Try your freshly shucked oysters with a squeeze of lemon and a chilled glass of Entre-deux-Mers. Perfection!
For those in town on a Sunday morning, join the locals rounding off the morning market on the quayside at Chartrons with a plate of oysters and a beaded glass of local white wine. Get there early as the seating fills up fast.
The quays are also home to the fishing huts known locally as ‘carrelets’ after their large square nets, from whence comes another local delicacy - Alose or dog fish. Available only in springtime, this bony fish is best savoured grilled (especially on vine cuttings). It marries well with a spicy white wine from the region or with a clairet - the Bordeaux take on rosé which is less sweet than a traditional rosé and goes well with grilled fish. For the more adventurous, the Garonne is also home to another fishy delicacy — the lamprey eel. Also a springtime speciality, the eel is cooked in a hearty red wine sauce and served with a full bodied, dry claret, such as a Saint-Emilion or a Médoc wine. Ideally, as with all dishes cooked ‘à la Bordelaise’ in a red wine sauce, you should drink the same wine as the dish was cooked with — just ask!
The region produces an excellent caviar - Caviar d’Aquitaine, which goes wonderfully with a white from Pessac-Léognan or even a glass of quality Crémant, Bordeaux’s answer to champagne. Santé!
Sauternes may be the perfect partner to foie gras (very Bordelais!) but did you know it also makes a good accompaniment to poultry — especially duck, blue cheeses and even lobster?
The region is known for its excellent local beef; try the vigneron’s favourite — an entrecôte steak, cooked over vine cuttings — of course — with a glass of claret or two. Simple and divine, the dish goes as well with full bodied clarets from a family vineyard as it does with a grand cru classé. The choice is yours!
Then there’s duck which is traditionally served in a variety of forms. The South West is famed for its duck confit, slow cooked duck which melts in the mouth and available tinned. A kitchen store cupboard standby in every Bordeaux household, try your confit back home, with a bottle of claret from your suitcase, such as an Haut-Médoc - close your eyes and you’re back in Bordeaux.
...don’t miss a trip to the cloisters at Saint-Emilion for a glass of sparkling Crémant and a plate of macaroons - the perfect pairing of locally made, traditional produce. First made by Ursuline nuns in the 17C, the macaroons recipe remains a closely guarded secret to this day.
Finally, don’t forget to try a canelé and do take some home with you. Traditional wisdom has it that they should be served with a sweet white wine or a sparkling wine, but as you will discover, they’re so good, they go with almost anything!
