Match of the week
Morbier cheese and Savagnin
It’s been a very cheesy few days this past week - and I mean that in the sense of being cheese-focussed rather than corny.
Some of the best pairings were at a cheese and cider event I co-hosted in Bristol but as I’m writing about that separately I’m going for an unexpectedly brilliant cheese and wine combination at the Jura wine tasting
You might be surprised to hear it involved not the region’s most famous style of wine, vin jaune, but an on the face of it humbler Savagnin Côtes du Jura called Cuvée Edouard from Domaine Badoz which has been making wine in the region since 1659.
At almost 4 years old (it came from the 2011 vintage) it combined a rapier-like acidity with a delicious creaminess that seemed to perfectly echo the well-matured Morbier, a semi-soft cheese from the same region with a distinctive streak of ash running through the centre. The combination of the two was simply sensational bringing out almondy and floral notes in the wine that hadn’t been immediately apparent. One of those rare 'Oh my God!' pairings!
I can’t frustratingly find this particular cuvée in the UK though The Sampler stocks other wines in the Badoz range but you can buy it online from the website for 25€
The other recommended pairings are with pan-fried scallops, truffled celeriac, langoustine ravioli with vin jaune butter, fennel, green apple and salted caramel, whiting with leeks and cockles with a citrus vinaigrette. So now you know!
Tête de veau and Côtes du Jura rouge
Last week I was travelling back through France again and encountered a number of interesting matches but the one that worked best for me was in a modern bistro by the covered market in Besançon called La Table des Halles.
As we’d already kicked off the evening with quite an extensive tasting of natural wines (about which more later this week) we simply ordered a half bottle of a local red, a Côtes du Jura Rouge Tradition 2002 from Stéphane Tissot.
It’s the kind of wine that doesn’t go down particularly well on the British market, being light and slightly sharp but it was utterly perfect with a decadently fatty dish of tête de veau (calf’s head) served warm on a mound of sliced potato and apple, and pretty good with the equally robust stuffed brioche with mushrooms and saucisse de Morteau that preceded it. A ‘food wine’* if ever there was one.
Incidentally I’d recommend the restaurant, which has recently changed hands, as a good option if you’re ever in Besançon which is a really lovely old town. Not overpriced or stuffy (unlike some of the other restaurants we checked out) and with simple, satisfying food. We stayed in a really splendid modern B & B called La Maison du Verre which was also very good value.
* By a 'food wine' I mean a wine that doesn’t taste particularly exciting on its own but springs to life with food
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