France’s best food and drink pairs
Love and marriage, Tom and Jerry, bacon and eggs. Some things are meant to be together.
Also on this list of "things better in pairs" is wine and food: Champagne and caviar, wine and cheese, sauternes and foie gras... From must-try classics to world-famous duos, France’s landscape and heritage has bound melody with harmony to have a huge influence on the iconic duets.
The importance of terroir
When you spend many hours pedaling around France’s remarkably varied landscapes, you can’t help but notice in each region, local produce is truly revered.
From the motorway signposts to the supermarket shelves, each area’s distinct personality is centred around its food and drink, and of course, a reflection and expression of the landscape itself.
The French have a word for this – terroir – which identifies and protects the intrinsic link between a food or drink product and the specific environmental influences such as climate, soil, terrain within which it is produced.
In fact, the French government recognises the terroir’s influence on food and drink to such an extent that they created certifications to protect traditional regional produce. The “AOC” (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) label has been stamped onto cheeses, butter, oils, nuts and meat, since the first wine was designated AOC back in 1936.
And it’s this respect for tradition and origins that means each region has a particularly famous food and drink combination.
Wine heritage and culture is an important part of visiting France. [Image: boudewijn boer]
Pairing food and wine: what are the rules?
Let’s be clear right from the start – taste is subjective, there are no rules!
If you enjoy tucking into a plate of asparagus with a glass of Châteauneuf du Pâpe or a hearty Cassoulet de Carcassonne with a Loire Sancerre, you should absolutely go for it!
The social etiquette that once obliged you to always sip muscadet with your seafood or port with your blue cheese has become outmoded – consider yourself free to experiment with wild abandon.
However… Let’s not gloss over the fact that there are definitely some absolute classics that can’t be ignored and are always a safe bet for hosting friends: bbq steak and a big, juicy red wine, seafood platter with a bottle of crisp white or bubbly, for instance.
And when it comes to France, the nation that so proudly holds its vinous heritage to the spotlight, one of the greatest pleasures of visiting its beautiful regions is to taste the food and wine combinations that have become classics.
So hop on your bicyclette and come with us on a tasting tour around some of France’s most perfect food and wine pairings:
Top 5 wine and food pairings to try in France
1) Magical Mediterranean: picpoul de pinet with fresh oysters and mussels
The roots of Languedoc’s “Piquepoul” vines stretch deep into the region’s briny history, yet it was not until 2013 that Picpoul de Pinet was granted AOC (Appellation d’Origine Controllée). Since then, its reputation has flourished well beyond its regional boundaries. 67% of production is exported – predominantly to the British who have evidently never fallen out of love with that romantic vision of sipping crisp white wine in the Mediterranean sunshine (never mind if it's drizzly in Droitwich or gloomy in Glossop).
What makes this combo so special? A rare single varietal wine from the region, its pale, lemon tones, zingy acidity and minerally qualities align it perfectly to those salty bivalves who loiter in the Etang de Thau until they are plucked from the saline lagoon, prised open and slurped with gusto.
Where can I try it? For the ultimate experience, order this on the very edges of the Etang de Thau saltwater lake itself, the sunlight dancing on the surface, as you reflect on a glorious day’s cycling.
Oysters and chilled white wine are an absolute classic combination. [Image credit: Anna Hunko]
2) Luxurious Loire: sauvignon blanc and goat’s cheese
For every local nuance of terroir in the vast spectrum of Loire sauvignon blanc wines, there’s a goat’s cheese to nibble alongside it. “C’est normal” in a region that stretches from Nantes on the west coast to rub shoulders with Burgundy in the east.
What are the most famous combinations?
- Valençay is the only place in France to have an AOC for both its wine and its cheese – a must-try match, alors. Expect the wine’s floral freshness and citrus tones to sparkle through this velvety and nutty cheese.
- Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine cheese, a distinctive straw through the centre, reveals its earthy aroma and hints of hay on the nose, followed by a tangy but creamy flavour profile with nutty hints. Paired with an appley, citrussy Touraine sauvignon, it’s a match made in heaven.
- The same terroir that produces the iconic wine Sancerre also blessed the local goat farmers. The dense, fudgy texture and intense tang of a maturing Crottin de Chavignol is rendered all the more sublime whilst sipping a glass of chilled Sancerre, the grassy gooseberry flavours balanced by a minerality.
How to try these cheese and wine pairings? On our cycle tour routes around the Loire chateaux, we will have ample opportunity to indulge our tastebuds around this classic pairing of goat’s cheese and sauvignon blanc, whether it’s over a much-deserved picnic lunch or in one of the magnifique restaurants in the region.
Imagining a day of cycling, eating and drinking ahead, at the Château de Chambord, Loire Valley. [Image: French Cycling Holidays]
3) Bountiful Burgundy: Bresse chicken aux morilles with Maconnais chardonnay
The crisp and salty skin, the melt-in-the-mouth meat, the creamy morel mushroom sauce… If you’re not already drooling, then just imagine slurping on a glass of chilled Pouilly Fuissé as you tuck in, its ripe fruits and oaky creaminess complementing those most savoury of flavours. Poulet de Bresse, aka the “queen of chickens”, are reared outdoors to fully absorb all that terroir, just like the grapes from the neighbouring Macon region.
What about red Burgundy? Well of course whilst you’re pedalling around France’s most gourmet region, it would be rather remiss not to taste a classic beef bourgignon alongside one of the area’s pinot noir reds. The smooth tannins and red fruits mirror the rich wine sauce and harmonise with the slow‑cooked beef, raised under the same microclimate that makes some of the most legendary wines on the planet.
Where can I try Burgundy’s best food and wine? Our Burgundy tour is rated four out of ten on the cycling level, but if you eat like a king at lunchtime you might need to revise that to a five! So we try to eat a little lighter at lunchtimes, in preparation for the irresistible indulgence in Burgundy’s gastronomic glories in the evening. Rest assured, you’ll eat well on this tour and experience numerous delectable wine and food combinations.
Cycling in Nuits St George, Burgundy: an excellent way to build an appetite! [Image: French Cycling Holidays]
4) Sublime South-West France: a rich red with confit de canard
If you want to bowl over your guests with your culinary genius, follow in French footsteps and your dinner party will be a sure-fire hit. Roll home after work, fling a tin of confit duck in the oven, pop open a bottle of south-west red and your guests will be in seventh heaven.
Why is this pairing so good? Because the stickily unctuous confit duck – cooked in its own fat – yields voluptuously to the robust tannins, plummy fruit and spicy notes of a Cahors red. (If you think about it, it’s no coincidence that fruit and spice flavours make excellent sauces or side-dishes to accompany duck.)
Where to try it? During our tour around the Dordogne region, we spend time in Sarlat, one of the best-preserved medieval towns in France, its golden limestone architecture literally glowing with charm. Where better to settle down at a table and linger over a hearty meal of confit duck and local red?
Crispy confit duck should definitely be on your list of classic French dishes, all the better served with local red wine. [Image: Eric McNew]
5) Perfectly Provence: rosé and pissaladière
There’s no experience on earth that quite compares to sipping rosé de Provence (so cold there’s a pleasing condensation haze on the glass), whilst gazing at the sun setting over the Provençal landscape and nibbling on salty-sweet slices of Nicoise pissaladière. And what makes this even more heavenly? The fact that you have fully earned your aperitif after a day cycling past craggy hilltop villages, ancient olive groves and photogenic vineyards.
Why is this such a taste sensation? Pissaladière’s killer combo is the sweet tangle of slow-cooked onions against umami-intense salted anchovies and smooth briny olives. All this sits upon a stoic dough crust, awash with olive oil. To refresh and rehydrate the palate after this wallop of flavour, the very best solution is a crisp, light, perfumed, minerally swig of rosé de Provence. Try this and your heart will sing with sunshine.
When and where can I try this? We have not one, but two cycle tours in Provence – one exploring the villages of the Luberon to experience the unique atmosphere so beloved of writers and artists, the other, on the trail of the Romans through Arles, Orange, Uzès, the Pont du Gard and Avignon. We assure you that both trails feature several opportunities to enjoy this rosé and pissaladière combination.
Ermitage Hotel in Provence: imagine yourself sipping rosé after a day's cycling... [Image: l'Ermitage/French Cycling Holidays]
Looking for your dream food and wine cycling holiday?
If our top five French food and wine pairings have whetted your appetite, then head over to our Tour Dates page and browse our upcoming guided cycle holidays in a region you’d like to explore by bike, or contact us to find a route and dates that work for you and your group:
- fch@frenchcyclingholidays.com
- +44(0) 1923 894305 or +44(0)20 8357 8934
- Website contact form
- More French foodie inspiration from our blog