My friends think we eat out all the time, it’s not true we usually cook at home. They are all great meals, both Diana and I are very good in the kitchen. But when I’m home alone I usually do something simple like this wonderful chicken pot pie. That does not mean I choose a simple wine. In fact I usually pick something extraordinary.
The Wine: Paul Kubler Pinot Gris “K” Alsace, France $$
The Food: Chicken Pot Pie, lovingly made by Vacchianno Farm
The Place: My warm and cozy kitchen, but I imagined myself in the dinning room of a great English estate.
Back in Roman times pot pies were made for banquets with live birds inside much to the surprise and delight of the guests. Four and twenty blackbirds, Baked in a pie.
In the 16th century the ancient custom was revived by English gentry whose kitchens made all sorts of meat pies. And what wine did the English drink? Why French of course, so I thought it only fitting that I pair a wine with roots back to the 16th century.
Philippe Kubler is the third generation of commercial winemakers in Alsace. But the the tradition of wine in his family goes back to 1620.
Besides its heritage Alsatian Pinot Gris is a very good wine for chicken pot pie with its rich full flavors. Pinot Gris is the same as Pinot Grigio but wine made in Alsace with this grape is very different.
Just consider the differences in color. Pinot Gris is grown across the globe in a sweeter full-bodied Alsatian style. While Pinot Grigio is lighter-bodied in the dryer, more acidic Italian style. Same grape, different production methods and terrior.
This wine with its rich texture and apple and apricot fruit flavors went so well with the salty, buttery, crusty flavors of the perfect chicken pot pies. I’ve tasted a lot of pot pies in my day, from Horn and Hardart, to my mom’s own, Swanson the entire lot. This is a very good one that you can get at NJ farmers’ markets. Check the link to Vacchiano Farm below.
Image from Cynthia Hurley French Wines
“Philippe Kubler is widely traveled man with degrees from Bordeaux and experience from Burgundy and New Zealand. Kubler has a well constructed range of products where the entry line is denoted "K". They are generally at a very high level, and always rewarded with high scores by the French wine press.” Alsace Wine
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