Bordeaux
‘Bottoms up’ to everyone again. This time we will be looking at the red wines from the Bordeaux Region but before we get there let us stop off and try a Pineau des Charentes. It is a fortified wine / vin de liqueur – a sweet aperitif, which is made by adding grape spirit to the grape juice before fermentation.
There are Blanc and Rosé versions but note the alcohol content is 17.5%. Once, whilst in the Charente, we were invited for an early evening drink and we were all offered Pineau. One or two of the guests spoke very loudly after the event, so remember it is a vin de liqueur. We used Pineau Blanc to clear our palettes before the wine tasting. It agreeably accompanies melon and pâté and it is drunk very chilled as an aperitif or as a sweet wine.
I must admit the wine tasting has already started with our old chums Stephane, Bernadette and Mrs Vine sampling the joys of the red wines from the Bordeaux region. Our daughter Champagne has also joined us but she has decided to drink white Bordeaux. We have bought a selection from the supermarket so I hope you have your glass at the ready. A Bordeaux red wine glass is a plain large tulip shaped glass in which you can throw the wine around and put your nose right in to sample the various flavours. I was pleased to see that Stephane was not filling it up to the top and that he had a natty swirl and sniff movement. Something I will try and copy.