Chateau de Gourgazaud, 2008, Minervois

I have a tier system for the wines in the closet: the daily (-$15), weekly (-$30), monthly (-$50) and - once I've made the necessary calculations and drawn the necessary diagrams - the sacred yearly wine. I don't particularly want to crack my bottle of 2005 Chateau de Beaucastle some dreary Wednesday night while watching a home renovation program on HGTV, gripping as these episodes can be. Witnessing some drama queen lose out on the perfect sink or wallpaper gives me more satisfaction than it should. Don't judge me. The point is this: in order to suffer such spirit-killing spectacles I need wine. Not spectacular wine. But good wine. Value wine. Wine that I would offer as a house wine if I had a restaurant. Wine that I can add to a pot while cooking with no qualms or hesitation. The 2008 Chateau de Gourgazaud is one of my daily wines.

Due to ridiculous snow storms and bone-chilling arctic winds, I need pungent nourishment. The best place to find pungent nourishment is in the bottom of a Dutch Oven. I'm talking the kitchen pot. Don't be depraved.

Boeuf Bourguignon 
(adapted from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking)

****This is not a quick recipe. Begin prep. 4 hours before you hope to eat. It's criminal to cut braising time short because of basic animal hunger and patience-deficit. Trust me. I've committed this particular crime.

What you'll need to serve 4:

- 100 grams of bacon
- 700 grams of stewing beef
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1.5 cups of red wine
- 1 cup of beef broth
- 1 tablespoon tomate paste
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper
- 15-20 pearls onions, peeled. (Quick trick - put the onions in boiling water for 2 minutes. The outer layer slips off easily this way)
- 200 grams of cremini mushrooms, sauteed in butter
- 2 tablespoons flour

1) Preheat oven to 450. Start with your bacon. It's wonderful place to start. Remove the rind if there is one. I found some Italian pancetta (uncooked, unsmoked bacon - the cooking fat is said to be a little richer...it was pretty rich) Otherwise, use a nice smoked bacon. Cut into small strips and simmer for ten minutes in about a litre of water. Drain. Dry. Then saute your bacon until lightly browned in an oven-safe cast iron pot or Dutch Oven. (A word on Dutch Ovens - get one. Now. They're the best thing for braises. You know how I feel about braises. They are crucial to happiness.) Set browned bacon aside.

2) Dry each piece of stewing beef with paper towel. This is crucial for meat browning. Meat browning is, in turn, crucial for flavour. The paper towel technique is thus crucial. Okay, saute each piece of beef in the bacon fat and oil (two batches min.) until browned. You want that crusty exterior. Add browned beef to the bacon.

3) In the same fat, saute the carrot and onion (not the pearl onions. The full-sixed onion). Supermarket bought stewing beef seems to retain a lot of water, which accumulates at the bottom of the pot while browning. I found a lot of brownish water at the base of my Dutch Oven. Poor word choice, I know, but whatever. Don't be depraved. I got rid of the brown water and added a little olive oil for the veg. Worked out fine.

4) Return beef and bacon to your cooking pot. Add salt and pepper with great generosity. Sprinkle with flour and toss to coat the beef lightly with flour. Set pot uncovered in the preheated oven for 4 minutes. Take out, toss, return pot to the oven for another 4 minutes. This browns the flour and covers the meat with a deliciously crusty membrane. Goodness.

5) Lower oven heat to 325.

6) Stir in the wine and enough beef stock so that the meat is just covered. Add tomato paste, garlic, herbs and bacon rind (if you are lucky enough to have a rind). Bring to a simmer on stovetop. Then cover your pot and put it in the oven for 2.5 hours. After 30 minutes or so take a look. You're looking for a slow gentle simmer. Regulate your heat accordingly.

7) While beef is cooking saute pearl onions and mushrooms in a bit of olive oil.

8) After 2.5 hours, take stew from the oven. Meat should be very tender. Julia Childs' recipe called for a reduction of the sauce, but I found the liquid level to be perfect so I skimmed a little fat from the surface and extracted the bacon rind. Then I added the mushrooms and pearl onions. Behold.

7) Serve boeuf Bourguignon over some garlic mashed potatoes and hunker in until the blizzard passes. Even your semi-vegetarian or pescatarian lady will worship you for the culinary Man-God that you are. She may even let you watch rugby.

How Did the 2008 Chateau de Gourgazaud Stand Up?

This wine is a blend of syrah and mourvedre, with syrah being the dominant grape. Speaking generally, it is soft, spicy and easy-drinking. Despite the southern fruit and the smooth texture, there is a definite savory character to the finish. Almost salty. So, the wine worked - completely acceptable and balanced for a daily wine - but a little more contrast would have been nice. I'm thinking a BC or New Zealand pinot noir or even something a little heavier and more immediately tannic like a Vacquerayas. Lots of options. To be honest, the boeuf was a hit. I was blown away by how well it turned out. I would have liked to match it with a more complex wine. All of which may imply that a dreary Wednesday night filled with HGTV programming may be the perfect moment to release your once-a-year 2005 Chateau de Beaucastle into the world.