For this, my first Wine Blogger Wednesday, answering Weingolb’s call to Languedoc-Roussillon, my wine of choice was the 2004 Domaine Clavel Les Garrigues. As a side-note, if anyone happens to be going to Europe in the next few months, www.RyanAir.com is running cheap flights to Carcassonne, which is worth the trip if you like villages surrounded by walls and filled with the best French food you’ve ever had for a quarter of the price you could get it for in the Latin Quarter. I mention Carcassonne because you can get direct flights there from London; it’s a simply amazing place and you’re a stones throw away from some great producers in Languedoc-Roussillon.It’s difficult to go wrong with Languedoc. I personally find that Beaujolais can disappoint me sometimes as it can be a bit thin for my palate, but with the bulk of Languedoc being Syrah, and the rest being spiced up even more with Grenache and Mourvedre, Languedoc reds make for exciting and reliable drinking. We drank it with a Tikka Marsala Chicken Curry, and the match was extraordinarily complimentary. In fact, the match was perfect for the curry, because the Syrah matched the curry’s spice note for note, and together with the garlic bread, many of the Les Garrigues herbal elements met their match. The fresh crush chewy fruit character imparted by the Grenache was a perfect ally for the spicy tomato Marsala sauce; and at $11.00 a bottle this wine is a winner.
I’m going to do 3 wines leading up to the 3rd Wednesday… but the Clavel is a definite contender. In fact, I may use this as the wine to go with my garlic, coffee and chocolate task!