Groulleau?
We are likely all familiar with Gamay, the famous grape of Beaujolais, but when was the last time you had Groulleau?
This month, Lynn of Savor the Harvest is leading the writers at the French Winophiles in an exploration of Forgotten French Grapes (read her invite post here). We are all familiar with those international varieties that France is known for, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Pinot Noir, but what about some of the varieties that perhaps have not traveled so far afield?
We will investigate these varieties and share our thoughts and experiences. Below are links to my colleagues’ articles.
About Groulleau
Groulleau, or Groulleau Noir, is a dark-skinned grape grown in the Loire. For as little as you hear about it, you would probably be surprised at how much is grown. It is actually the third most planted grape in the Loire after Cabernet Franc and Gamay, and it is often used, as in the case of the wine we are tasting today, in Rosé, although it is also used to make sparkling wines and a small amount of red wine.
The first reference to this grape came in the 1800’s when it was said to be planted by a farmer in Touraine, near Cinq-Mars-la-Pile. As a result, early on it was called Groulleau de Cinq-Mars.
The name is a reference to the color based on Grolle meaning, “Black Crow.”
This grape is early budding, mid-ripening and thrives in cooler climates. It is a reliably high-yield variety, but overcropping tends to cause lackluster flavors in the grapes.
When cropped appropriately it can produce high acid wines with notes of raspberry, tangerine, watermelon, strawberry, cherry, lemon, and rose petals. Perfect for rosé, wouldn’t you say?
The Anjou AOC
I mentioned that there was only a little bit of red wine made from this grape. That is somewhat due to the fact that you can only make red wine from it in the Anjou AOC.
Rosé d’Anjou
Rosé d’Anjou is a popular rosé in the region and can include 7 different varieties: Gamay, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Côt (Malbec), Pineau d’Aunis, and both Grolleau Gris and Grolleau Noir.
With almost 1900 hectares of vines planted, 500 producers in the area pop out over 14 and a half million bottles of Rosé d’Anjou each year.
Famille Bougrier
Famille Bougrier has been making wine since 1885. That’s 6 generations! They make wines from all regions in the Loire Valley from Nantes to Sancerre. They have over 100 hectares of vineyard that span 2 Domaines, the Domaine Guenault where the family originated and the Domaine de Lusqueneau.
They now have 3 different wineries that can focus on the wines of the region, with Les Caves de la Nantaise in the Muscadet, Les Caves de L’Angevine in Anjou-Saumur and Les Caves de la Tourangelle in the Touraine. It is at Les Caves de L’Angevine where they create their Rosé d’Anjou.
Famille Bougrier Rosé d’Anjou 2023
This off-dry rosé is 50% Gamay and 50% Groulleau. It pours a coppery pink, and has aromas of warm strawberry rhubarb preserves, mandarin and raspberry. In my mouth there were bright flavors of wild strawberry, mandarin, kiwi, starfruit and notes of warm watermelon. The slight sweetness is balance by the zing of the fruit. This is a gloriously accessible rosé for many palates and is perfect for spring with it’s low alcohol.
SRP $12.99 11% abv
Crab pasta & cheese with peas
This bottle of wine is not expensive and makes for a perfect mid week bottle. I wanted to put together a pairing that felt luxurious, but was easy and inexpensive. I realize sometimes I share with you Often our recipes are detailed and focus on specialty products that add to the authenticity, but can be hard to find. Today is easy, the wine and the dish.
This is like mac & cheese, but we are using a beautiful bow tie pasta that I was given for Christmas by a friend, but you could most certainly use macaroni. For some reason, bow tie pasta always screams for peas in my opinion and the touch of green makes the dish pretty.
We did not go fancy on the ingredients, I bought imitation crab meat, shredded Mexican cheese blend, and coconut milk (less expensive, lighter and healthier than heavy cream). We will season with a bit of miso paste, roasted garlic and Dijon mustard and it will get topped with panko bread crumbs and fresh basil.
Could you go fancier with this? Yes, of course! Elevate your cheese, with white cheddar blended with Gruyère and Parmegianno Reggiano! Add some parm to the panko breadcrumbs on top! Use real crab (or lobster!) Add in other seasonings, like smoked paprika or freshly ground nutmeg. Use your favorite pasta. I would suggest Cavatappi, which is macaroni that has an extra curl! Use chives or another fresh herb on top. Make it your own!
Other Pairings to try with Rosé d’Anjou!
- Coconut Shrimp
- Rhubarb Sorbet
- Proscuitto Panini with Rhubarb Relish
- Rhubarb with asparagus, onion and butter beans
- My friend Jane at Always Ravenous paired them with these gorgeous little corncakes with fresh tomatoes and sage.
More Forgotten French Grapes from the French Winophiles
- Martin of Enofylz Wine Blog shares Forgotten Grapes of France: Poulsard Shines in the 2022 Domaine Dugois ‘La Sombarde
- Camilla of Culinary Cam shares A Pair of Picpoul – From Two Continents – with a Simple Salmon Dinner
- Jeff of Food Wine Click shares Forgotten Grapes of France: Fer Servadou from Aveyron
- David of Cooking Chat shares French Alpine Wines and Pairings to Go With Them
- Cathie of Side Hustle Wino shares Channeling Warm Weather Through Forgotten Grapes of France
- Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm shares A Sauvignon Gris from Bordeaux paired with a Chicken Stew from Zambia
- Linda of My Full Wine Glass shares Jurancon Noir: A very berry grape from southwest France
- Gwendolyn Lawrence Alley of Wine Predator shares Beat the Wintry Blues: Meet Sciaccarellu, Niellucciu, Carcaghjolu Neru, and Minustellu from Corsica!
- Payal of Keep the Peas shares Pineau d’Aunis and Ovalie Cendrée: An Exquisite Pair!
- Terri of A Good Life shares Rediscovering the Gems: Exploring the Forgotten Grapes of French Wine
- Lynn of Savor the Harvest hosted and shares Forgotten Wine Grapes of France: Alpine Wine of Savoie
More Forgotten French Grapes from Crushed Grape Chronicles
Here are a few other French Grape Varieties to explore:
- French Poets, Philandering Kings and little sweetness from Jurançon #Winophiles
- Sipping the sweet side of the Rhône with a Rasteau Vin Doux Naturel #Winophiles
- Fish, cheese, and red wine. Exploring the Basque region of Irouléguy. #Winophiles
- A Baby Vin Jaune 15 generations in the making! #Winophiles
- Coming home and finding a new home – the stories of two wines from Maury #Winophiles
Crab pasta with cheese
Choose your favorite pasta to make this easy baked crab and cheese dish. We make it lighter with coconut milk and add extra flavor with miso paste, garlic and mustard. Toss in some peas for color and place it in the broiler to finish it with melted cheese and crunchy panko!
Pair it with a Rose d'Anjou, rose wine from the Loire Valley!
Ingredients
- 8 oz of dry pasta
- 8 oz of shredded cheese (1/3 reserved for topping)
- 1 can of coconut milk (or 16 oz of heavy cream)
- 2 tsp white miso paste
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp roasted garlic (mashed)
- 8 oz of imitation crab meat
- ½ cup of cooked peas
- Salt & pepper
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- 2 tbs butter
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions
- Preheat the oven to broil
- Heat the milk over medium-high just to boiling.
- Reduce the heat to low, add the miso, garlic, and Dijon mustard, and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add the cooked pasta and simmer over medium heat or another minute.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Slowly stir in the cheese, 2 oz at a time, until it is all incorporated and melted.
- Stir in the crab and peas, and season.
- Place the mixture into 2 oval gratin dishes and top with the remaining cheese.
- Melt the butter, add the panko and mix.
- Top with the panko mixture and broil for 2 to 3 minutes.
Notes
Could you make this fancier? Yes, of course!
Elevate your cheese! Maybe white cheddar blended with gruyere and Parmigiano Reggiano!
Add some parm to the panko breadcrumbs on top!
Use real crab (or lobster!)
Add in other seasonings, like smoked paprika or freshly ground nutmeg.
Use your favorite pasta. I would suggest Cavatappi, which is macaroni that has an extra curl! Use chives or
another fresh herb on top.
Make it your own!
Nutrition Information
Yield
3Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 1090Total Fat 64gSaturated Fat 45gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 14gCholesterol 110mgSodium 1394mgCarbohydrates 93gFiber 5gSugar 10gProtein 40g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine and WSET 3 Certified. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
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