Steak tartare and Provence rosé

It’s back to the usual drizzly grey grot this Monday morning but the past week has been glorious.

Definitely rosé weather which prompted my friend Andy Clarke* and I to crack open a bottle of Provence rosé at one of my favourite Bristol restaurants, Little French, the other day.

You might think that was odd as we’d both opted for steak. Andy, an onglet, in my case a steak tartare. But actually the wine - the By.Ott from Domaine Ott worked with both

In my previous post on steak tartare I wrote “Not the very pale Provence type but a Bandol rosé would be lovely.” I take that back - a good quality pale Provence rose is spot on too, especially with a fresh crunchy salad on the side. (And chips, obviously!)

You can buy By.Ott from various Indies in the UK, normally for around £25 but a wine merchant called De Burgh has the 2022 for £19.99 though I'm guessing they'll move on to the 2023 if that sells through quickly

* BTW Andy has a new book on gin coming out if you’re keen on cocktails and although I’m not much of a mixologist myself I’ve had great success with his recipes.

Oysters and Provence rosé

I wouldn’t have thought of pairing rosé with oysters to be honest when there are so many good alternatives in the way of white wines but when I was poured a glass of Chateau Galoupet’s Côtes de Provence rosé at Hawksmoor Wood Wharf the other night I found it was a surprisingly good match.

They serve oysters three ways - unadorned, roasted with bone marrow and with a Scotch bonnet mignonette.

The chilli-spiked mignonette was particularly good with the Provençal style of rosé which in many ways works similarly to a white with seafood.

I’m not sure I would abandon my usual choices which you can see if you click on the link below but if I was opening just the one bottle with a meal of which oysters were part it would work just fine - as it would with a less expensive but equally dry rosé

The best wine (and other) pairings with oysters

You can buy Chateau Galoupet’s 2021 rosé on offer £36 at Berry Bros & Rudd at the time of writing and for about £45-50 at other indies

I ate at Hawksmoor as a guest (of my son!)

Sponsored feature: 10 ways to enjoy your favourite Provence rosé this Christmas

Rosé at Christmas! Well, why on earth not? We enjoy white wine year round and reds in the summer so why not enjoy what has become one of the most popular styles of rosé at this joyful time of year?

Provence rosé has been booming in last few years, accounting for just under 40% of France’s AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégée) rosés with 165 million bottles produced in 2014. As you may know it’s made mainly from red wine grapes (the local Cinsault, Tibouren, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Grenache). Although most wines from the region share the characteristic freshness and delicate pale colour of the Provence style, there’s a range of options from Provence.Crisp and fruity rosés from a recent vintage are perfect for seafood and salads, richer, weightier rosés from older vintages can handle richer dishes and even roast meats.

Here are some of the ways you can enjoy them best over the holiday period:

With smoked salmon

It’s not only the taste - the acidity of a fresh crisp rosé cuts through the oiliness of the fish and complements its delicate, smoky flavour - but the look. Pale pink fish with a pretty pale pink wine just looks gorgeous. (You can obviously pair it with poached or seared salmon too.)

With seafood starters and canapés

The French like to indulge in a classic plateau de fruits de mer (raw seafood platter) over Christmas and Provence rosé is the ideal accompaniment. Even if you don’t share that tradition do try it with prawns, fresh crab or a seafood tartare

With grilled fish

If you’re serving grilled or roast fish on Christmas Eve, as many do, a fuller-bodied style of Provence rosé makes a perfect match. It’s a good centrepiece for a New Year’s Eve dinner party too

With salads

From starter salads to Boxing Day (or New Year’s Day) buffets Provence rosé’s versatility really comes into play with crunchy raw vegetables and zingy dressings

With roast turkey

It might seem unlikely but there are more full-bodied styles of rosé that work really well with roast meats for those who find red wines a touch heavy. Look out for some of the fancier Provence rosés in beautiful bottle shapes or buy a magnum to put on the table.

With the turkey leftovers

This is where Provence rosés come into their own: Boxing Day leftovers, turkey sandwiches (rosé’s great with cranberry sauce), spicy Asian-style salads and mild curries like turkey korma can all benefit from the touch of freshness that a Provence rosé brings

With vegetarian main courses

Many of us need to cater for vegetarian friends and family members and Provence rosés pair particularly well with a festive veggie pie or roast, especially if it includes Mediterranean vegetables. They’re great with middle-eastern flavours too.

With a cheeseboard (or a late night fridge-raid)

A refreshing rosé is sometimes just what you need after a rich meal so don’t feel you have to pass the port with the stilton. And keep a bottle of Provence rosé in the fridge for those late night fridge raids. It’s particularly good with goats cheeses and brie.

With fresh fruit

There’s usually loads of fresh fruit around at Christmas so sip a glass with your clementines or fresh fruit salad. Rosé is perfect with fresh berries too.

With a sofa, a blanket and your favourite boxed set

Come on, the cook needs a break! Let your family do the washing-up while you put your feet up with a glass and relax ….

For more information about Provence rose visit Provence Wines and follow their Facebook page and Twitter feed (@ProvenceWinesUK)

Photograph © CIVP/F.Millo

Brown shrimps and cucumber with Corail Ros 2010

I could have made almost any of the pairings in the Restaurants in Residence pop-up supper in Docklands last Tuesday my match of the week but I think this one just inches it, mainly because I absolutely loved the wine, Corail Rosé.

It came from an organic and biodynamically run estate Chateau de Roquefort in Provence but was darker than the average Provencal rosé with a more intense but not at all confected fruit flavour - "soft red fruits with a hint of garrigue spice on the finish" as Jade Koch the head buyer for HG Wines (the wine arm of St John) put it.

She paired it with an equally seasonal dish of Morecombe Bay brown shrimps, cucumbers and chervil. Morecombe Bay shrimps are small and sweet and that chimed in beautifully with the fruitiness of the wine.

Two other great pairings at the dinner, which was cooked by Jonathan Woolway, sous-chef at St John bar and restaurant were:

Cante Gau 2009, a rare 100% white Carignan from another Provencal estate Domaine la Realtire, with a salad of slow-roasted tomatoes, bobby beans and Berkswell sheeps cheese

Slow cooked Herwick lamb with Sarments de Mars 2006 from Chateau la Colombiere in Fronton in south-west France which was made from old parcels of Negrette and Cabernet Sauvignon. A slightly rustic red that suited the gamey quality of the meat perfectly.

The only match I didn't think quite worked was a 2007 Jurancon Chateau du Jurque which was too powerful for a summer fruit pavlova.

Many people will be unaware you can buy many of the wines on the St John wine list from HG Wines - either on-line or by the bottle from their restaurants. They're all French, mostly from small producers and pretty reasonably priced. The Corail Rosé, for instance, is £10.70.

You can keep track of Shacklewell Nights events which nomally take place in a former clothing factory in Dalston on their blog. Restaurants in Residence was part of a month-long event in which they participated along with 3 of London's other pop-up restaurants.

I attended the dinner as a guest of Shacklewell Nights.