A Sweet (Bordeaux) Valentine

Late last year I had the opportunity to visit the Bordeaux of France (for the first time), and while it was my first wine trip since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it would have been just as exciting an experience even if it were yet another trip sandwiched between other international ventures in a normal year. Was I tucking into big hunks of beef drenched in marrow-and-broth-laden Bordelaise sauce, and washing it all down with big, bold reds?

Nope.

This tour was all about the sweet wines of Bordeaux, and let me tell you - it fascinated. That was mostly because, and I say this as someone coming from the land of Icewine, I'm usually not into sweet stuff; way more of a savoury guy. In saying that, the reason I opted for the venture was because the focus was all about food pairing, from pastry to poultry, from cheese to sushi. It was a head-turning experience, so much so that for this Valentine's Day I'm recommending straying from the sparkling and pink wine clichés, and venturing to the world of sweet Bordeaux.

Here's what you need to know:

• The wines of sweet Bordeaux are white, mostly composed of Sémillon (stone-fruit, honey) and/or Sauvignon Blanc (citrus, herbs) and/or Muscadelle (dried apricot, jasmine).
• THEE thing you're gonna be attracted to in these wines is noble rot. From Bordeaux.com: Noble Rot, officially known as Botrytis Cinerea, is a good fungus, which in the right climatic conditions attacks very ripe, thin-skinned grapes. As a result of this benevolent attack, grapes start to shrivel like raisins. Grape flavors and sugars become more concentrated. This good fungus actually changes the entire metabolism of the grape, and the resulting flavors are quite unique.
• That botrytis factor offers an umami component, to me representative of Matsutake (or pine) mushrooms. Super-fun for food pairing.
• The cool-climate region ensures good acidity, which keeps the sweet wines from being too confected or cloying. A few sips won't exhaust you!
• Sauternes is the most famous region for these wines, which also translates as some of the priciest, too. For bang-for-your-buck selections, look for wines hailing from Barsac, Loupiac, Cadillac, or Sainte Croix du Monts. 
• I find Sainte Croix du Monts to be some of the most charismatic of these wines, due to the high component of limestone and decomposed oyster shells in the soil (as evidenced in the pic above).
• Food-wise? Fresh oysters work, and I love a stinky cheese like Époisses (these wines are a great contrast and cut right through 'em). Hell, anything with heat will come up a treat, from Thai curries to Nashville hot chicken.

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Shake it things up a bit and give sweet Bordeaux wines a whirl. Just ask your local wine shop pro for recommendations in the category. The sip away and enjoy having another fun and tasty wine style in your arsenal.