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Michelin star chef Michel Roux is face of Everyday Bordeaux consumer campaign

Published:  11 November, 2013

Michelin star chef Michel Roux of Le Gavroche fame has teamed up with the 2013 Everyday Bordeaux collection of wines, to promote those wines considered by a panel of judges from the Association of Wine Educators to offer some of the best value Bordeaux currently available in the UK.

Roux has agreed to be the face of the campaign and has created a series of recipes that he thinks are suitable to be matched with Bordeaux wines. The recipes are available to be viewed on a specially created YouTube channel, which can be viewed on Harpers.co.uk here, and will also be included in a booklet that will be distributed through national newspapers.

In an exclusive interview with Harpers.co.uk (which can be read here) Roux said of his involvement: "I am delighted to be working with Bordeaux Wines as it's such a wonderful region, and produces some fantastic wines. Through my work and running the Marathon du Medoc twice, I know the region well."

"I have come up with eight every day  dishes which I like to serve up for my family,  to match eight different styles of Bordeaux wines. So for example, I have paired roasted mackerel with a white Graves, hot pears with Roquefort and walnuts with a sweet Premiere Cotes de Bordeaux, and a cheese and ham pie with a Bordeaux Superieur. These recipes will appear in a booklet which will be distributed via national newspapers."

He added: "I think that in the past British consumers have possibly been intimidated by the region; they think Bordeaux and they automatically think of Grand Crus which cost vast sums and which you'd need to remortgage your house to be able to afford. The perception was that Bordeaux is top end and very expensive, but you can now find a great bottle for under a tenner. The vast majority of wines from Bordeaux are damn good wines offering excellent value for money, which work exceptionally well with food. And that's the message we want to get across with this campaign."

Roux believes Bordeaux's wines, along with French wines in general, are well placed to be matched with food. "I simply believe that good food tastes better with French wines. That might sound a bit chauvinistic, but I am a French man! And Bordeaux has so much to offer, with a wide variety of wines. I think every region has its particular style and strong points, but Bordeaux offers wines that are not going to overpower your palate, and they have a depth of flavour and harmonious nose that works so well with food." 

"French wines in general and Bordeaux in particular go better with food than new world wines which can be a bit too bold and brash. They don't smack you in the face with masses of flavour, which can sometimes be too aggressive. I am a huge fan of some New World wines that are done well, and there are some pretty awful French wines as well, but I think historically, from many generations in France, food has always been served with wine, and wine with food. It's about getting together with family and friends, it's an occasion. They don't drink wine on its own without food. And I think British consumers are becoming more aware of this."

* The full interview with Michel Roux can be read here.

* The full list of 2013 Everyday Bordeaux Wines can be found at www.bordeaux.com/ukl/wines/selection

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