Sauternes and food pairing question from Chateau Coutet

[Aline Baly]

Hello everyone,

I am on the look-out for international dishes that pair well with Bordeaux's gold wines... There is a lot of discussion around Asian dishes that pair well with Sauternes and Barsac. Does anyone have any suggestions for South American dishes -- specifically Brazilian? I am also curious about Mexican cuisine. Unfortunately, I've had little exposure to these cuisines!

Thanks,
Aline

[Jeff Leve]

Hi Aline

How are things at Chateau Coutet?

I am sad to admit, but my ideas on pairings with sweet wines are traditional. Salty cheese and foie gras for example. I had a great pairing of oysters and Sauternes that worked. It matched salt with sweet and both textures were rich. Knowing you pair your wines with a myriad of foods, what have you experienced?

And if you do not mind, what style of vintages do you prefer when matching with food? Do you prefer the sweeter vintages, or the dryer years?

[Rob MacKay]

I just got back from a weekend in Vegas which included a dinner at Lotus of Siam, an absolutely excellent Thai restaurant. One of the wines we had was a 1975 Chateau Rieussec which was a fabulous match to many of the dishes. I've found that Sauternes matches quite well with Thai and other Asian dishes.

[Steve Webb]

Hi Aline

As you know Bill Blatch and I are trying just about everything with Sauternes! Frankly, we haven't found many dishes that simply won't match up with at least one style of Sauternes or Barsac - we even had success with steak (the secret here is to get good pasture fed meat with plenty of fat)! Any salty, spicy, rich, fatty or sweet food has the potential for a match and, of course, this includes South American dishes. Brazil I know nothing about but we regularly have Mexican food at our house and Sauternes is great with Enchiladas, Fajitas and Burritos!

I hope to see you in April when I will be with Bill in Bordeaux.