wine pairing with duck magret

[hala]

Hello,

I am making a magret de Canard (duck breasts) with pears poached in red wine and a small amount of cinnamon and cloves. The wine used to poach the pears will then be used to degalze the duck pan and reduced to use as a sauce.

My question is: could you please recommend a wine to poach the pears in? I would like something not too expensive here, since i will need a whole bottle, but obviously drinkable. (recipe calls for a red wine)

Also, what wine would you serve with that?

to complicate things, i am in Quebec and the wine would have to come from the province liquor store: www.saq.com.

Thanks!

[NickMontreal]

I'm not sure about how well it would work as a poaching liquid, but I recently had a wonderful wine called Chateau d'Aydie 2005, which is mostly Tannat, from the South West of France, and had it served with a rare duck breast . I've since found out that the wine is a classic match for duck, as the protein in the meat balances out the generous amount of tannins in the wine... SAQ sells it for about $18.

[carswell]

I often use the supple, fruity, spicy and unoaky $11.95 Borsao (SAQ code 10324623) for this type of cooking. The same producer's low-end cuvée, Tocado ($8.95, 10845701), would also do the trick.

Duck breast always puts me in mind of the French southwest -- Cahors, Fronton, Madiran, Fronsac, etc. -- though it's such a red-wine friendly meat that rich reds from many other appellations (Côtes du Rhône, Langudoc-Roussillon, etc.) and countries (Spain, Italy, Lebannon, the New World, etc.) will also work. How much are you looking to pay for the bottle you serve with the dish?

[hala]

i was planning on spending 20-30 dollars on the wine to serve with it.

@ carswell: Would you recommend something from the French southwest? I think i would like to try some of those. I am not sure about lebanon, though. Most lebanese wine i have tasted had a petrol type of feel to it that i am not so fond of. Ironic considering that lebanon is not a producer of oil.

@ Nick, that sounds lovely, thanks!

[carswell]

Le Roc, Cuvée Don Quichotte, Fronton ($20.20, 10675327 ). A 60-40 Negrette-Syrah blend. Haven't tasted the current vintage (2006) but would be surprised if it wasn't up to the usual standards.

Three Cahors:
- Clos Triguedina 2004 ($24, 00746412). Classic.
- Château de Mercues 2006 ($23.50, 00972471). Relatively supple and fruity.
- Château Lamartine Cuvée Particulière 2007 ($21.65, 00862904). More modern, with a vanilla note from oak.

Côtes de Bergerac 2006, La Gloire de mon père, Château Tour des Gendres ($23.95, 10268887). A Bordeaux-ish Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend. Quite structured (so best to decant) but very pure.

If there's a classic pairing with duck breast, Madiran is it and the Château d'Aydie that NickMontreal mentions is one of my perennial favourites (their sweet Parcherenc du Vic-Bihl is good, too). However, as the name of the main grape variety, Tannat, implies, the wines are quite tannic -- a very good thing with a simple grilled magret but maybe less so with a fruit-sweetened preparation. Note that if NickMontreal paid c. $18, it was the estate's second wine, the suppler Odé d'Aydie (10675298); the regular wine, the Château d'Aydie (10268553), retails for $25.45.

[hala]

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I ended up with the Borsao and the Cotes de bergerac and they were wonderful. The SAQ on the 22 was way too crowded, so, i got the first one i found and am going to get one of the cahors to try with the same dish in a few weeks. Then at some point i will try the Madiran with a more savory duck preparation. My guest of honor loved the Bergerac and so did we. I really had to stop myself from drinking the reduction of the borsao that i had cooked the pairs in. mmm. What other dishes do you cook in it?

I really apreciate your help gentlemen. And I am really excited about this trying the same dish with different wines idea :)

[carswell]

«What other dishes do you cook in it?»

Coq au vin, boeuf bourguignon, daubes in which a lighter wine isn't out of place. I've also used it for red wine reductions to go with grilled meats; prunes and other dried fruits stewed in red wine; fish/shellfish baked or poached in red wine; marinades; etc. It's pretty versatile.