Our daughter and her husband came round for a meal and we ate Daube de Boeuf Provençal. This is from Supercook and the recipe had rich intense savoury flavours, with a slight sweetness from orange zest, so we looked for reds with a sweet edge to them. The first one we opened was Cabalié 2009, a Syrah-based blend from the Sunday Times Wine Club. This is a full-bodied Southern French Red that has paired well with stews previously (see 17th Sept and 27th Feb 2011). We all tasted red fruits, a sweetness, with a smoky spiciness and in some cases cinnamon.
The second bottle was Giesta Dao 2009, a Portuguese red from the Sunday Times Wine Club. This full-bodied red is a blend of Tinta Roriz (aka Tempranillo), Jaen and Touriga Nacional. We have drank it previously with a Beef Stew and Steak (see 30th November and 14th October 2011). We found it intense, with black fruits and chocolaty. The consensus was that the Dao was a good match but that the French red was preferable with this particular meal.