Bordeaux is keeping it sweet

No not another post about Sauternes. On the contrary, as Sauternes producers are at pains to explain why their wines should not be limited to the dessert trolly, Bordeaux red wine producers seem keen to serve their wines with something sweet. They are sharing their new favorite food and wine pairings, not only in the tasting room, but also in their kitchens. Château kitchens are often as stunning as the tasting room, improving your culinary skills in a chateau kitchen is a behind the scenes treat.

Table Privée at Château Haut Bailly

Château HautBailly in Pessac Léognan is the pioneer of the ‘Table Privée’ concept, opening up the private dining room of the chateau in 2009. Now, their L’ Atelier Cuisine takes you into the chateau kitchens to share how to make the famous Bordeaux cannelés and savoury gougères (even if they are a Burgundy speciality).

If you’ve eaten all the caneles buy a souvenir copper mould to make some back home

Château Phelan Ségur in Saint Estèphe also has a sweet tooth. At their Tea Time in the Médoc, in-house chef Jean-Luc Beaufils shares the secrets of making macarons, chocolate truffles, and canelés and then, experiments pairing them with the uniquely red wines of the property.

Canelés at Château Phelan segur

Sweet and savoury

Medoc Macaron specialist Sophie Mevel of ODelices in Cussac-Fort-Medoc works with two neighbouring chateaux, Chateau Kirwan in Margaux Chateau Gruaud Larose in Saint Julien to teach guests how to master these colourful iconic French treats. Choose sweet and or savoury versions, then taste your creations with the wines from the property and take the rest home to treat the family.

Macarons and Saint Julien at château Gruaud Larose

Wine and Chocolate

For me, red wine and chocolate is a match made in heaven, but it takes a little thought and expertise to get it right. There’s a lot of similarity between wine and chocolate, in the notion of origin, terroir and production, but also in tasting. Acidity, astringency, tannins, bitterness, sweetness, richness (fattiness?) will all feel familiar to wine and chocolate tasters

Bordeaux Master chocolatier, Ferreira Hasnaâ works closely with chateaux across the region to create single origin, exclusive chocolates matching aromas and textures to the wines of the properties. Château Léoville Poyferré in Saint Julien and Château Marquisde Terme and ChâteauDauzac in Margaux all offer her ‘Accords Parfaits©’ experiences.

Wine in chocolate

In 2019, Hasnaâ turned the tables and launched the Instant à Bordeaux’ collection integrating wine into her chocolates. She created a series of chocolate ganache made with wines from four grands crus classés (Château Leoville Poyferré in Saint Julien, Château Marquis de Terme in Margaux, Château Pedesclaux in Pauillac and ChâteauLe Crock in Saint Estèphe).

In October 2020 she added the appellation Moulis with Château Poujeaux and in 2021, launched the “Rive droite” right bank collection with Château Toulouse Lautrec Malromé for Bordeaux, Château de La Dauphine for Fronsac, Chateau Bellegrave for Pomerol, Château de la Grave for Cotes de Bourg and Château Palais Cardinal for Saint Emilion. It’s a great way of comparing the personalities of the different wines and yes, you really can taste the differences.

Working with Hasnaâ, ChâteauKirwan has taken chocolate and wine paring a step further, introducing tasters to bean to bar chocolate-making. Explaining harvesting, breaking the pods, fermentation, torrefaction, and of course tasting. It highlights the similarities between chocolate and wine-making, terroir, history, and attention to detail, amongst others.

At ChâteauAngludet in Margaux, when Daisy Sichel has finished driving guests around the vines of her family vineyard in the electric golf cart, she serves them a signature chocolate fondant. It was created by patisserie chef Clarisse Argout, specifically to pair with a glass of Château Angludet and served on ‘La Terrasse Fleurie’ of the chateau.

Clarisse and Daisy, chocolate and wine

Unique, wine friendly chocolate is also on the menu at Château HautBailly thanks to ChocolaterieSaunion. You can find the closely guarded secret recipe (I think there’s pine nuts and caramel in, along with other goodies), beautifully packaged, when you dine at la Table Privée or in the chateau boutique.

The secret Saunion recipe at Château Haut Bailly

Saunion chocolates also pair with wine at La Table de Nathalie, the very cool restaurant at Château Marquisd’ Alesme. The chocolate selection takes you on a journey around the world from Tanzania to Venezuela, all the while sitting in their sunny herb garden.

Around the world in five chocolates with Saunion at Chateau Marquis d’Alesme

The right bank has their chocolates too. After training with Saunion in Bordeaux, Maëlig opened her own chocolate shop in Saint Emilion. She works with ChâteauFleurde Lisse on their chocolate and wine tastings where they compare and contrast the processes of wine and chocolate making, from terroir to blends and tasting. You’ll taste 100% pure origin chocolate and three original Maëlig creations alongside three wines from the Vignobles Jade range. You’ll also find her chocolates at Château Grand Corbin, here you can compare whether left back or right bank pair best with chocolate thanks to the tasting for wines from their cellars and those of Château Cantemerle in Haut Médoc.

Left bank, right bank, sweet and savory at Château Grand Corbin.

Back to Sauternes

A coffee to go with all those, chocolates? On the terrace of Château SigalasRabaud in Sauternes, sip on their exclusive coffee made from beans aged in Sauternes barrels. You knew I couldn’t stay away.

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