Going mild with prosecco, wild with Cahors, Madiran
DINING WITH A HUNTER FRIEND offers an educational opportunity
I’m not a fan of November in Quebec, though it is the time two of my favourite foods are in season. One of those is oysters. The other, wild meats.
I had my perfect fall meal recently where the menu was just that — raw oysters as a starter, followed by a deer steak. It’s good to have a friend who hunts!
My buddy, despite being able to fire a gun with apparent accuracy, has no clue about wine (or oysters, I learned). But he is the inquisitive type, so once I opened the door to a few questions, it became a barrage. After being pelted for what seemed like an hour, he commented, “You should turn this conversation into a column.”
Okay. Here are some of the more relevant back-and-forths, starting with the oysters.
Friend: So is it true about this “R” month thing?
Me: Sort of. I heard you can eat them all year long, but during the summer, oysters convert most of their body into one big sex organ. If you eat them then, they taste thin and milky. So, pretty gross. Once they have done their thing, they get back to eating. So during the fall months, their bodies gradually fatten up, which is why November and December are the best times to eat oysters. They basically starve themselves from January until spring, using up their fat deposits. Friend: Are they really aphrodisiacs?
Me: I’m not sure if it’s the oysters or the Champagne, which I still think is the best match. I read that Casanova ate 50 raw oysters for breakfast every day, and he did pretty good for himself.
Friend: It’s true this (bubbly wine in my glass) is a pretty good match. I never drink Champagne.
Me: Oysters don’t taste much of anything, so you can’t drink anything that is too flavourful. The key is to drink a wine that has a lot of minerality. Oysters have high levels of iodine, which match up nicely with minerality.
Friend: What’s minerality? Me: Minerality is that sensation of “rockiness” or sometimes a saltiness you get from a wine. Wines that show high minerality work with foods that contain iodine — lobster, shrimp, oysters. You get that mostly from cooler climates — Muscadet, Chablis, Riesling and Vinho Verde. Oh and Champagne.
Friend: How much is this Champagne?
Me: It’s not Champagne. It’s prosecco. Call it a cheaper Italian version of Champagne. And agreed, it’s really good and under $20 (Bisol, Le Crede). Friend: (Looking at dinner table) Do you always open eight bottles of wine when you have someone over for dinner? Me: I figured we would test some out with the deer. They’re all from the southwest of France — Cahors and Madiran. Friend: Never heard of them. They hunt there? Me: Dunno. They’re big on duck and foie gras. But I’ve noticed over the years that in Europe the wines of a region go well with the foods of the place, so maybe they do. I know that Cahors and duck are a perfect match, especially cassoulet. Friend: (Takes a sniff and a swig of a 2007 Cahors from Cosse-Maissoneuve) This smells weird, almost like a barn. Me: Yep. They aren’t made for sipping by the pool. The grape is malbec; you might have had some from Argentina. Friend: Yeah, I have. They aren’t like this though. (Smells it again.) This is a crazy-smelling wine. I didn’t know that this was malbec. Me: Wait for the deer; it should make more sense then. Sometimes they can get a bit earthy, but I usually find they smell of black licorice and lots of dark fruits. That’s why I usually only drink them with stuff like duck and deer. Friend: (Trying another, 2005 Cahors from Château Lagrezette) This one doesn’t smell weird at all. It’s fruitier, less drying. Me: It’s older, so the tannins might have mellowed a bit. Different winemaker as well. It’s cleaner, definitely. Creamier texture as well. I prefer the stinkier stuff, but both are good.
(Over dinner) Friend: The Cahors and deer is a good match. Even the one that smells. So what’s the difference with Madiran? (Pours himself a glass of 2009 Madiran from LaffitteTeston and takes a sip.) Me: They aren’t that far from one another. Madiran is farther south, next to Armagnac. Big difference is the grape — tannat instead of malbec. Tannat can smell a bit like raw meat at times, but to me the biggest difference is that Madirans can be more tannic. But definitely less funky-smelling. Friend: (Eating) This is the best match so far. Me: You wouldn’t have said that yesterday when I opened the bottle. Like drinking cotton balls. (Taking a sip myself and a bite of deer.) Agreed, this is a winner. Just seems to sit behind the meat nicely and doesn’t get in the way. Drinks like a Bordeaux would. Friend: My dad always drinks Bordeaux. Would that be good to drink with this as well? Me: Lots of wines would work, as long as they are red, have some tannins and are pretty flavourful.