What to eat with Sancerre. Mineral Sauvignon Blanc from Chavignol.

Sancerre and the village of Chavignol

Sancerre lies in the eastern part of France's Loire Valley, far inland, where a cool climate gives wines with lively acidity. The hilltop town gives its name to the appellation, and the small village of Chavignol sits just below it, surrounded by some of the area's steepest and best-known slopes.

Chavignol is famous twice over. It is home to wine families like the Bourgeois, and it gave its name to Crottin de Chavignol, the small, firm goat cheese that has become one of France's classic partners for Sauvignon Blanc. Few places show the old rule of local wine with local food as clearly, and few pairings are as easy to recreate at home.

Sauvignon Blanc and the taste of the soil

White Sancerre is made from Sauvignon Blanc. In the Loire it rarely tastes of tropical fruit. Instead you find citrus, green apple, gooseberry, fresh herbs and that much-discussed quality, minerality, often described as a flinty, chalky or stony note.

The appellation has three main soil types: white Kimmeridgian marl known as terres blanches, stony limestone called caillottes and flint, or silex. Growers often say each gives a different nuance, from rounder and more powerful to sharper and smokier. Arnaud brings the family's Sancerre 'Les Baronnes', a wine known for exactly that mineral character.

Cooking for minerality

Andreas Larsson, named Best Sommelier of the World, likes to say that food and wine pairing is not an exact science: all you need are good ingredients, good wine and a pinch of love. His first task here is to create a dish that respects the minerality of Les Baronnes. That is a useful challenge for any home cook. A wine like this has high acidity and little or no oak, so it loves fresh, clean flavors and can be overwhelmed by heavy sauces, sweetness or strong smoke.

Think seafood, white fish, shellfish, fresh herbs, citrus and green vegetables. The wine's acidity works like a squeeze of lemon, cutting through butter, cream or the richness of fried food. Watch the episode to see the dish Andreas creates and how Arnaud reacts to it.

Classic Sancerre pairings to try

Goat cheese is the obvious start: a young Crottin de Chavignol, warm goat cheese salad or a goat cheese tart. Oysters and other shellfish, grilled fish with herbs, sushi, asparagus, peas, artichokes and dishes with dill, chervil or tarragon are all excellent partners. Sauvignon Blanc is also one of the few wines that copes well with green vegetables.

Do not forget that Sancerre also makes red and rosé wines from Pinot Noir. The reds are usually light, fragrant and fresh, and they are lovely slightly chilled with salmon, roast chicken, charcuterie or mushroom dishes. Across the Loire river, Pouilly-Fumé makes Sauvignon Blanc in a similar style, so the same pairing ideas apply.

Serve Sancerre cool, not ice cold, so its aromas can open up. Young Sancerre is lovely for its freshness, while the best examples from top sites can gain depth and complexity with a few years in bottle.

The mystery wine

Then the format of the show kicks in. Arnaud brings his favorite wine made by someone else, and Andreas has to taste it blind and create a second dish using only what he finds in the fridge. Will he recognize the wine, and what will he cook? Watch the episode to find out, and to see how Arnaud does in the food and wine memory game.