Fun with Ramen & Saint-Roch Cotes du Roussillon Vieilles Vignes Blanc #Winophiles

One recent evening I found myself staring into my pantry trying to figure out what to make for dinner. We’d been gone for a couple of weeks, so things were a little bare. However, I had a cold bottle of Saint Roch Vieilles Vignes and Côtes de Roussillon Blanc that needed a pairing.

A random packet of shrimp ramen kept staring at me. Yeah, ramen ––  like the type you kept around in college. Not even to be put remotely in the same class as ramen from a proper ramen shop, I can’t recall the last time I’d had one of these little blocks of noodles. Nonetheless, it seemed to be saying, “Don’t underestimate me! ” I’d tasted the wine and thought it would be a solid match for Asian flavors, as long as they weren’t too sweet or too spicy.

‘Alright then ramen, let’s have some fun.’

All the same, I thought we could do better than just pouring boiling water on the noodles, so I scrounged around for bits and pieces to create something a little more interesting. The results, which we’ll come back to in a moment, were not half bad. 

ROUSSILLON SNAPSHOT

•  Roussillon is located in southwestern France and it’s a part of the larger region of Occitanie. It was formerly part of the combined region of Languedoc-Roussillon, and you’ll most often still find sections of wine stores by that name. However, these two were combined with Midi-Pyrénées in 2016 to create the new administrative region of Occitanie. That’s all definitely a little confusing, just know it’s still a pretty recent change. 


Map courtesy of Sud de France.

• It definitely has its own personality. Despite long being combined with other regions, this area is pretty distinctive. For one thing, since it is right up against the border with Spain, it’s heavily influenced by its culture, particularly that of Catalonia, as well as that of France. This can be seen in the language, the food, and even the grape varieties grown.


• Mountains, ocean, and rivers, oh my. Roussillon is pretty small, but it has an extremely varied landscape. The overall area is shaped like an amphitheater that opens to the Mediterranean Sea to the East and is surrounded by three groups of mountains, or massifs: the Corbières to the North, the Pyrenees with the Mont Canigou to the West and the Albères to the South. There are also three major rivers: the Agly, the Têt and the Tech. All of this creates a lot of distinctive terroirs. 


• Sustainability. Roussillon has the highest percentage of organic and biodynamic vineyards in France by acreage. Those ideal growing conditions makes working in these ways that much easier.
  
• Bask in the fabulous Meditteranean climate of France’s sunniest region! It’s sunny and hot, with around 320 sunshine days per year, but the ocean and strong winds help keep things from getting too extreme and the vines disease free. The area also typically gets enough rain in late fall and winter to provide the grapes with enough water during the hot summers. It’s pretty ideal for growing grapes. 


• It’s pretty tiny. The region represents 2% of the national production in volume.


• Red, white, rosé, dessert –– all the types of wine are here. They produce stills wines, but for most of the last century that were best known for their dessert wines. They still produce at least 80% of France's Vins Doux Naturels (Fortified Sweet Wines). 
 These account for about 20% of the production in the region, with dry, still wines continuing to grow in importance.

•  25 different grape varieties are grown in the region. Combine that with the varied terroirs and styles of production, and you get a really diverse range of wines despite the region’s small size.


• Côtes du Roussillon, the AOP/AOC of today’s wine, spans over 118 communes in the Eastern Pyrenees (the western part of region is basically to mountainous for grape vines) and covers 12 000 acres. Wines under this category are always a blend of at least 2 grapes. Grapes grown are as follows.

• Rosé and red wines: Black Carignan, Black Grenache, Lladoner Pelut, Cinsault, Syrah, Mourvèdre. Macabeu and grey Grenache (for rosés only). 
 
• White wines: white and grey Grenache, Macabeu, Tourbat or Malvoisie du Roussillon, Roussanne, Marsanne, Vermentino.


THE WINE

Today’s wine is the Saint Roch Vieilles Vignes and Côtes de Roussillon Blanc 2017, an estate run by Jean-Marc and Eliane Lafage. The Lefage’s also own Domaine Lafage, where they farm 160 hectares of vines located just south of Perpignan, the capital of French Catalonia. With Spain so close, Jean-Marc also consults on several projects on the other side of the border.



Jean-Marc decided to buy Chateau Saint Roch with his father in mind. Jean-Marc comes from a family of seven generations of winemakers, and the first five generations had always lived in Maury. His father, in particular, loved this region and always wanted to live in a farmhouse in the middle of the vineyards (as opposed to in town) of Maury. Jean-Marc as well grew up, worked his first vineyard, and made his first wine there. Clearly, there was a lot of sentimentalities attached to this village, so, when an opportunity presented itself to buy the Chateau Saint Roch property, he jumped on it.

Both of the Lafage properties are family-run with lots of different, experimental cuvées. On the Domaine Lafage site, Jean-Marc describes the dynamic:  “My focus is on the vineyards, and Eliane is queen of the cellar, but we decide on the blends together.” He later adds, “My mother and father are still actively involved in greeting our customers, and in running the cellar door, and while Eliane and I take the most important decisions, it is really important to emphasize that we have a fantastic team who work with us, rooted in the culture of the Roussillon, and are devoted our success. Our children Léa and Nicolas, even though they are still very young, have already started to show some interest in the life of the property.”

Maury has historically been known for its Vins Doux Naturels, but this is a still, dry wine made predominantly of Grenache Blanc, along with some Roussanne. On the nose, a fruit bowl of aromas drew me in with notes of white peach, apricots, pears, green melon, grapefruit, and flowers. On the palate, the rounder fruit notes like white peach, tangerine, and ripe lemons hit up front. Then things moved into more puckery citrus notes like lime and grapefruit, along with a few sprigs of herbs, finally moving into a lightly minerally finish. It’s medium-bodied, starting off round and finishing quite crisp, and has medium acidity that remains bright.

It’s really a very sunshiny wine that would be perfect for sipping outside on sunny days, but it also seemed like it would be very food-friendly, fitting many different scenarios at the table.

THE PAIRING

We already know this particular bottle was destined for an off-beat ramen pairing. Rather than make a standard ramen soup though, I decided to make a stir-fry. I had shrimp in the freezer, and since we had “shrimp-flavored” ramen, they were the first item I grabbed to add to the mix. I also gathered up bacon, carrots I turned into zoodles, peas, corn, spinach. Soba noodle soup base combined with the shrimp flavor packet created the flavoring. Some fried eggs and Togarashi topped things off.



It was just a big, crazy mix of bits and pieces. This combination (other than the number of vegetables) might seem like high/drunk people food, but you know, it was super tasty. The wine made a refreshing complement to the food, going down super easy!

I might have to start stocking ramen packets more regularly.



For more ideas for playing with ramen see:

• Ramen Hacks: 30+ Easy Ways to Upgrade Your Instant Noodles 
• 14 instant ramen hacks that will make it taste even better  

OTHER POSSIBILITIES

The winery recommends this wine to enjoy during relaxing moments with your friends, as an aperitif, or with fish, shellfish, and white meats. Sushi is particularly recommended and I can absolutely see that working.

The last time I explored a white wine from Roussillon, we paired it with salmon and I think this wine would work quite well there too, and vice versa.

Find more pairing suggestions at Wines of Roussillon.

THE GEEKY DETAILS

Taken from the tech sheets on the winery and distributor's websites.

Blend: Grenache Blanc 80%, Roussanne 20%
Average Age of Vines: 50 years
Farming: Practicing organic, dry farmed, hand-harvested
Soil: Clay limestone, gravel
Altitude: 200 meters
Winemaking: Fermented in tank. Cold skin maceration. Fermentation at 16 °.
Aging: 5 months in concrete, with a small percentage aged in French oak demi-muids

MONEY TALK

I bought this for $17.99 on Wine.com and I say have at it! I’d say that’s a very Solid Value, and the fact everything is done by hand and the land is farmed conscientiously just about pushes this into Overachiever territory.  (Also, find it elsewhere on Wine Searcher.)

• Cooking to the Wine: Domaine de Majas Côtes Catalanes Blanc with Butter Poached Salmon and White Asparagus
• Cooking to the Wine: Gérard Bertrand Grand Terroir Tautavel Grenache-Syrah-Carignan with Saucy Lamb Loin Chops 
• 2 oz Pours: 16 French Wine Values 

And here are the rest of the group's offerings: 

• Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm pairs American Bay Scallops with French Roussillon Blanc.
• Cindy at Grape Experiences shares A Perfect Al Fresco Lunch in Roussillon: Domaine d’Aussières Chardonnay 2018 and Creamy Crab Quiche.
• Jeff from Food Wine Click! presents Banyuls Pet-Nat with Treats à La Buvette.
• Allison and Chris from ADVineTURES discuss Domaine Lafage Cuvée Centenaire: The Essence of Rousillon.
• Melanie at Wining With Mel tells us about her Adventures in Roussillon White Wines.
• Linda from My Full Wine Glass explains A Roussillon Blanc Turns My Thoughts Toward Chicken.
• Gwendolyn at Wine Predator give us Testimony to Potential: Chapoutier’s Bila-Haut Cotes du Roussillon Blanc Paired with Halibut.
• Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles talks about Snow Capped Pyrenees to the Mediterranean Sea – Exploring the Stunning and Diverse Roussillon Wine Region.
• Cathie from Side Hustle Wino shares Why You Will Love the White Wines of Roussillon.
• Lauren at The Swirling Dervish tells us about Biodynamics and the Butterfly Effect: A Labor of Love in Roussillon.
• Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla offers A Summer Pairing: Salade Niçoise + Bila-Haut Côtes du Roussillon Blanc 2017.
• Susannah from Avvinare pours Muscat de Rivesaltes – A Marvel from Roussillon.
• Katrina from Corkscrew Concierge hosts An Exploration of Roussillon White Wines.
• Terri at Our Good Life writes about Summer Love and White Wines from Roussillon.
• Payal at Keep the Peas whips up Northern Thai Food and a Roussillon Muscat.
• Here at Somm's Table we're having Fun with Ramen & Saint-Roch Cotes du Roussillon Vieilles Vignes Blanc.
• And host Lynn of Savor the Harvest offers Distinctive Roussillon White Wines for your Buy List.

Additional sources used for this post:  
Wines of Roussillon  
The Oxford Companion to wine via JancisRobinson.com  
Sud de France  
Wine-Searcher  


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