Friday, October 11, 2024

Pig Rouge 2021 Faugeres - pair with cremated sausages at a rainy BBQ!

Pig Rouge 2021 Faugeres (AOP) 2021, 14% ABV

€15.00 Matson’s (Bandon, Grange and Youghal)


pair with cremated sausages at a rainy, miserable SUMMER BBQ!


Why would you call your wine Pig? Quite simple, really. The producers are Paul and Isla Gordon (PIG)!  This is one of their wines that come from thinking outside the box. “No rules, no regs, just tasty, well-made booze!” And their food pairing suggestion is also outside the small parallelogram: cremated sausages* at a rainy, miserable Summer BBQ!

So there, you get the hang of it. This wine is for enjoyment - don't get too serious about it. It is a blend of Grenache Noir 50%, Mourverde 20% and Syrah 30%. Nico, at Matson’s, says that it is part of a small-scale production, and he is very happy with it: “Great wine, fresh with a little spice, loads and loads of fruit.”

The colour is a mid-to-dark ruby. There are strong aromas of dark fruit and spice. The fruit is forward and deep, with power and finesse in equal measure. That spice, too, has excellent acidity. The finish is pure, long, and balanced. Very Highly Recommended.


I see that they also have an orange version—that should be interesting. I must keep an eye out for it.

Our winemakers are an Irish-Australian combination. Paul is Australian, and he and his Irish wife Isla work (and I mean work) at Domaine la Sarabande, a vineyard in the Languedoc about twenty minutes' drive from Beziers.

The dynamic wine couple is based in the Faugéres appellation in the South of France. Paul honed his winemaking skills in New Zealand’s vineyards. Isla, from Carlow, brings her knowledge and commitment to quality grape growing, which she learned during several years of working with some of the best viticulturists in New Zealand, where they met.


* If the rain quenches the flame, you might like Cold meats/pâtés, Duck, hard mature cheese, Roast lamb/beef, or slow-cooked shoulder of lamb instead.


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