The term "casse-croûte" translates as "snack" wherever French is spoken, and in much of France often means a sandwich or even a hamburger with frites. In Gascony, however, it means something special.

Gascony is in the southwest French region famous for d’Artagnan, Armagnac, and hearty cooking. It’s also where the ritual of "casse-croûte" is less open to interpretation. It is often eaten at 10 a.m. as a small meal between breakfast and lunch, and it is most certainly caloric and filling. It always includes bread, often includes meat cooked in its own fat (see duck confit), but rillettes, foie gras, and numerous pâtés are eaten as well.

And what meal is complete without wine? A glass of simple vin de Gascogne likely accompanies the mid-morning repast. If this all sounds a bit much to ingest before noon, consider its origins: long, hard mornings of demanding physical labor in the fields. If your day commenced at 4 a.m. with farm chores and plowing, you would also likely hunger for the sustenance and warmth that casse-croûte provides.

Fortunately, on our recent trip to Gascony, our hosts at Château de Millet demanded little work of us other than to taste their surprisingly delicious dry white Vin de Pays known as Côtes de Gascogne. White wine makes for nearly 90% of the total output of Gascony, because the VdP area is identical to that of Armagnac. Colombard, Petit and Gros Manseng, Len de l'El, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, Muscadelle, and Ugni Blanc all make appearances, as well as Baco-22A (pictured above), the only hybrid permitted by the French AOP (AOC) system. Colombard is the primary varietal in most of the region’s white wine blends, giving very tart but refreshing zippy wines that would be equally as delicious with shellfish as they are a counter to fatty meats and charcuterie.

In addition to their squeaky-clean and refreshing Côtes de Gascogne, Domaine de Millet is also a very fine producer of Armagnac, a drink I find interesting, but admittedly am still getting used to. Armagnac seems entirely appropriate in its home region of Gascony, is no doubt a complex beverage worthy of study, and does a knockout job of warming the body on a cold and blustery day. But after our casse-croûte of wine, bread, and duck confit, the Armagnac encouraged nap time, and then it was time for time for lunch!

I’ve arrived in Gascony in southwest France, specifically in the appellation of Saint Mont, in the western half of the Gers department. I’m here with Olivia Melendez from the Sopexa group and Robert Whitley, Publisher of Wine Review Online, for a tour of several AOCs in what is loosely grouped together and known as “le Midi.” For the next six days we’ll be visiting producers, tasting the wines, and eating the hearty fare the region is famous for.

We’ll be based in Saint Mont at Château de Projan for the first three days before spending our last couple of nights in Touluse. Château de Projan is a very comfortable hotel, and its owners, Christine and Richard Poullain, have been gracious hosts. Within our first five minutes here, Christine began pouring us Saint Mont blanc and Richard began churning out sugared crepes from the kitchen faster than we could eat them. This particular Saint Mont Blanc (2009 Plaimont) was finished in a dry style (it may have five grams of RS or so), but worked remarkably well with the lightly-sweetened crepes. This would be the day’s first of two unexpected-but-successful pairings.

The Saint Mont appellation, not surprisingly, derives its name from a Benedictine monastery founded in 1050. Its wines were granted VDQS status in 1981 for reds and rosés produced from Tannat and Pinenc, and the Cabernets and whites from Arrufiac, Petit Courbu, and Gros Manseng. We’ll be visiting the Monastère Saint Mont on in a few days, so I’ll save my thoughts on these wines until then. Instead, I’ll write a few words about last night’s dinner with four vignerons from nearby Madiran, featuring Richard’s eye-opening menu.

Madiran, in most people’s view, is often described as a tannic beast of a wine. That’s because of its cépage which must be at least 60% Tannat with up to 40% Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Tannat is tannic, of course, and the Cabernets were written into the AOC in 1948 as a way of softening out Tannat’s astringency. The tannin of Madiran is present, you feel it in every wine, and even those made specifically in an approachable style intended for the export market display noticeable tannic chewiness. Overall, however, these particular Madirans (ranging in style from traditional to modern) showed highly-polished and sweet tannic firmness, but were not astringent.

A great deal of credit for the taming of Tannat should be given to Patrick Ducournau,   who in 1985 began to encourage the producers of Madiran to microbillage (micro oxygenate). The practice, which is now widespread, is thought to have begun here. My conversation over dinner with Philippe Olçomendy (Cave de Crouseilles), Didier Barré, (Domaine Berthoumieu), and André Béheity (President, Madiran/Pacherenc Interprofessional Section) made one thing abundantly clear: the future of Madiran lies in getting the best from Tannat and being less dependent on the ameliorating affect of using international varietals such as Cabernet.

The potential of Madiran showed greatly when Marie Oulié of Domaine du Crampilh shared her superb Madiran Vielles Vignes 2006 made from 100% Tannat. This not only showed how distinctive the varietal can be aromatically, but also showed a sweet mid-palate, moderate alcohol, while maintaining Madiran’s signature structural backbone. I’ve been mentally preparing myself for meals of multiple-course foie gras and duck confit, but these producers surprised us with a pairing of salmon and Madiran which was wildly successful. Chef Richard did a little of his own amelioration, roasting the salmon and serving it with a sauce of reduced Madiran and demi-glace, but on this night, Tannat’s tannins were put into their place and our dinner shone as a whole.

Oz Clarke, the U.K.’s most popular wine critic, met representatives of the wine trade at San Francisco’s Slanted Door to discuss his new books, Kiwi wines, and food pairing.

Oz Clarke is indeed the U.K.’s best-known wine personality. He’s written several books and regularly appears on BBC radio and television and has the unique distinction of getting busted by Christopher Reeve in Superman (1978)--awesome movie BTW. Clarke also enjoys a good amount of popularity on this side of the pond, although his wine criticism comes more often in the form of good writing rather than the scoring and rating of wines popular here in the States.

There is a well-worn copy of Clarke’s excellent topographical wine atlas sitting on my bookshelf at home. The binding has been taped up and the pages are often out of order as they freely fall to the floor whenever I open its cover. Its tattered condition is the result of me compulsively carrying it wherever I went while studying for the Master Sommelier exam. With Clarke’s atlas, I was able to visualize the dramatic slopes of the Mosel and the gradual undulations of Bordeaux’s terroir long before I was able to visit these places in person. It’s truly one of my favorite wine books.

Clarke is credited with coining the phrase “cat’s pee on a gooseberry bush,” which he used to describe the pungent green character typical of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. The phrase is off-putting to some, but Clarke meant it as a compliment, and it certainly is accurate. We tasted several Kiwi Sauvignons, as well as Rieslings, Gewurztraminers, and Pinot Noirs with Chef Charles Phan’s excellent Vietnamese cooking at the Slanted Door on Sunday night.

Clarke has a take on food and wine pairing that I wish more wine drinkers would adapt. From his new Pocket Wine Guide 2011:

The pleasures of eating and drinking operate on so many levels that hard and fast rules make no sense. What about mood? If I’m in the mood for Champagne, Champagne it shall be, whatever I’m eating. What about company? An old friend, a lover, a bank manager—each of these companions would probably be best served by quite different wines. What about place? If I’m sitting gazing out across the Mediterranean, hand me anything, just as long as it’s local—it’ll be perfect.

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