rewarded with an experience they would not soon forget. You see, we had a date at Chateau Guiraud for an exclusive wine tasting! This was not just any wine tasting…picture this:
The vines were greener than green, the grapes dripping from the vine. The chateau was understated, yet regal. We started with a private tour, learning about how their winemakers were ahead of their time and well into the study of biodiversity. They built hotels for bugs, homes for birds, and even a lake for its special habitat! And if keeping a biodiverse and organic vineyard wasn’t challenging enough, Chateau Guiraud is ,pst well known for their magnificent (yes, I said magnificent!) Sauternes, the elusive sweet wine made from Sémillon, Sauvignon blanc, and Muscadelle grapes that have been affected by a beneficial mold called Botrytis cinerea, also known as noble rot. This causes the grapes to become partially raisined, resulting in a concentrated and distinctively perfumed wine.
Then, after hearing about all that went into producing their wines, of course we had to taste! We sampled our way through 2014 Chateau Guiraud, 2003 Chateau Guiraud and finally, a 1996 Chateau Guiraud. We could really taste the quality of their terroir in their wines!
And since every fabulous wine deserves to be matched with a delicious bite, the chef from Restaurant “La Chapelle de Guiraud”, an old church that has been refurbished into a very beautiful restaurant, located next to the chateau, had gone to the market the morning of our tour to find whatever looked best to create his menu that would pair perfectly with the wine: pain de mie toast with the biggest chunks of foie gras I’ve ever seen, fried shrimp with avocado sauce, little chocolate cakes and the famous local specialty called “Cannele”. Everyone loved the foie gras and scoffed up every single morsel. I have to admit, that was my favorite too and I think I had three pieces!
Now that I’m back in San Francisco, I it would be fun to recreate this amazing day at home with a few friends, and some easy dishes paired with French wines. Here’s what I have in mind:
Bon Appetit!
P.S. Are you cooking along with me? I’d love to see what you’re creating! Be sure to tag #weircooking on your social media posts!
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