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The dish & Pairing: Foie Gras, Apple in Maple Syrup & Banana Cordon Bleu
There is something very Canadian about this dish with maple and Quebec foie gras, and I find this unique Canadian wine to be a great match.With its sweetness and syrupy texture, this wine acts as a coulis for the dish; its fruitiness and sweetness acting as a contrast to the savoury, fatty, slightly salty foie gras. As always, it’s about balance!
The Wine: Cassis Monna & Filles Madérisé Quebec
Run by fifth-generation, French liquorists – their focus is on syrups, liqueurs, and jams – this house is the first to produce black currant wine in Quebec. I discovered it at a Quebec City market, and once I tasted it, I had to buy a whole case, especially at under $20 a bottle! This cassis wine exemplifies a winery making the most of its terroir. Wine grapes struggle in this climate, but currants thrive, so, make cassis! Put aside any fruit wine snobbery you may have; this wine has notes of date, plum, and coffee with some oak. It is quite syrupy in texture, and rich without being cloyingly sweet. It’s well-balanced with good acidity. Serve between 10C and 14C to bring out its best.