Pays d’Oc Food and Wine Pairing – Pinot Noir 

In this review we are discussing an interesting food and wine pairing we created to learn more about France’s Pays d’Oc region. For this occasion, we used the Hautes Pistes Pinot Noir produced by Aubert et Mathieu.

Pays d’Oc wines are known for their vins de cépage: meaning they usually consist of one grape variety only. In total there are around 58 different varieties of grapes! Quite a lot to choose from and discover you would say. for this review we choose a Pinot Noir. Previously we also reviewed a Chardonnay in this series, you can read about that one here.

The Wine and Food Pairing 

Hautes Pistes is a Pinot Noir produced by Aubert & Mathieu, two friends who shared a passion for changing the ways of how wines are produced. Bringing change through modern views and a dedicated vision which focusses on producing high quality wines whilst doing their utmost best to preserve the climate around them. 

This particular wine comes from the foothills of the Pyrenees. They choose the finest terroirs of the Languedoc-Roussillon quite in the south but taking a high enough altitude to make the pinot noir feel comfortable at home. Its climate brings a unique freshness which is balanced by aromas of red fruits and cherries. Typical for your pinot noir. In optimal conditions this wine is harvested by hand and part of the wine is aged for six months in oak barrels. 

The wine surprised us, having tried a lot of Pinot Noir wines from Burgundy we were curious to try one from a different French region. And this one surprised us positively. It is a pure Pinot Noir. Lovely freshness with delicate tones of fresh red fruits (raspberry). The color is gorgeous. A light yet intense velvety red color which dramatically pops out of the glass. Considering the price (between €10-15) we would call this true value for money. This quality for this price is obviously not something you will find in Burgundy.

So, while enjoying a glass of this wine we geared up for a nice cooking session. It was suggested to pair the wine with a beautiful fish using spices such as parsley and red bell pepper. Well we found a nice recipe for fish in one of our favorite cooking books “La table de Caron” by Alain Caron.  

Enough with the drinking, let us get cooking!

This review is written by Eline de Geus, on behalf of Dutch Wine Apprentice. We would like to thank Pays d’Oc wines and Pitch PR for providing the wine.