I Love French Wine and Food - A Provence Bandol

I Love French Wine and Food - A Provence Bandol
If you are looking for fine French wine and food, consider
the world famous Provence region in southeastern France.
You may even find a bargain wine in this sun-drenched ideal
tourist location, marred only by the number of tourists. I
hope that you'll have fun on this fact-filled wine
education tour of this French candidate for paradise in
which we review a local red wine based on the red Mourvedre
grape.

Among France's eleven wine-growing regions Provence ranks
ninth in acreage if you include the island of Corsica,
which most people do in spite of their considerable
differences. Provence is synonymous with rose wine, and
although its percentage is declining, happily according to
many wine lovers. Over 50% of Provence wine is rose, or as
some might say, pink. Many of its wines are pink and
flabby, but others are not. The region is home to dozens of
grape varieties, often not found elsewhere. With an average
of three thousand hours of sun a year, a lot of Provence
wines taste baked.

One secret to making fine tasting wine is limiting its
production. The Bandol AOC reviewed below and its
high-quality neighbors are capped by law at 180 cases per
acre (40 hectoliters per hectare). In this area growers
could generate at least twice as much output, almost
without trying. But any gains in quantity would be lost in
quality. Voila. Limiting Corsica's wine output has helped
reduce Europe's famous, or rather infamous, wine lake.

While there is no shortage of great places to visit in
Provence, let's start by honoring this wine's home town,
Bandol, population eight thousand. It's right on the coast,
about thirty five miles (fifty five kilometers) southeast
of Marseille and has become quite a tourist attraction.
Bandol's port has a capacity of fifteen hundred sailing
vessels and that includes a lot of yachts. It is quite a
center for scuba diving and deep-sea fishing. In high
season unless you love crowds you are better off visiting
the vineyards right outside town.

For a change of pace go about four miles (six kilometers)
north of Bandol to La Cadiere d'Azur, a medieval village of
about three thousand perched on a hilltop overlooking the
vineyards. Vincent Van Gogh was here. When you see it
you'll know why.

Before reviewing the Bandol wine and imported cheeses that
we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and
a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of
what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this
beautiful region. Start with Caviar d'Aubergines (Egglant
Puree). For your second course savor Poisson aux Herbes de
Provence (Fish with Provence Herbs). And as dessert indulge
yourself with Tarte aux Noix (Walnut and Honey Tart).

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review
are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Domaine Le Galantin Bandol Rouge 2005 14.0%
about $20.00

Let's start by quoting the marketing materials. Description
Bandol, the most serious wine of Provence, [is] typically a
deep-flavoured, lush red blend dominated by the Mourvedre
grape. Tasting Note (Jancis Robinson, Oxford Companion to
Wine, 3rd Edition, 2006) This version is mostly Mourvedre
with a touch of Grenache for balance. Its lovely collection
of aromas include cherry, anise, marzipan, and garrigue.
And now for my review.

Before the first meal I sipped some of this wine. It was
dark, fruity, powerful, and long. You know that the wine is
present. The first meal was delicatessen-made thin strips
of beef with sliced vegetables. I added rice and a Thai hot
sauce. The wine remained long and strong with dark
chocolate. I have the feeling that it could hold up to
anything. I am getting an image: people sitting around a
campfire devouring raw or scarcely cooked bear meat - I
have no idea what bear meat tastes like but I know this
Bandol could handle it. This is not a wine for watercress
sandwiches - with or without the crusts. I liked the wine
with a cocoa strudel. The chocolate of the wine accompanied
the "chocolate" of the cake. There was, however, a
discordant note, I'll talk about it in the next round.

The second tasting was with broiled beef ribs accompanied
by jerk sauce, barbecued red skin potatoes, and commercial
grilled eggplant. The wine was thick and mouthfilling, but
there was something about its acidity that was not quite
right, let's not mince words; it was unpleasant. This also
happened with the first meal. It may be hard to believe but
swirling the glass vigorously removed this secondary
defect. In the present series of reviews covering more than
sixty wines this is the first time that I have encountered
such a problem.

The final meal consisted of a pan-fried lamb chop that had
been marinated in olive oil, garlic, and sliced red onion
plus an artichoke, garlic, and tomato salsa and corn on the
cob. The wine was full and long brimming with chocolate and
to a lesser extent tobacco. The defect is long gone and the
wine was excellent. As strong as it was the Bandol
accompanied rather than overpowered the subtle meat. Jancis
Robinson was right, who am I to doubt her? I tasted
garrigue, Mediterranean spices.

The first cheese pairing was with a mild-tasting Italian
Pecorino Fruilano, which somehow cut across the wine. It
surprised me that such a weak cheese could denature such a
strong wine. The Bandol was able to keep its taste when
paired with the more flavorful Dutch Edam. I tasted deep
chocolate.

Final verdict. This wine is a winner. I confess that I
don't understand fully the problem with the defect. But I
am more than willing to take the chance on it again.
However, just between you and me, I won't waste it on
cheese pairings.

----------------------------------------------------
Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on
computers and the Internet, but he prefers drinking fine
Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods and
people. He knows about dieting but now eats and drinks what
he wants, in moderation. He teaches classes in computers at
an Ontario French-language community college. His new wine,
diet, health, and nutrition website
http://www.wineinyourdiet.com links to his other sites.