Vino and Fries Wines of Southwest France

I received an invitation to the second annual Southwest Wines of France Gourmet  French Fries Competition that was held on June 16, 2016. The event was presented by WINE ENTHUSIAST at the Hotel  Eventi  in New York City. Spending the afternoon tasting gourmet fries and wine seemed like a good idea. 

The event was well organized and set up with five stations. A chef at each station presented their take on the fries along with an assortment of wines from Southwest France. 

​I have had quite a few wines from Southwest France but I have not had the chance to taste so many at one time nor from as many regions as were presented here. This was a great way to learn how varied this part of France is. Getting the opportunity to try wines from grapes that are unfamiliar to me and from producers I did not know is always a treat. 

The first station was dry white wines along with Chef Ricky Camacho's Carnita Fries. 

I have to admit to coming back to this station a few times. 

By now I was really into the pairings, I forgot to take a pic before starting to eat. 

The winemaker from Domaine Du Moulin  was pouring at the Fruity Red station. His juicy red was a hit. One of the grapes he uses for this wine was a grape called Duras, one that I had not heard of. 

At the 100% Malbec station I met Charlotte GUÉRIN, Export Manager for Jean-Luc Baldès and his wines from Triguedina Estate in Cahors. These Malbecs and the Probus in particular really stood out. Not the rustic reds we sometimes see here but world class wines that deserve attention.

The final station with big reds and Freedom Fries. 

There were two more tables set up with other Southwest France wines. This was a delicious all Sémillon dessert style that had 25% botrytis affected grapes. Another example of the range of wines from this region. 

Ricky Camacho and assistant from Añejo. Their fries were my favorite. Not too salty, not so spicy that they overpowered the wine, a nice blend of flavors.  It turned out that my pick for best pairing was the same as the judges choose. Ricky's fries and Alain Brumont Les Jardins de Boucassé 2011. I didn't realize that the wine was from 2011. As I was going over pics on the train back to Connecticut I noticed the vintage. The wine is still youthful, crisp and dry. I came away impressed with the quality of the wines and the skill of the chefs. Now I need find which of these wines are available in my home state of CT.