Which wine to serve with foie gras?

Whether it's goose or duck, cooked or semi-cooked, artisanal, homemade or simply bought in a supermarket, there's a good chance that foie gras will be present on your table this year-end. 

A very tasty dish! 

Of course, from one recipe to the next, your foie gras won't have the same texture or the same aromas, but it will always be quite powerful and rather rich at the beginning of the meal. 

So there are two schools of thought to accompany this culinary speciality, which dates back to 2500 BC!

 

• The first, older school accompanies foie gras with sweet wines.

Who will be the strongest? It's a fight between Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson to see who can get the better of the two!

For this chord, let's look for sweetnessIt's important to choose the right wine to complement the richness of the dish. Care should be taken to serve the white wine well chilled, without breaking the aromas too much, but enough to make it less heavy at the beginning of the meal. 

> Château de la Tour Blanche 1985 Sauternes 1er Grand Cru Classé

A Sauternes... An emblematic appellation of Bordeaux and sweet wines, Sauternes wines have great ageing potential. It's the older vintages that are best paired with foie gras. The fact that they have a few years behind them will allow them to lose a little sugar so that they don't take over too much. A blend of Semillion and Sauvignon, La Tour Blanche 1986 offers notes of candied fruit with hints of sweet spices. 

> Gewurztraminer vendanges tardives 2017 - Gustave Lorentz

Gewurztraminer, the second most popular wine among sweet wine lovers, is a classic that will satisfy every taste bud. The Gustave Lorentz estate is well known for its fresh, exotic fruit aromas. Slightly denser than the previous wine, this is the perfect accompaniment to foie gras with figs.

 

• The second school serves foie gras with a dry white wine. 

Let's break our habits and open up our chakras. Serving a dry white wine will break the richness of foie gras and start the meal on a more balanced note. 

But not all dry wines are suitable, as some that are too lively will create too great a contrast with the food and won't marry well. Choose Chardonnay or Chenin-based whites, which make full-bodied or rounded dry wines. 

 

> Saint Aubin 2018 - Marc Colin et ses Fils

Saint Aubin wines are produced on the Côte de Beaune, on the border with Puligny-Montrachet, with limestone soils that lend complexity and minerality to the wines. This 100% Chardonnay is very fine, with floral and sweet notes, and a complex beginning and middle palate of mineral aromas. 

The fatty, round texture will accompany the foie gras without spoiling it too much.

 

> Saumur Champigny 2018 "Les Essarts" white - Antoine Sanzay

This is a "discovery" white appellation. Although Saumur is best known for its red wines, for wine lovers it is also a producer of great white wines. 

Antoine Sanzay, owner of the AOC since 1999, is an expert on the appellation. 

Its Chenin is precise, mineral and floral, with a spicy finish.

 

The perfect food and wine pairing is complex to find, as it has to take into account product preparation and a vast winegrowing heritage. When it comes to matching wine foie grasThe raw food and its cooking method must be considered. When it comes to beverages, it's all about color and aroma. So which wine to serve with foie gras?

 

The best wines to accompany foie gras

Choosing the right wine for foie gras depends on the origin and cooking of the dish. These parameters help determine which foie gras wine is best suited.

Which red wines to serve with foie gras?

This food and wine pairing may seem atypical, but it works if you select the right bottles of wine. Wines with light tannins and spicy aromas go very well with foie gras.
For an agreement pan-fried foie gras winea Haut-Médoca Saumur from Loire or a Nuits-Saint-Georges  at Burgundy are recommended.
For an agreement foie en terrine wine (and semi-cooked foie gras or truffled foie gras wine)a very present wine like a Saint-Émilion or a Chateauneuf du Pape wine will delight the taste buds.

 

Which white wines to serve with foie gras?

The pairing of white wine and foie gras is common, as the freshness of this beverage contrasts with the creaminess of the dish.
For an agreement with a pan-fried foie grasa rather acidic dry white wine (Pessac Léognan or Dry Vouvray) will be perfect.
For an agreement foie gras wine in terrine (and semi-cooked or truffled)There's plenty to choose from. On the sweet side, a Sauternes will work very well. For semi-dry wines, a vin d'Alsace A Gewurztraminer or Pinot Gris is a perfect accompaniment. Finally, a dry white wine such as a Meursault at Burgundy makes an ideal food and wine pairing.

While sweet wine is often imposed as a wine for foie grasother wines go perfectly with it. Indeed, a wine with foie gras must above all counterbalance the taste of the product. There are many beverages that are suitable for this food and wine pairing. Why not try a wine and food pairing with a champagne or a old wine ?

 

What type of foie gras to drink with wine?

To determine which drink works, we need to look at the origin and preparation of the liver itself.

Duck or goose liver with wine?

Duck and goose livers have distinct tastes. Duck liver is stronger and more rustic than goose liver, which is renowned for its delicacy and finesse. Food and wine pairings will therefore differ according to the origin of the dish.

Which cooking method?

Foie gras is best cooked in a terrine, au torchon, with truffles or simply pan-fried. These cooking methods influence its taste and texture. It's important to choose the right bottle for each preparation.