With so many French-inspired wineries here in Woodinville, Jen and I thought it would be fun to celebrate National Cassoulet Day (January 9) this year. Cassoulet is a rustic French bean stew that is traditionally made with duck and sausage but also can be made with beef, chicken, or mushrooms (in a vegetarian version).
Jen will be cooking a rich, robust cassoulet (generally paired with strong red wines that can stand up to it) and I will be cooking a vegetarian cassoulet version that I will pair with a French style white wine.
We read up on suggested wine pairings for traditional rich Cassoulets – Food & Wine Magazine suggests GSMs and Syrahs; Matching Food and Wine suggests that a Malbec might work; VinePair suggests Cinsault, Carignan or Syrah; Wine Enthusiast steers us towards Cotes du Rhone style Syrah-based wines. VinePair adds the suggestion of a white wine – a PicPoul, such as the one Callan Cellars makes.
Check out Bon Appetit’s article on why Cassoulet is The Most Epic Dish You Will Ever Make.
Let’s celebrate National Cassoulet Day with some local Washington wines!
GSM Style Wines we recommend from Woodinville:
- Brian Carter Cellars “Byzance” CSM
- Chateau Ste. Michelle “Tenet” GSM
- Damsel Cellars “The Fates” GSM
- DeLille Cellars Metier
- Descendant Cellars 2013 “Belle” GSM
- J. Bookwalter Winery GSM
- Lydian GSM (via Avennia)
- Paplow Cellars GSM (via Gorman Winery)
- Robert Ramsay Cellars “Previa” GSC (with Counoise instead of Mourvedre)
- Rocky Pond Winery “Stratastone” GSM
- Tertulia Cellars Estate GSM
- Three of Cups “Le Judgment” Red Blend
- Zerba Cellars GSM
Malbecs we recommend from Woodinville:
- Adrice Wines Dexterite French Malbec
- Alexandria Nicole Cellars Malbec
- Callan Cellars Malbec
- Cave B Estate Winery Malbec
- Damsel Cellars Stillwater Creek Malbec
- Descendant Cellars Malbec
- Fidelitas Red Mountain Malbec
- Finn Hill “Vivant” Malbec
- Prohibition Cellars Malbec
- Savage Grace “Cot”
- Sparkman Cellars “Preposterous” Malbec
- Warr-King Wines Malbec
- Syrah Wines We Recommend from Woodinville:
- aMaurice Cellars Estate Syrah and Boushey Syrah
- Chandler Reach Vineyards Syrah
- Efeste “Jolie Bouche” Syrah
- Gorman Winery “Behind the Black Curtain”
- Long Shadows “Sequel” Syrah
- Mark Ryan “Wild Eyed” Syrah
- Sparkman Cellars “Darkness” Syrah
- Trust Cellars Lewis Vineyard Syrah
- Warr-King Wines Syrah
- Kevin White Winery “En Hommage” Syrah
White Wines from Woodinville We Recommend for Vegetarian Cassoulet Pairing:
- Alexandria Nicole Cellars “Shepherds Mark” Rhone-style white wine blend
- DeLille Cellars Roussanne
- Icon Cellars Roussanne
- Isenhower Cellars Blanc de Blanc Sparkling Roussanne or Yakima Valley Roussanne
- Isenhower Cellars Viognier
- Glacier View Cellars vegetarian white wines
- Goose Ridge Vineyards “GRV” White Blend
- Market Vineyards “Liquidity” White Blend
- Smasne Cellars Marsanne
- Warr-King Wines Roussanne
Vegetarian and Vegan Cassoulet Recipes:
Dash of Savory’s Easy Mushroom Cassoulet
Feed Me Phoebe Vegetarian Mushroom Chard Cassoulet
The New Baguette’s Vegan Cassoulet
Tasty Kitchen’s Mushroom Cassoulet
Happy cooking and drinking!
Join our Woodinville Wine Chat group on Facebook if you’d like!
-Carrie and Jen
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