Pairing: Provençal Pizza Paired with a 2012 d’Arenberg The Stump Jump GSM (Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvèdre)

Food:  Provençal Pizza is significantly different from the more traditional Neapolitan Pizza from Italy. Instead of a cooked tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and fresh basil all typical ingredients of the familiar Italian pizza, our Provençal Pizza is made with fresh tomato slices, oil cured olives, feta cheese, tiny branches of fresh thyme, and a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese. It should be noted that ours is not the traditional Provençal Pizza called Pissaladiere. We particularly enjoy our version of this pizza in late summer and early fall when the heirloom tomatoes start appearing in gardens and farmstands. The wonderfully flavorful heirlooms really shine on this pizza. Our crust is made from sourdough, one of our favorites.

Wine:  d’Arenberg is probably our favorite Australian wine producer. They make an extraordinary range of different wines (mostly reds) … we’ve had many of them … and they have all been good. And who can resist the cleverly conceived names?!

Back to GSM’s … an abbreviated way of saying Grenache, Syrah (or Shiraz), and Mourvèdre. These are the three principal grapes that make up the red wines from the Southern Rhône wine region of France. These wines include such well known reds as Côtes du Rhône, Gigondas, and Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Outside of France, Australia has become one of the biggest producers of GSM blends, along with the United States where they are known as ‘Rhône Rangers’.

Tasting Notes:  A deep garnet red color. The nose speaks of fruit … blackberry and plum. The palate brings flavors of a dark fruit compote, notably blackberry, black raspberry and black currant … all underlaid by a deep earthiness (that’s the Mourvèdre). That robust earthiness continues on the long finish, and complements beautifully the salty/briny flavors of the olives, feta,and Parmesan in the pizza. An absolutely perfect pairing!!

Other Wines That Pair Well with Provençal Pizza:  Côtes du Rhône (France), Bandol (Provence), Rosé (Provence), Châteauneuf-du-Pape (France), Garnacha (Spain)

Other Food That Pairs Well with GSM:  Roast Chicken, Pork, Mushrooms, Charcuterie, Moussaka (among many others … a very versatile wine)

Read About:  www.darenberg.com.au

A Source:  www.saq.com and www.wine.com