From the Archives: Paul Bertolli & the Loire
by Kermit Lynch
© Gail Skoff
© Gail Skoff
From the Archives: Paul Bertolli & the Loire
by Kermit Lynch
Muscadet with oysters. I love Muscadet with oysters. It would in fact be a rare day that would find me refusing an offer of Muscadet and oysters. However, Muscadet with oysters. We have heard it so often it has almost grown into a one-word cliche. Muscadetwithoysters.
“My God, isn’t there anything else that goes with Muscadet?” I asked author and chef Paul Bertolli.
In so many words, he replied, “Yes, give me a bottle of Muscadet and I will uncork it in my kitchen and come up with an appropriate dish.”
Well, one bottle led to another, and before you can learn how to pronounce “Loire” like a true Frenchman, Paul had created four recipes to accompany and show off the wines from the four Loire wine regions:
1. The area east of Tours, including Cheverny, Pouilly-Fume, Quincy, Sancerre, and other Sauvignon blancs.
2. The area of the Pineau de la Loire, or Chenin blanc, stretching roughly from Tours west to Angers, including Montlouis, Vouvray, Savennieres, and Anjou blanc.
3. The great red appellations of Chinon and Bourgueil.
4. Muscadet, near the mouth of the Loire and the coastal oyster beds.
Paul Bertolli is the talented fellow who creates the menu and cuisine at Oliveto Restaurant in Oakland. These four recipes are not at all difficult to realize, and they work. Author of Chez Panisse Cooking, Paul has had plenty of experience writing recipes and cooking great meals. I have personal knowledge. Follow his advice and watch the food improve the wine, and vice versa.
You will find Paul Bertolli’s original write-ups and recipes from the September 1995 Newsletter within the products below.
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