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I Love French Wine and Food - A Midi Merlot

Article Summary: I love French wine and food so much that I am doing a series on the typical and special wines and foods of France's eleven wine regions. This article explores the Languedoc-Roussillon region of south central France and reviews a Red Merlot wine. Was it a bargain? I'll make specific recommendations, and won't be silent if I'm unhappy with a wine.

If you feel like enjoying some fine French wine and food, why don't you check out the Languedoc-Roussillon region of south central France. If you are lucky you may even stumble upone a bargain, and I hope that you'll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour in which we review a local red Merlot.

Among France's eleven wine-growing regions the Languedoc-Roussillon is the largest in total area and ranks number four in the vineyard acreage. This area, which includes the Midi, had been known for generating immense amounts of rather dubious table wine called vin ordinaire. Recently, thanks in part to flying Australian wine makers, the region has started to produce a lot of fine wine. Like Alsace, and unlike most other regions of France, many Languedoc-Roussillon wines, such as the one reviewed below, are identified by their constituent grape variety on the label.

This lovely region is hardly uniform. For example, Languedoc is mostly flat; in contrast Roussillon is hilly. Several areas take advantage of their unique combination of microclimate and soil (terroir) to produce one or more local AOC (Appellation d'Origine Controle) wines. These wines are usually more expensive than their generic cousins. We intend to examine one or more such wines in this series. Languedoc-Roussillon has almost 50 AOC wine appellations; red, white, rosé, sparkling, and sweet. This diversity is not surprising given that the region grows over 30 grape varieties including Merlot, the single most important grape variety in Bordeaux.

Perpignan, settled first in Roman times, was founded over a millennium ago. It was the capital of Roussillon. Unlike most of the other cities and towns mentioned in this series, Perpignan rose up against French rule. Even though it lost the battle, France ceded it to Spain for several decades. You won't have to look far to see Spanish influence. Salvador Dali, arguably one of Spain's greatest modern artists, called its train station the center of the universe and said that he got his best ideas sitting in its waiting room. Small wonder that there is a monument honoring Dali above the station. Other sites to see include the historic downtown near the docks of the Basse River, the fortified Palais des Rois de Majorca (Palace of the Kings of Majorca), Le Castillet a former prison, and the Cathedrale St-Jean (Cathedral of St. John the Baptist). Unfortunately it's a bit late to visit the city walls; they were demolished over a century ago to let a growing city expand.

The Mediterranean fishing village of Collioure is a major tourist attraction especially during the summer months. To a large extent it was made famous by Henri Matisse and other Fauve painters of times gone by. The good news is that the view hasn't changed much. As you might well imagine, this village of less than three thousand remains popular with artists. Make sure to see the old port, the Seventeenth Century Notre-Dame-des-Anges (Our Lady of the Angels) Church and the Thirteenth Century Château Royal (Royal Castle) once the summer home of the kings of Majorca.

Before reviewing the Languedoc-Roussillon 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 Roque Anchois (Anchovies with Tomato, Spices, Vinegar, and Olive Oil). For your second course savor Tagine de Lotte (Monkfish Stew). And as dessert indulge yourself with Crème Catalan (Crème brûlée with Orange Flower and Aniseed).

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

Wine Reviewed Domaine des Aspes Merlot 2003 13% about $14

Let's start by quoting the marketing materials. An attractive Merlot from the warm 2003 vintage. The aromas suggest ripe plum, blackberry and a hint of tar. It is dry, quite rich and supple with a long, balanced finish. Match barbecued steak.

My first meal was take out. It consisted of chicken breast with the skin on, potato salad, and a somewhat spicy tomato, red pepper, and garlic salad. No, I didn't buy this last salad in the Midi. At the first taste the wine was excellent: It was quite round and rich with some tobacco and plenty of dark fruit. You know the old story about never getting a second chance to make a first impression. No need. I think that the Merlot's length and level of complexity kept it from competing in a totally different price range. I wasted some wine by pairing it with a quite unorthodox partner, fresh pineapple. No surprise, the two didn't mesh.

The next meal consisted of a stove-top home cooked chicken breast with a somewhat spicy tomato sauce, accompanied by white rice and green beans. Once again the wine was quite powerful with tobacco and dark fruit.

Of course I did want to try this wine with red meat. I went for hamburgers and the fixings. Once again it was a success. The Merlot was long and round with a pronounced taste of tobacco. Let me remind you that I am not now and have never really been a smoker. I don't go looking for a tobacco taste but I do like it in a wine, if not overdone. In all cases I was pleased with its tobacco taste. The wine was fairly chewy and quite pleasant. The last sips were quite enjoyable after the meal was over.

My first cheese pairing was with a goat's milk cheese, a Palet de Chevre from the Poitou Charentes region of central-western France. This cheese seemed more like a Camembert than a goat's milk cheese. While this wine was less forward than when accompanying the meals, I'd call it subtle rather than flat. I got the taste of plums. The second cheese was a Swiss Gruyere. The wine was intense; a nice match between its fruit and the Gruyere's nuttiness. I usually limit my tastings to imported cheese but I found a real favorite of mine, a local Asiago that I prefer to its Italian cousin and to most cheeses that I have eaten recently. The wine remained powerful and fruity with a good level of acidity. Black plums are good, but I don't think that they were ever this good. Final verdict. Can you guess? Will the next bottle be as good? I'll follow my instincts and the marketing notes and try it with barbecued steak.

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About the Author:
Levi Reiss
Over the years Levi Reiss has written ten Internet and computer books, sometimes with a co-author. Between you and me, he would rather drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches computer classes at an Ontario French-language community college. Visit his Italian wine website at www.theitalianwineconnection.com .Visit his Italian travel website at www.travelitalytravel.com .