Isn’t it funny that whenever any one mentions Bordeaux we all immediately think of First Growths and Grand Cru Classé wines, which only actually make up three to five percent of what Bordeaux produces?

For this set of events we decided that we would concentrate on those Bordeaux wines which we all most commonly drink (that is, on a day-to-day basis), rather than showing those beyond the normal budget of most mere mortals.

Joined by The Society’s wine buyer for Bordeaux, Joanna Locke MW, and Wine Tutor and expert on all things Bordeaux, Laura Clay, we set off on a voyage of Bordelaise discovery to Cardiff, Bristol and Birmingham.

We showed a range of wines, eighteen in total, with three whites, two of which were oaked to varying degrees, thirteen reds, and two sweet whites. Star appearances were made from the Côtes de Blaye and Bourg; Montagne-St.-Emilion; Castillon; Entre-Deux-Mers and Graves, whilst the there were many heated debates over the relative merits of Barsac vs St. Croix du Mont for the production of sweet wines.

Currently the CIVB (Le Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux or Bordeaux Wine Council) is promoting the idea of pairing wines from Bordeaux with food, so when we informed them of our plans for the latest Bordeaux tasting, they mentioned that if we provided some suitable nibbles they would cover part of the costs involved. Thus we found ourselves in The Parc Hotel in Cardiff trying to cube four kilos of cheddar and plate up a Biblical quantity of party nibbles in record time – a feat we quickly realised could not be achieved in any kind of record time. The following day, having learnt from our mistakes, a quick call (or perhaps more aptly a cry for help) was made to the Waitroses in Bristol and Birmingham who very kindly agreed to cut the cheeses up for us in advance. To the poor person working on the dairy counter on those particular days we offer our heartfelt thanks!

Cut fingers and timing issues aside, the food and wine combination was, to all intents and purposes, a total success. It was really interesting to be able to try the wines, which in some case were relatively young, with tannins that were still on the grippy side, and see what a difference a piece of cheese or salami or roast beef made to the overall flavours: more often than not softening out the wines.

As a general rule (although I’m sure if we’d taken a straw-poll there would have been many members who would have vehemently disagreed), the merlot-dominated reds such as the Château Bourjaud 2007 worked really well with the ham and the milder of the two salamis; whilst the cabernet-dominated reds tended to be fabulous with the cheddars and roast beef. In the case of the whites, especially the two which had seen some oak, the goat’s cheese and smoked salmon nibbles went down very well – the Château de la Grave Grains Fins was especially good.

And finally onto the sweet wines – after all, I was always taught to try and save the best till last! The Society’s Exhibition Sauternes 2008 was as good as ever; we tried pairing it with a relatively mild and creamy Stilton and the combination of salt and sweet worked a treat.

To be fair, it was also stunning with the lemon tart, but as one member in Cardiff announced “The Château la Grave 2005 with the tart is a match made in heaven.” I tried it too (on all three nights just to be sure) and I have to say, I think he was absolutely right!

Click here to view all of the wines shown at these tastings.

Emma Howat
Tastings & Events Co-ordinator