Cab Franc- Pairings and Recipes
This month, here at the grange is going to be #cabfrancmonth. Watch our blog, twitter and facebook for tasting notes, recipes, food pairings, reviews and more!
The Main Idea-
When I make dinners to pair with the cabernet franc I always try to incorporate a little charcuterie or cheese. But using the same flavours from other food works just as well. Salty things like olives, anchovies, etc. are great additions to dishes with this wine. Flat bread style pizzas are always the first thing that comes to mind for me. I like it for wine pairing because you can have a lot of different flavour combinations to try out. Things like prosciutto and arugula, roasted tomato and black olive, and parmesan and Italian sausage all will bring out new and interesting flavours in the wine.
But this time of year, I like to have warmer, richer dishes and so I’ve come up with a chilli “recipe” that will work great with the wine, without being over powering. I find these sorts of dishes work best when you do everything from taste. So, first off instead of using ground beef I used large cubed beef. Stewing beef is perfect. And in fact its best browned first just as in a stew. Then I like to add a couple of types of beans to add color and texture; generally I’ll go with one light coloured bean and one dark. A little shallot or onion and a little garlic go a long way in this dish as well, so don’t over power it with too much. In terms of the rest of the flavours, I like to keep it salty and spicy- avoid anything too green or vegetal (no carrots, green pepper, corn, potato) Also, Using fresh tomato is always something I’d suggest, as you can get hot house tomatoes all year around. I also like using a little of the wine in the chilli base; it will be subtle, but it will influence the pairing. Then just use enough fresh ground pepper and some nice herbs; thyme, bay etc. Avoid anything too overpowering like oregano. And then just play along with the balance of things. Let it simmer for an hour and then try it out!
Dessert (of) course-
This cab franc is also great for desserts. A wintery dessert classic for me has always been poached pears. And poaching them in cab franc is a lovely option.
Cab franc ice syrup is a great ingredient for desserts. Made from all Canadian grapes, ice syrup is a delicious and unique feature for a dish. Check out their recipe for blueberry ice squares here! But keep it local with frozen blueberries!
http://www.icesyrup.com/recipes/lynn/BlueberryIceSquares.html
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Cab Franc Pairing: Charcuterie and Cheese
This month, here at the grange is going to be #cabfrancmonth. Watch our blog, twitter and facebook for tasting notes, recipes, food pairings, reviews and more!
The Trumpour’s Mill 2008 Cabernet Franc is our go to wine to pair with charcuterie and cheeses since it was released late last year. Out of all our wines it is the most versatile with the salty, rich flavour combination with charcuterie and cheese. Here is a little list of choices that go terrifically with this Cab Franc: pork rillettes, duck prosciutto, sweetbreads, Italian salami, rabbit terrine, speck, aged cheddar, soft ripened (think fifth town nettles gone wild), hard cheese (perhaps the Brushed rind goat milk cheese, Petal Luna also from fifth town).
Why it works:
With wine, cheese and charcuterie pairings, if it’s done right, the wine will work differently with each different element; bringing out unique flavours in the combination each time.
The prosciutto, salami, short breads and aged cheddar all have a wonderfully crisp saltiness to them. With this cab franc it really works to bring out the sweet, juiciness of the wine- the same way a pinch of salt on strawberries brings out the flavour. At the same time, this juiciness refreshes the palate from the salty meat and cheese.
For the speck, the soft ripened cheese and the rabbit tarrine it is the interesting play of favours that occurs that appeals to me. The speck plays of the fruit and the pepper in the wine, the rabbit terrine plays with the herbatious notes. Each bite brings out different nuances in the pairing.
Another way to play with the flavors is with wine jelly as a condiment on the plate. we make our own wine jelly at the winery, the wine characteristic is crisp and distinct and will work the same way with the elements of the plate as the wine will! stop by, try some and get the recipe!
So next time you’re out ordering a charcuterie plate, or perhaps having guest over for dinner consider some of the ways that you can take your pairing to the next level in a really easy way!
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Adam’s Cellar Notes
January 21, 2011
Adam Delorme – Winemaker
In keeping with Cabernet Franc month, I thought I might pen a few words about the 2009 Cabernet Franc. I should first begin by saying Cab Franc might be my favorite red we grow. Year after year the quality of the fruit is exceptional and the wines no different. As the vines begin to age, the resulting wines get bigger and bolder.
The 2009 Cab Franc is still relaxing in barrel, French barrels ranging in age from new to 3 years old. They have been in for 14 months and will probably remain there for another 3-4 months if the quality keeps improving. At the Grange we keep wine in the barrel as long as it keeps improving and stays in balance. It can be tricky as you have to imagine what the wine might be like in 3 years and if it will still be in balance.
The colour is the deepest to date, I would call it deep garnet. The nose resembles raspberry compote with vanilla and cocoa…sounds like a dessert. The tannins are quite firm as it has been in barrel for 14 months, but the wine should be drinking well in about 2 years. The finish is long and spicy. I’m very proud of this wine as we are developing a following for our Cabernet Franc. This one will surely please.
Cab Franc News and Reviews! #winewednesdays
Its #winewednesdays and its #cabfranc month! So in honour to celebrating local wines we’ve decided to take a look at some of the great reviews local wine lovers have posted about our cabs!
East& Main Wine List
http://eastandmain.ca/menu/wines/
Artevino 2010 winners 2008 TM Cab Franc
http://artevino.ca/themes/email/winners/
Winealign.com 2007 TM Cab Franc
http://www.winealign.com/wines/11697-Trumpour%2527s-Mill-Cabernet-Franc-2007
Nataliemaclean.com 2007 TM Cab Franc
princeedwardcountywineries.blogspot.com 2007 Cab Franc
http://princeedwardcountywineries.blogspot.com/2010/11/grange-2007-trumpours-mill-cabernet.html
http://www.theliquorguy.ca/our_brands/Trumpour’s%20Mill%20Cabernet%20Franc%202007/?product_id=65968
The Cab Franc Story
This month, here at the grange is going to be #cabfrancmonth. Watch our blog, twitter and facebook for tasting notes, recipes, food pairings, reviews and more!
Our Trumpours Mill Cabernet Franc is one of my favourite wines that we have made to date. Our crop, in 2008 was one of the best we’ve had across the board. As a result, our harvest of cab had beautiful ripeness, something that is a little bit of a concern with cabernet franc in colder climates. Our processing of this grape was unique in comparison to the traditional cabernet method. We knew that this was not going to be a full bodied red, and we knew that treating the must like one wasn’t going to do it justice. Instead, we treated it more like the great grapes that thrive in our region, gamay and pinot noir. Processing with more whole berries in the must had the juice exploding with fresh, red fruit flavours! ripe red fruit- currents, raspberries, and black cherries. It also had nice vanilla and black pepper notes which gave it interesting complexity. And silky tannins! Not the kind of tannins you’d expect from a young cab, the ones that come with a lot of green pepper, but smooth, velvet-y black cherry ones. To me, this wine shows more unique character from the region than any other. It’s very distinct from the full-bodied styles from Niagara and I think it could be one of those varieties that truly lets Prince Edward County’s unique terrior shine.
This is my go to wine to pair with charcuterie and cheeses. Keep checking out the blog because we will be doing a local cheese and charcuterie pairing soon!
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