Red Bordeaux Wines that Pair Well with Food

Bordeaux, France is a port city running off the Garonne and Dordogne rivers, and is also one of the largest red wine producing areas in the world. The Bordeaux region is separated into various sub-regions all producing their unique grape varieties and crafting wines that represent the area the vineyards are in and the taste sensibilities of the wine makers from those regions.

Red Bordeaux wines have always been a favorite and some red Bordeaux wines sell for over $100,000 making the wines from the region highly sought after and collected. Bordeaux wines even have their own classification system known as the 1855 Bordeaux Classification that separates vineyards into a five tier ranking.

With all of the wonderful wines being produced from Bordeaux along with how much those wines are celebrated, leads to the inevitable pairing with great food. Especially in France where food and wine are pretty much family members and almost always paired together around the breakfast, lunch, and dinner tables. This is especially true for wines of Bordeaux where the cuisine was created to fit the wine and vice-versa.

Below are a few classic Bordeaux wines and a pairing suggestion that should create a complex harmony of flavors that team up to leave a lasting impression on the palette.

Chateau de Maison Neuve Montagne-Saint-Emilion 2005 - A classic Bordeaux blend featuring the Merlot grape that is a rich full bodied fresh fruity flavored red wine that expands on the palette revealing lush dark stone fruits and berries. I love pairing this wine with Korean styled barbequed pork, the spicy pork and the rich fruit flavors of Chateau de Maison Neuve work extremely well together.

Chateau Latour 1982 - If you are feeling extremely luxuriously and have the cash to spend on this $1500 classic red Bordeaux you will be in for a treat. Especially if paired up with a nice cut of lamb, especially rack of lamb or the loin cuts, these less fatty less gamey cuts are a perfect match with refined Bordeaux.

Chateau Pontoise Cabarrus 2005 - This young Bordeaux and its strong tannins and young fruity flavors work great with a nice cut of marbled steak. The young strong tannins in this wine cut through the fat perfectly creating a divine pairing that works on most cuts of beef.

Chateau Greysac Medoc 2004 - Another young red that is rich in tannins and is strong in earth and fruit flavors, this wine pairs nicely with hearty mushroom dishes and with grilled red meats, and is a favorite for pairing with hearty vegan dishes.

Chateau Larose-Trintaudon Haut-Medoc 2004 - This is a great hearty herbaceous bold red wine that is powerful enough to stand up to gamey red meat, like lamb and goat, and here in the United States with venison. I also enjoyed this wine in sauces, one of my favorite dishes to make with this vintage is wine sauce pasta, and the funk and herbaceous flavors of this strong Cabernet Sauvignon makes the dish.

Chateau Palmer, Margaux 1995 - Another more refined red Bordeaux that is very sophisticated and rich, with flavors from orange to dark stone fruits. Not as strong in tannins as other Bordeaux reds this wine can make the leap over to white meats; it especially pairs well with roasted chicken, especially chicken dishes that are strong in herbaceous flavors.