From: Savoie, France
Varietal: Pinot Noir

Taste: Fresh, ethereal red fruits meet alpine, sweet herbs and earth. The crunchy cranberry, raspberry, and tart cherry jump from the glass & those aromas only intensify as the wine acclimates to the room. On the palate, the fruit is indeed alpine and crisp, the fruit refreshingly still red, tart, and bright. It’s immediately balanced with savory herbal and earthy flavors and immediately makes you hungry (and feel like skiing).

Pairing: Go with the classics! Savoyarde cooking relies exclusively on products and ingredients from the area and, because of this, is unmistakably authentic. Staple ingredients include potatoes, which were grown over the summer and stored during harsh winters, and cheeses. Of course, being an Alpine territory, cheese making has always been a hugely popular pursuit in the Savoie. Beaufort, Tome and of course, Reblochon cheeses all work wonderfully well with traditional Savoyarde fare. Cured meats also form a large part of the Savoyarde dishes we enjoy today, and they feature in a number of traditional recipes. Raclette and tartiflette are two traditional and beloved dishes from the area that’ll shine alongside this Pinot Noir. In case you can’t make it Le Pichet while they’re still serving raclette, we’re sharing a tartine recipe by David Tanis that should satisfy the craving (and pairing).

Spinach and Bacon Tartine by David Tanis

Wines from Savoie have long been simply ski chalet wines but, today, the situation is changing. Thanks to the modernization of winemaking techniques and the enthusiasm of local vintners, the wines offer compelling flavor profiles and great aging potential. These are food-friendly, unusual wines for those of us who are bold enough to, occasionally, venture off-piste (off-the-path, aka the wrong way).

From a formally administrative standpoint Savoie [sav-wa], also spelled Savoy, is a French department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. As a wine region though, Savoie consists of many isolated sub-regions and plots of vineyards scattered across four French departments: Savoie, Haute-Savoie, Isère, Ain. Savoie neighbors Switzerland (to the East), the Jura region (to the North) and the little-known Bugey region, which is west across the Rhône river. All told, the region is under 5,000 acres (2000 ha) accounting for a mere 0.5% of French wines. Most wines produced here are white wines, however, there are red wines made here, and this is one of them.

This wine. From an old-school winery in Savoie who have been wine since 1854, now on to the seventh generation. They have a great selection of wines which are indicative of cool, Alpine Savoie, and this Pinot Noir is a fantastic example of the cool, crisp nature of the French Alps.