The wines of the Southwest include some of the greatest and most illustrious ever produced, as well as hundreds of brands never seen beyond the bounds of their domains. Bordeaux wines are readily available in the United States and are the classic accompaniments to many dishes in this book. For an excellent treatment of the great whites and reds of Bordeaux, I refer readers to The Wines of Bordeaux: Vintages and Tasting Notes 1952–2003 by Clive Coates.
Madiran, an intense, solid, inky, and very tannic wine, is often the choice on the Gascon table. Made from Tannat grapes, often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Madiran keeps well and improves markedly with age. It has recently become more widely available in the American market and pairs wonderfully with the rich, hearty food described in this book. When a Madiran is unavailable, try a hearty Syrah from the RhĂ´ne Valley, such as Cornas or Hermitage, or an earthy old-vines Zinfandel from Amador County in California.
I have a special affection for the intensely aromatic local white wine, Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh (the old name for Madiran is Vic-Bilh), which I drank every night during my annual research sojourns at the Hôtel de France in Auch, to accompany my evening bowl of garbure. Unfortunately for Americans, almost all Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh is consumed locally. Try a white wine from Rueda, Spain, a Riesling from Australia’s Clare Valley, or an Alsace Gewürztraminer with your garbure.
Cahors, the famous “black wine” of the Quercy made mostly from the Malbec grape (known locally as Auxerrois) blended with Merlot, is wonderful for picnics. It is very tannic and creates a compelling, intense contrast with goat cheeses, rillettes, and other charcuterie. As they age, Cahors wines become acceptable mates for rich meat dishes, mushroom dishes, game, and fowl. If you can’t find a Cahors, ask your wine merchant to order one, but while you’re waiting, try an oak-aged Malbec from Argentina.
In the Landes, there is a special appreciation of the aromatic, very dry white Tursan, made from the local grape, known as “baroque, ” which has the reputation of being able to “knock you to your knees.” And there is a curious and barely known Landais light red, smelling of violets and tasting “meaty, ” that is grown in sandy soil, such as the vin de table from the Domaine de Mallecare. If you are looking for a dry white with a knockout punch, try a white Condrieu from the Rhône Valley, made from the Viognier grape.
Sweet red wines are rare in the Southwest. A good one from the Languedoc-Roussillon region is the Banyuls produced at Domaine de la Rectorie, which enhances anything made with dark chocolate. It is also excellent with blue cheese. It is hard to replace Banyuls, but try a Recioto della Valpolicella from Veneto, Italy, a Mavrodaphne of Patras from Greece, or Quady “Elysium” from California.
When a recipe calls for a red table wine, I usually cook with a food-friendly wine such as a Syrah or a California Pinot Noir. The wine you cook with does not have to be as expensive as the wine you drink, but a good basic rule is never to cook with a wine you wouldn’t happily drink. Any inferior wine won’t get better as it reduces, concentrating its flavor, during cooking; it will only get worse. Another guideline: “Wine in the sauce, wine in the glass.” For example, if you braise with Syrah, serve Syrah with the dish, “bridging” or “echoing” the food and the wine.
