Looking for a wine to pair with your Ardsallagh or St Tola? This Sancerre is perfect.

Looking for a wine to pair with your Ardsallagh or St Tola? This Sancerre is perfect. 

Chateau de Chenonceau on the Cher River

Jean-Max Roger Cuvée “Genèse” Sancerre (AC) 2022, 12.5% ABV

€20.50 (16.40 in sale) Dunnes Stores

In years gone by, I used to get a fair bit of Jean-Max Roger wine from Karwig’s in Carrigaline and so was happy enough to see this in Dunnes. It was at a good price in their French Wine sale, down from the regular €20.50 to €16.40.

The Roger family are well-known for their Loire wines. This one comes from the village of Bué and is situated close to the Cher River, a tributary of the mighty Loire. The Loire wines of Sauvignon Blanc are designated Sancerre and this example is precise and refreshing, less pungent than its New Zealand counterpart (none the worse for that).

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Limpid in the glass, the light gold colour invites you to come and explore its fruity and flinty aromas, its citrus led fruits (apple, pear also) in an elegant and vibrant medium-bodied wine, right through to a dry, long and flavourful finish. This particular wine has been made “by several generations of our family. It is the genesis of our estate.”

The Loire Valley is well known for its superb goats cheeses and this Sauvignon will do well with the likes of Chavignol (which you can find in Ireland) and Couronne Lochoise. The latter may not be available here but, in any case, I’d be making the ash versions of Ardsallagh and St Tola my first choices. Aside from the cheeses, fish is regularly mentioned as a pairing: grilled fish, sushi and sashimi, and it is a sensational pairing for seafood. Serve at 10 to 13 °C.