André et Michel Quenard Gamay from Savoie and Roasted Chicken Drizzled with Ginger Scallion Infused Oil #WinePW #vindesavoie

#WinePW bloggers are traveling to Savoie, which is one of the world’s most picturesque wine regions. Savoie is at the far east of France - on the French Alps that are located south of Lac Léman or Lake Geneva and are bordering with Switzerland. Savoie wines, which historically were known as light après-ski drinks, are lean and crisp...just like the air you are breathing in when you stand tall and proud on top of the snowy mountain! 

Breathing lean and clean air on the snowy Windham Mountain, New York...not Savoie, France

Grapes there are planted to thin, limestone and diverse soils in the foothills of the fragmented mountainous terrain. While this region is famous for its fresh, crisp whites, what I got here is the André et Michel Quenard Chignin Gamay 2018, a sample provided through the coordination by Jill from L’Occasion. Lucky me...this wine is a gem and expresses Gamay in a way that's unique and complex! 

Photo Credit: Domaine André et Michel Quenard - Vignerons via Facebook

The fragmented mountains of Savoie naturally divide the growing areas of the region into two main appellations, Vin de Savoie and Bugey. "Vin de Savoie" wines come from more than seven entirely distinct pockets of vineyards, separated by towns, mountains, and lakes. The fragmented vineyard areas of Bugey are similar. 

Photo Credit: www.vineyards.com

Given Savoie's Alps lifestyle and unique terroir, Bibendum, the UK drinks business, considers Savoie as one of the Top Wine Trends for 2019:

 “Savoie...maybe [one] of France’s smaller and lesser-known regions, but they’re big on personality, with many of the region’s producers crafting individual wines that unashamedly sing of their unique place.”

Gamay from Savoie vs Beaujolais (a.k.a Gamay)
I have refrained from mentioning Beaujolais. It’s not a bake-off between Gamay from Savoie vs Beaujolais. Still, it’s hard not to do a small comparison to show how terroir and winemaking do make a huge difference in wines that are produced from the same grape variety. The first few sips of the André et Michel Quenard Chignin Gamay revealed how super light and lean this wine was. As I sipped and “chewed” the wine a bit more, it then released its herbaceous, medicinal, grassy and salty notes subtly, in addition to the bright acidity, and hints of unsweetened dried tart cherries. I honestly thought I was drinking Pinot Noir! Beaujolais, on the other hand, is richer, more fruit-forward, exuberant, and has more texture. If I really have to “personalize” this Savoie Gamay wine, this is like a “sophisticated” Beaujolais nouveau – young and fresh but a bit posh!

Can’t Go Wrong with Poultry!

While I think a roasted turkey will go extremely well with this beautiful Gamay, I don’t want to labor myself to roast a turkey. A roasted chicken will be just fine. There’s no sweat roasting a whole chicken…say a two or three pounder in the 375-degree oven for 45 mins to an hour. 

What I made to go with the chicken is a Cantonese dipping sauce - salty ginger and scallion infused oil. Once you try this sauce, you’d make it in batch and put it in your fridge as the go-to condiment for rice and meat dishes. The key steps of making this sauce are to heat up some regular vegetable oil in a saucepan and to pour it in the finely ground ginger, diced scallion and plenty of coast kosher salt for your liking. The hot oil emitted fragrant smoke when it hit the ginger and scallion. I drizzled this oil on top of my sliced roasted chicken breast and a bowl of yellow rice cooked in chicken broth and saffron. Oh man, this sauce was salty, oily, flavorful, pungent and light-oniony and will pump up any mild-tasting food. As I sipped the Gamay and ate the chicken rice, it was such a light and healthy meal that has mega and complex flavors – acidity, bitterness, umami, and savoriness.

Disclaimer: the wine is a sample. Opinions and ideas are my own.

Let’s take a look at other #WinePW bloggers’ journey to Savoie…

• Jeff at FoodWineClick gives us "Warm Up by the Fireplace with Raclette and Vins de Savoie"
• Rupal the Syrah Queen pairs "Savoie Wines and Tartiflette - Mountain Wines with Mountain Fare"
• Nicole at Somm's Table is "Cooking to the Wine: Altesse Roussette de Bugey Montagnieu with Crab and Veggie Gratin"
• Cindy at Grape Experiences offers "A Quintessential Pairing: Wines from Savoie and Savory Herbed Cheese Fondue"
• Liz from What's In that Bottle shouts about "Alpine Wine Alert: Wines from France's Savoie Region are Awesome"
• Pinny from Chinese Food & Wine Pairings shares “Andre’ et Michel Quenard Gamay from Savoie and Roasted Chicken Drizzled with Ginger Scallion Infused Oil”
• Gwen at Wine Predator is making "Chicken and Savoie for Sweethearts, Fondue for Friends #WinePW"
• Susannah at Avvinare shares "Brie and Bacon Quiche With Vin de Savoie Wine - #WinePW"
• Jane from Always Ravenous is creating "Raclette Paired with Savoie Wines"
• Wendy from A Day In the Life on the Farm writes about "A Gastronomic Visit to Savoie"
• Terri at Our Good Life is working with "Vin de Savoie and Seafood and Pasta with Lemon Butter Sauce"
• David from Cooking Chat shares "Potato Bacon Skillet Casserole - Tartiflette Inspired Recipe for Savoie Wine"
• Camilla from Culinary Adventures With Cam presents "A Taste of #vindesavoie: Älpermakkaronen + 2018 JP & JF Quenard Vin de Savoie Chignin"
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass gets into "Savoie wine – a non-skier’s reason to visit the French Alps (#WinePW)"
• Jen at VinoTravels makes "Garlic Buttered Shrimp over Polenta with the Wines of Savoie"
• Jill and Jason from L'Occasion present "An Interview With Author Wink Lorch + A Savoie Wine Pairing"