
Top pairings
The best food pairings for cabernet franc
Cabernet franc can be the most food-friendly of wines, as good with fish and veggies as it is with meat but as I pointed out in a recent Guardian column it comes in several styles.
If you’re looking for a food match for cabernet franc I’d be mainly thinking of the lighter more fragrant Loire type which stars on its own in such appellations as Saumur, Saumur-Champigny, Bourgeuil, St Nicolas de Bourgeuil and Chinon. Even then it can vary from vintage to vintage and from lighter wines to more serious oak-aged examples. It can also be used to make rosé and sparkling wine but I’m not focussing on those in this post
It also plays a major part in Bordeaux blends including some of the most famous Bordeaux reds such as Cheval Blanc and in South America where it is generally riper and more full-bodied.
If you’re looking for a match for Bordeaux blends check out this post
What food to pair with red Bordeaux
Fresh young Loire cabernet franc
Young cabernet franc has a distinctly herbal quality and tends to pair well with dishes flavoured with herbs, especially dill, fennel, rosemary and tarragon. Think chicken with herbs like roast chicken with herby crème fraîche or this lavash, chicken and herb pie with barberries, both from Olia Hercules, a herb-crusted rack of lamb or a navarin of lamb
It also has an affinity with green vegetables especially when they’re grilled or roasted - such as grilled asparagus (as you can see here), purple sprouting broccoli and even grilled artichokes. If you’ve got a vegetarian dish of spring vegetables such as asparagus, peas and broad beans you should reach for a bottle. And while it wouldn’t be my first choice with a spanakopita (Greek-style spinach pie) - I’d rather drink a crisp white - it would definitely work.
Pair it with herby Ottolengi-ish salads with bulgur, freekeh or other grains, especially with a herb dressing.
Evan Goldstein in his book Daring Pairings suggests enchiladas verdes, a combination I haven’t tried but I can definitely see would work. Anything with a tomatillo salsa too.
Like gamay, Loire cabernet franc also works well with charcuterie especially terrines and patés
Lightly chilled it can be a really useful pairing for fish, especially grilled tuna or salmon
It’s also good with goats cheese, young pecorino and other young sheep cheeses
and like Beaujolais you can pour it over or drink it with strawberries
More mature oak aged Loire cabernet franc
I’d be thinking of lamb again though maybe slow roast shoulder or a butterflied leg of lamb rather than rosy little lamb cutlets. Steak frites too.
I’d be more inclined to go for duck than chicken and feathered game such as pigeon (squab) pheasant and partridge
It would also work with light offal dishes such as kidneys or sweetbreads. Classic French bistro food.
Riper, more full-bodied cabernet franc from countries such as Argentina, California and South Africa
These behave quite like malbec in terms of wine pairing so red meat, especially steak, is an obvious go to. You could easily drink it with a barbecue including spicy sausages such as chorizo and merguez or with kebabs.
Image by VICUSCHKA at shutterstock.com
If you found this post helpful and would like to support the website which is free to use it would be great if you'd make a donation towards its running costs or sign up to my regular Substack newsletter Eat This, Drink That for extra benefits.
You may also enjoy …



Comments: 0 (Add)
Recent posts …
Latest post

Most popular

My latest book

Food & wine pros



