What to drink with pot-au-feu?

Want to make a rustic, traditional, and hearty dish? Last weekend we enjoyed an absolutely delicious pot-au-feu.

Pot-au-feu is a traditional dish

Traditional cuisine is all the rage this year: slow-cooked dishes are making a big comeback on our tables, much to our delight! When we think of traditional food, we think of memories. We all have fond memories of our grandmothers’ home-cooked meals or the hearty plates at the local restaurant… a taste or a scent… And ultimately, to make the celebration a success, the question on everyone’s mind is: what wine goes best with pot-au-feu?

Choosing a red wine to pair with stews isn't the easiest task!

When we say "tradi," we mean a traditional recipe. Here’s my recipe for pot-au-feu, one of the signature dishes of the French gastronomic meal. It’s a beef dish that simmers for a long time over very low heat in a broth flavored with vegetables and a bouquet garni. A real treat! A culinary and aromatic experience to enjoy with family or friends—without holding back!

Pot-au-feu recipe:

Ingredients (serves 6):

• 600 g beef chuck, 500 g shank, and 500 g short ribs – 6 marrow bones – 12 carrots
• 6 turnips – 6 leeks – 2 onions – 2 stalks of celery
• 2 cloves – 2 garlic cloves – coarse salt – pepper – 1 bouquet garni

Peel, chop, and wash all the vegetables. Stud the onions with cloves.

Sprinkle coarse salt on the ends of each marrowbone. In a large pot, place the vegetables, meats, and bones. Add the bouquet garni, pepper, unpeeled garlic cloves, and season with coarse salt.

Cover with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Simmer gently for a good 3 hours, skimming off the foam regularly.

With pot-au-feu, the first 10 minutes of the recipe are crucial

Once the cooking is done, remove the meat and vegetables from the pot and set them aside in a warm dish. Pour the broth into a tureen. This is when you start wondering which wine to pair with a pot-au-feu!

Add the bones to the pot with the meat and vegetables. Serve the pot-au-feu and the broth together. It’s ready! You can enjoy the bone marrow on toasted bread with salt and pepper.

Like any good family stew, pot-au-feu tastes even better the next day, when reheated…

The secret to pot-au-feu is pretty simple. Just make it the night before! When reheated the next day, it tastes even better.

The secret to pot-au-feu: prepare the dish the day before you plan to serve it

And when the question comes up: what wine goes with pot-au-feu?—we immediately think of Burgundy. We don’t open a bottle of Burgundy at home every day.

What wine goes well with pot-au-feu?

Red Burgundies to pair with pot-au-feu:

• Côtes-de-Beaune, Burgundy
• Givry de Bourgogne
• Pommard from Burgundy
• Marsannay from Burgundy
• Chambolle-Musigny, Burgundy
• Morey-Saint-Denis in Burgundy

And while I’m deciding which wine to pair with the pot-au-feu, I get to work in the kitchen…