[Ad-gifted] We’re reviewing another wine this month and this time it’s a Pays d’Oc IGP Syrah from France. The weather is quite tropical at the moment, with sun and rain coming hand in hand, but the heat is definitely not faltering. So when its warm outside, I really love to eat a salad and when you come home from work and want to crack open a wine to go with your evening meal, quick dishes that take no time are perfect for a mid-week dinner.
Salads are a real favourite of mine and for me, they definitely don’t have to contain lettuce, or even be cold! To accompany Cuvée Balthazar I have adapted two salads that work really well with this full-bodied red. Read on to find out what we thought of the wine and two tasty makes you can have for a super easy supper.
What we thought of the wine and our recipe
The wine is a Syrah, or as you may mostly recognise it, Shiraz. This particular one is a dark-skinned grape variety grown in the Languedoc region of the South of France and the vines sit in schist soil with is hard and rocky and notably impacts the final taste.
This is a rounded wine with a full-bodied flavour, although the notes of blackberry and dark fruit give it a slightly acidic edge, which is quite pleasant and it aids to lighten what could otherwise be a heavy wine. It is dark and has good viscosity, which makes for good quality wine.
The salads I made to accompany this, were a slight twist on a traditional Tabouleh, and a sweet potato and grapefruit salad, with a Syrah and zesty dressing, served with two slices of white sourdough bread (store-bought). These salads are so flavourful that they work unbelievably well with red wine. The garlic in the Tabouleh and tangy sweetness from the dressing and the sweet potato are a great accompaniment to the full-bodied wine.
So if you’d like to make these two salads check out our recipe below.
Recipes
This serves four people, are two very hungry ones! You will also need two slices of white sourdough drizzled with olive oil for each plate (you can make your own or a nice store-bought version, you could also toast it if you wanted it to be more like a bruschetta style.
Tabouleh
1 cup of cooked couscous (generally in Tabouleh you would use bulgar wheat, but couscous is quick and we always have some in our pantry)
1 cup of parsley finely chopped
1/2 cucumber chopped into approx 1cm cubes
1/2 of tomato (chopped into approx 1cm cubes)
The dressing
1/2 a clove of garlic minced
5 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
the juice of one lemon
Method
Place the couscous in a large ceramic bowl, add to it the parsley, before adding the chopped tomato and cucumber sprinkle salt on them whilst in a colander and then rinse with water – this removes excess moisture and allows you to keep the salad for two days in the fridge. Then add the chopped tomato and cucumber to the couscous mixture, and then mix all of it together. In a small dish mix the garlic, lemon, and oil until it has emulsified, and then add it to the bowl with everything else and then and give it a good mix, then add it to the plate ready for the sweet potato salad.
Sweet Potato and Grapefruit Salad
3 cups of sweet potato peeled and cubed (around 2cm in size)
1 grapefruit peel and cut the grapefruit
3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
a handful of chopped coriander (optional If you don’t like this herb)
pinch of salt and pepper
The dressing
1/4 cup of red wine (ideally the one you are going to drink with the meal)
1/4 cup of grapefruit juice
2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
a pinch of salt and pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 C. Place the sweet potato on a sheet pan and pour over the oil, stir it all with your hands and make sure all the potato has a bit of oil on it and then add the pinch of salt and pepper, then place in the oven for 30 minutes, mix halfway through cooking.
Whilst the sweet potato is cooking, in a pan add the wine, vinegar and grapefruit juice, bring to a boil and simmer until the sauce has thickened so it sticks to the back of the spoon – leave it to cool slightly, and then once the sweet potatoes are cooked, and on your plate drizzle over the dressing, and sprinkle on the chopped coriander.
Where can I buy Cuvée Balthazar?
How much is Cuvée Balthazar?
It costs, £11.99 per bottle.
About Perrick Harang & Cuvée Balthazar
Perrick Harang is a collective of winemakers, with the knowledge from five generations of wine merchants and oenologists who can create the perfect balance between the science and culture that is required in the winemaking process. They have a good hold of domestic and foreign markets and make this one of the keys to their success.
The Balthazar range comes in several small groups. One is the everyday wines, which have the novel name of Le Petit Balthazar, and are 11%, which is light enough as an every day and comes in white, rosé and red. They are also Le Bio Balthazar, which of course, if you have read previous reviews you will know that this is from the organic range and comes in red and white.
They have a final two groups, the penultimate, is the one we reviewed today, Called Cuvée Balthazar and comes in the Syrah, and Voignier (white). These are a little more extravagant than the two groups above, but still have that recognisable straightforwardness that you look for in a wine. The final one is a blended wine, called Le Grand Balthazar, which is means that has certain majestic qualities and is made using some of the oldest methods of winemaking.
Review by: Lex Ward
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*We were sent the wine in return for a feature. All opinions are our own. Readers should consume alcohol responsibly, in accordance with applicable laws, and only if they are of legal drinking age in their jurisdiction.
20 comments
It is a wine that I appreciate and I really like to sip, great idea to combine it with a fresh and tasty salad like this!
I love drinking wine with my meals and having a great wine to pair with light salad meals makes it even more special
This sounds absolutely delicious both the wine and the salad! I love the idea of using sweet potatoes how had I not thought of that before?!
It is a great pairing between the salads as well as the wine. Perfect for date night meals
The sweet potato and grapefruit salad sounds lovely. It would be a tasty, refreshing addition to a meal.
I agree and so flavourful as well, kids love it too
i’ll keep my eye out for that wine. maybe I can get a bottle here
I am sure you can, check out our link
We eat salad on a pretty daily basis. I can’t wait to try this one.
This salad is perfect for summer
I love trying new wines, this one looks soooo good!!! And paired with this salad, looks so good!!!
It definitely is and it is vegan wine as well
I really love a good cuvee. This recipe sounds great!
Thank you and hope you give the recipe a try
Have to love a good wine pairing! Sounds like a great salad!
I agree, nothing like good food and good wine
I love a good wine with a yummy meal 😉 I will have to check this one out for myself!
Please do, its the perfect summer meal to enjoy with a glass of wine
Wow this salad and wine paring sounds lovely!
It absolutely is, very summery