From the Loire Valley to a Metis kitchen

Pouolly-Fume wines are a white with a smoky bouquet, a sort of ‘gunflint’ aroma

As a status Metis I enjoy researching the history, culture and foods of Indigenous people. I am French Metis on my mother’s side and have spent years tracing her family roots and routes from Penetanguishene back to Lac des Deux Montagnes (Lake of Two Mountains) Quebec and then as far back to the Loire Valley, France in the 1400s. I love the wines of the Loire.

In the Loire, Pouilly-Fumé is an appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) for the dry Sauvignon Blanc white wine. The term “Fumé” refers to smoke. In the vineyard the Sauvignon Blanc grapes are coated with a smoky gray bloom. The term Fumé also refers to the wine’s smoky boutique, a sort of ‘gunflint’ aroma’ that is the wine’s trademark, deriving from the region’s terroir (the magic of geography, climate and soil). The soils here incorporate limestone, Kimmerdigin limestone with oyster traces, limestone-clay and siliceous clay.

Not to be confused with Pouilly Fuisse, Pouilly Fumé wines generally offer a nose of grapefruit with some floral and gunflint tones. The palate is light to medium-bodied with classic Sauvignon Blanc zesty acidity and citrus flavours. The gunflint shows up on the back palate.

The wine’s lovely acidity makes it a fabulous match for foods showcasing zesty acidity, as well.

Fresh lemon juice drizzled over grilled fish, shrimp, salmon or scallops work incredibly well with this French white. Saltiness offsets the wine’s acidity also bringing harmony to the palate.

Charcuterie and salty cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino Romano are good examples. So pasta with vegetables, chicken or pork garnished with a hefty dose of salty cheese tastes downright delicious when paired with Pouilly Fumé.

A traditional Metis fish dish to pair with Pouilly-Fumé would feature salmon, pickerel or trout. Berries were also an integral part of the Metis diet, including cranberries. I found a classic Metis cranberry sauce recipe, which I wrote about last year.

Fresh cranberries are boiled in pine water. The water has a bitter flavour from the boiled pine needles. When fresh cranberries and salt are added to the water, the sauce celebrates the taste sensations of sourness, saltiness and bitterness.

Cranberry sauce requires sugar. And sugar was part of the Metis diet. The European fur traders included sugar as part of the treaty negotiation rations.

The origins of maple syrup are also connected to Indigenous people, as well.

So, the Metis cranberry sauce can be sweetened with maple syrup, but not too much. Too much sweetness in the sauce will clash with the wine’s acidity. Keep the sauce zesty to harmonize with this acidity.

Salmon is a fatty fish. Grilled salmon with a hefty dollop of Metis cranberry sauce is authentic and also incorporates all the primary taste sensations (sour, salty, bitter, sweet) and the mouth feel of fattiness!

Unfortunately, we do not have any Pouilly-Fumé available in Peterborough. However, André Dezat Et Fils Pouilly Fumé 2015 Sauvignon Blanc, (CSPC 527226), $26.95, is available in Bowmanville and Cobourg.

This particular wine is fermented from 100 per cent Sauvignon Blanc. It offers a classic nose of citrus and gunflint.

The palate has grapefruit and yellow plum flavours with zesty acidity and a hint of bitterness on the back palate.

This wine scored 93 at the 2016 Decanter World Wine Awards.

Shari Darling's books and other publications are available at understandpublishing.com