Invited to join a lunch during Vinexpo in Hong Kong.  The lunch is organized by Interprofessional Des Vins Du Languedoc.

Frankly, Languedoc is not a region that I’m familiar with or drink often.  Primary reason is although Languedoc is located in the south of France, the wine style is quite New World which is unfortunately not my favorite.  Of all the wines that I tasted, most of them are wines that are quite forward, user-friendly and not overly complex.  Yet, I think the pairing is done really well and able to show how a really inexpensive wine can match well with food to show its best.

Sieur d’Arques – Grande Cuvée 1531 NM (Cremant de Limoux)

Assorted Chinese Dim Sum

This sparkling wine is quite intense in its nose but slightly weak in palate.  Pear drop and spice dominated aromas.  Not really complex but quite a good aperitif.  I also enjoyed the pairing of dim sum with sparkling wine.  What surprised me most is that the wine can match well with worcestershire sauce!    Worcestershire sauce is really quite a difficult sauce to match with wine.

Vignobles Jeanjean – Mas de Lunes 2011 (Languedoc)

Deep Fried Shrimp with Crispy Skin

Very fresh and aromatic nose of pear.  Slightly more full-bodied in palate than the nose suggested.  Medium level of acidity and slight bitterness aftertaste.  The wine acidic structure cut through the slight oily feel of shrimp very well.  It also matched well with the mango sauce.

Domaine Astruc – dA Chardonnay 2010 (Limoux)

Fried Garoupa

A very modern style Chardonnay that is quite heavy hand in the use of oak and malolactic fermentation.  Very full-bodied in palate.  It works well with fried garoupa given this dish is actually even heavier than the deep-fried shrimp above.

Vins Orliac – Bergerie de l’Hortus 2010 (Languedoc Pic Saint Loup)

Crispy Tea-Smoked Chicken

Smell and taste quite like a Cote du Rhone.  Red fruits dominated aromas and flavour.  Very fruity in style maybe due to low temperature fermentation or semi-carbonic maceration.  Matched with chicken, the wine has better concentration and focus.

Famille Fabre – Chateau Fabre Gastarets (Corbieres Boutenac)

Fried Pork with Fried Rice in Pumpkin

I think this is the best wine of the day.  Elegant and quite high in complexity and concentration.  Unfortunately, while the pairing is not bad, it is not as good as the previous pairings.

Val d’Orbieu Muscat Petit Grain NV (Muscat de Saint Jean de Minervois)

Egg White in Young Coconut Dessert

This is a good dessert wine.  Apricot, lemon peel, lime.  Quite good in complexity.  I usually prefer to drink dessert wine without any pairing since I found most pairing with desserts didn’t work very well.  And to me, this applies again.  I rather enjoy the dessert wine alone without pairing with these Chinese desserts.

Leave a Reply

(required)

(required)

© 2012 <a href='http://www.vinzealot.com'>Vin Zealot Wine Blog</a> Suffusion WordPress theme by Sayontan Sinha