East meets West~~Pork Fried Rice and a North Carolina Wine #CabFrancDay #sponsored

I was gifted a bottle of Jones von Drehle Cabernet Franc in celebration of Cab Franc Day that was founded by my friend Lori of Exploring the Wine Glass and Draceana Wines.   I received no monetary compensation for this post and all opinions and writings are strictly my own.

Most of you have probably had Cab Franc blended with other grapes in Bordeaux style wines.  Cab Franc Day was created to honor this varietal and to tell the world that Cab Franc is not just a blending grape but wonderful all on it's own.

Celebrating St. Pat's Day with L'Ecole Cab Franc/Merlot

I was invited to be an ambassador for L'Ecole wines.  This means that each month they are providing me with a bottle of wine and a suggested theme for the wine.  My end of the bargain is that I taste the wine, do a pairing and give my honest review here on my blog. There is also a zoom meeting each month where we get to learn about the wine we were sent and ask questions of the winemaker.  I am a big fan of L'Ecole No 41 and was very excited to join them in this endeavour. 

This month we are featuring a Cab Franc/Merlot blend from Walla Walla Valley...............

Please Join Us for #CabFrancDay

I am happy to be joining in a celebration today with other like minded individuals who believe that Cabernet Franc is more than just a blending grape.  We are all meeting up this evening for twitter chat at 8 pm to discuss this grape and it's emergence as a stand alone wine.

I started my celebration last Saturday when I shared a pairing of Palazzo Cabernet Franc from Napa Valley.  I paired this wine with Pan Seared Duck Breasts with a Pomegranate Reduction.  The wine was lovely and the pairing wonderful.  You can read all about this bottle and get the recipe for the duck at my first Cab Franc Day post.

Pan Seared Duck Breast with Pomegranate Reduction paired with Pallazzo Cab Franc for #CabFrancDay

 I received samples for the purpose of tasting and reviewing wine for Cab Franc Day.  I received no monetary compensation.  All opinions are strictly my own.  

Did you know that there is a day set aside to enjoy Cabernet Franc wine?  It's true.  This traditional blending grape from the Bordeaux region is gaining notoriety for being a stand alone grape in wine that is deep, dark and lovely.  We celebrate this wine on December 4th each year.

I know that the celebration is still a week away, however, I wanted to share this wine with you and invite you to pop open a bottle of Cab Franc and join us on December 4th at 8 PM ET for twitter chat as we discuss this interesting varietal.

Cab Franc around the World Invitation Post #WinePW

We will be celebrating #CabFrancDay on December 4th where we feature Cab Franc as a stand alone grape instead of a blending grape.  I thought I would continue the theme throughout the month and  decided to invite the Wine Pairing Weekend Group to join me in sharing the food pairings that we have discovered that pair well with this lovely wine.

I am showcasing a wine from our very own, Lori of Dracaena Wines.  So go out, grab a bottle of Cab Franc and meet up with us on Twitter Chat on December 12th at 11 AM ET following #WinePW.  We love when visitors pop in and tell us all about their experiences with our topic.

If participating with a blog post please stop by the event page and post your information.

Please join us as we discover Cabernet Franc Around the World for #WinePW

Cabernet Franc used to be best known for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec to become a Bordeaux, one of the most beloved wines in the world.

image from Wine Folly found on Google Images

Lately, though this black grape is becoming a star all of it's own.  The Medieval town of Chinon in France's Loire Valley has always used Cab Franc as their main varietal yet, depending on the soil and area in which it is grown (the terroir) Chinon wines can be very different from each other.

Tech Sheet from Draceana Wines found on Google Images.

Here on this side of the globe, Cab Franc is becoming more popular and thrives in California.  In fact, one of our members of this group, Lori, owns Draceana Wines in California that specializes in Cabernet Franc.  Unfortunately, I am unable to purchase her wines here in Michigan but can't wait to try it the next time I am out west.

Photo from Google Images

Not to despair though, as Cab Francs become more popular they are getting easier to find wherever you live.   Now is the time to purchase too before everyone discovers them and the demand gets large.  Cab Francs are full bodied and fruity.  They are wonderfully tanic but not so much as to not be enjoyable on it's own and they age beautifully.  That means if you purchase now, while demand is low and price is reasonable you can place them in your cellar and in 10 years have a very dear and expensive bottle in your collection that you can open to enjoy.

I enjoyed this bottle of Cab Franc from South Africa in 2016 when this group last visited this varietal.  I loved it and it has stuck in my mind, hence my choosing this theme for this month's event.

I have asked my fellow bloggers at Wine Pairing Weekend to join me in exploring Cabernet Franc Around the World this month.  We will be getting together to discuss the wines we tasted and the pairings we made on March 9th at 11 AM ET following #winepw.  We would love to have you join us.