SHE at the table. – Can you explain the merger and opposition agreements to us?
Alexandre Pons. Either we look for the fusion accord as we actually call this complementary side, that is to say the fusion where we find the same style of aromatics. We also call fusion when it comes from the same region.
With poultry in yellow wine for example, we serve yellow wine to match, there it is complementary, it is fusional.
Otherwise we seek the opposition agreement. When you eat very powerful meat, for example like a lamb tagine. To counter the power of the lamb and the spices, we will look for a red wine totally on the fruit, something very short, crunchy, fresh Gamay style from Beaujolais to bring freshness and counterbalance with the power of the dish.
Wine and fish pairings
SHE at the table. – What wine to serve with salmon?
AP The agreements generally relate to the main product, in this case the salmon, but often vary in relation to the cooking of the salmon in question, the sauce and condiments that accompany it, and the time of the meal as well.
For the very fashionable salmon tartare or ceviche, we look for wines that are quite lively, mineral, with a nice acidity in the idea of a sauvignon blanc from the Loire Valley. Sauvignon with a beautiful minerality, a salty touch, a very fresh side and which, like the dash of lemon, will enhance the fish, as can a dash of lemon added to a fish that comes out completely just from the oven. The idea is always to look around salmon, especially when serving it as a starter, for something very fresh with some pep.
If you serve rather cooked salmon as a main course, you will look for a wine with a little more texture which will recall that of salmon, this quite generous, gourmet side. And there, we could go for a Burgundy Chardonnay, Côte de Beaune style, a Meursault, a Puligny-Montrachet, where we will have a slightly creamier texture due to the aging in wooden barrels. As a general rule, for a salmon served as a starter, we look for fairly lively notes, what's more at the start of the meal, we always start with a nice acidity to whet the palate.
SHE at the table. – What wine to serve with white fish tartare?
AP In general, the tartars are seasoned with a nice acidity, a dash of lemon, pomegranate, citrus fruits which bring pep so we look for complementarity with a white wine always with pep, a fairly floral and mineral side, this side a bit of rock that also reminds us of the ocean. So we stick to this same Sauvignon style or wines that are close to the ocean or the sea. I'm thinking of the Picpoul de Pinet appellation for example which is not necessarily the best known but which is in the south of France, in the Languedoc part. These are vines swept by sea winds so you will have this salty tip which is a little reminiscent of the fish in question. It's quite interesting at the start of a meal, this salty and acidic side at the same time.
SHE at the table. – What wine to serve with carpaccio or snacked scallops?
AP In carpaccio, we are heading towards the same style as with fish tartare.
For the snacked part where we will have a delicious flesh, we are looking for a fairly generous texture with pretty chardonnay and/or aged in wooden barrels which will bring that slightly buttery, brioche side, of a croissant coming out of the oven. We will have this really toasty side, a little creamy in terms of texture, which will coat the palate and it is true that Burgundian chardonnays correspond very well to this.
We can also go for something more original with wines from Roussillon for example, which will be a little warmer for once, where we will also have more aromatic power and texture, which will be interesting compared to the scallops. .
SHE at the table. – What wine to serve with lobster?
AP Lobster has quite generous flesh so Chardonnay Burgundy works very well. We are on a very fine product, what would be interesting in terms of the evolution of the wine is to look for a slightly more evolved wine. We will lose a little acidity, this youthful enthusiasm that we will reduce, we will lose a little acidity, the pep, but on the other hand we will gain in elegance, in finesse. We are going to have wines which will turn towards this slightly truffled aroma, really very light, a little less floral, a little more hazelnut, praline, while remaining fresh despite everything. The goal is to seek the wisdom and elegance of evolution rather than the ardor of youth, characterized by acidity.
SHE at the table. – What wine to serve with oysters?
AP What is interesting and that is why it works very well, are the merger agreements in the same region. For example with Arcachon oysters, we will look for the beautiful sauvignons from Bordeaux which are very lively, and which, like what I told you for the Picpoul, have this saline touch which recalls the iodized side of the 'Oyster. So it's interesting these complementary pairings from the same region, taking a wine that comes from the region where we harvest the oysters and looking for sauvignons, generally very lively and tense, with nice acidity. Once again, it's like that little vinegared shallot or lemon that we put on the oyster, the goal is to bring some pep to wake up the crustacean.
SHE at the table. – What wine to serve with roasted monkfish?
AP Often we prepare monkfish a la plancha, we look for a little aromatic, and why not if the monkfish is enhanced with citrus fruits, look for this aromatic power that we can have with wines from the South and at the same time this side citrus fruits found in the Viognier grape variety for example. A fairly well-known appellation which is that of Condrieux in the northern part of the Rhône valley, you also have Saint-Joseph in white, Crozes-Hermitage in white which are a slightly more reasonable price-pleasure ratio than Condrieux. Always white wines with a certain aromatic, power, a fairly warm side of the Rhône valley, but at the same time citrus notes which, like the citrus fruits of the monkfish, enhance the whole. It's a good compromise when you're looking for more aromatics, this more flavorful and sunny side of the northern Rhône valley, therefore the part of the North which is just south of Lyon.
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