Sweet Bordeaux Paired with Asian Carbs - Chinese Sticky Rice and Korean Japchae #Winophiles

French #Winophiles bloggers have been invited by Linda Wipple from My Full Wine Glass to taste sweet Bordeaux wines in November. We are so luck to receive multiple #Sample of sweet Bordeaux, organized by Jeff Burrows of Food Wine Click. When most food and wine pairing 101 would recommend pairing sweet wines with desserts or cheese, I think about sipping these sweet Bordeaux  wines with a couple of hearty Asian carb-loaded dishes – sticky rice with Chinese sausage and Korean Japchae. Let’s learn some facts about these sweet wines from Bordeaux.

Photo Credit: Flickr

WINE FACTS TO KNOW

Botrytis aka Noble Rot Grown on the Grape Clusters (Photo Credit: jjbuckley.com)

• The dominant sweet wine region in Bordeaux is located 20 miles south of the city of Bordeaux, reaching both banks of the famed Garrone River and stretching into the beginning section of the Ciron River. The rivers provide the perfect condition for a misty morning microclimate that grows Botrytis, also called Noble Rot.
• Botrytis grows on the grape clusters late in the harvest, bolstered by cool morning fogs that envelop the entire vineyards as well as the hot dry afternoons that evaporate the moisture and concentrate the flavors on the grapes.
• The grapes to make sweet Bordeaux are mostly Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc, plus a bit of Muscadelle or Sauvignon Gris.
• Sauternes and Barsac are the most famous sweet wine regions in Bordeaux, producing the more expensive sweet wines. There are many other AOCs,  such as Loupiac and Sainte Croix du Monts, in Bordeaux that produce much more affordable sweet wines.
• Loupiac AOC, which is located between Cadillac and Sainte Croix du Monts, requires by laws to make wines of greater ripeness than those of Sauterne, yielding slightly sweeter wines.
• Sainte Croix du Monts AOC, which looks across the river to Sauternes, is a hilly area with chalk and limestone soil made from decomposing oyster shells.
• Entre-Deux-Mers is the largest appellation within Bordeaux, but doesn’t appear on the wine labels that often. By law, the Entre-Deux-Mers designation is given only to dry white wines made there from Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Muscadelle.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Pinny Tam (@pairchifoodwine)

SWEET BORDEAUX TO SIP 

exotic fruit, citrus, a touch of vanilla, light and fruity

Château La Hargue Bordeaux Blanc Moelleux Semi-Dry 2019 (SRP$15)

This Château, which was acquired in 1954 by Henri Ducourt, has been known for producing quality sweet white wines. Planted with only white varieties on loamy soils, it is blessed with its proximity to the running water and amble exposure to the sun. The fluctuation between hot days and cool nights intensifies the aromatic expression of the grapes, forming the winning terroir for white-wine producing in this part of Entre-Deux-Mers.

aromatic intensity, Acacia flower, candied fruits, distinguished by its minerality and vivacity which gives it freshness and elegance

Château La Rame Sainte Croix du Mont 2016 (SRP$35)

Château La Rame, which is currently under the direction of the family’s seventh generation winemaker, Yves Armand, is a well-sized estate, with fifty hectares of vineyards planted, of which over one third of the hectares are dedicated exclusively to Sémillon and the production of Sainte-Croix-du-Mont.

intense on citrus fruits and candied fruits, supple, fresh

Château du Cros AOC Loupiac Vin Liquoreux 2014 (SRP$30)

Under the leadership of Catherine Boyer, the vineyard of Château du Cros lies on the hill-slopes at the right bank of the Garonne River, 40 km South of Bordeaux on argilo-calcareous soil. The limestone subsoil and chalky clay topsoil bring the freshness to the sweet wines.

savoir faire, easy to drink, strong presence of fruit, mouthful of freshness

Château Loupiac-Gaudiet Loupiac Vintage: 2016 (SRP$20)

At the Château Loupiac-Gaudiet, their wines are built around the delicate balance between fruit, sugar and acidity, allowing each vintage to be able to reveal at its freshness and best aroma.

ASIAN CARBS TO EAT

Sticky Rice with Chinese Sausage

Sticky rice with Chinese sausage is a hearty meal for the winter. The rice is also called “sweet” rice, which is glutinous rice that releases a lot of starch when cooked. In addition to the rice, the other main ingredients are finely chopped Chinese sausage (like salami), dried shrimps and dried shiitake mushrooms. I typically cook the rice, according to the cooking direction, in the non-stick pressure cooker or rice cooker first, and let it sit in the cooker and dry up a little bit before transferring it to the frying pan. In the frying pan, sauté all the chopped ingredients with sesame oil, use two spatulas to mix the sausage into the cooked rice, drizzle with dark soya sauce for the color and regular soya sauce for the taste. The starchy sticky rice is slightly sweet with rich umami flavors like dried shrimp and mushrooms, a perfect accompaniment to the sweet Bordeaux.

Korean Japchae

Japchae is a savory and slightly sweet dish of stir-fried glass noodles, minced beef and vegetables that is a signature carb dish in Korean. It is typically prepared with dangmyeon, a type of cellophane noodles made from sweet potato starch. The noodles are mixed with assorted vegetables, meat, mushrooms, and seasoned with sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil. Japchae is a fun party dish as it looks very colorful and is affordable to make. It goes well with the sweet Bordeaux as the sugar and soya sauce is seasoned through the noodles.

 

For other sweet Bordeaux sipping, check out the blogs of my #Winophiles friends:

• 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 Sweet Bordeaux with Southern Fare”
• Lauren atThe 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 atThe 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 atA 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: “Appetizers, entrées and yes, dessert please, with sweet Bordeaux”