wine pairings

I'm new here, so I apologize if I posted in the wrong section. (although this is technically about eating out in Chicago)

I'm going to a private dinner club tomorrow night and it's BYOB. I'd love some advice on what wine might be nice to pair with the following menu:

Petit Croque Madame with Fried Quail Egg

House Smoked Trout with Roasted Beets and Celeriac Remoulade

Cassoulet with House made Garlic Veal Sausage, Duck Confit, Braised Lamb, and Slab Bacon

Arugula Salad with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette and Fried Shallots

Dark Chocolate Mousse with Milk Chocolate Chantilly and Hazelnut Madelaines

thanks.

For the first two courses I'd say something crisp like a nice Sancerre perhaps.

For the casoulette maybe a pinot. The 2002 Vosne Romanees are drinking nicely right now.

You might be able to push a Sancerre through all the courses. The acidity will stand up to the fattyness of the egg, not overwhelm the trout, should drink nicely with the casoulette and would be nice with the salad.

Madiran is a traditional pairing with cassoulet. It comes from the area around Toulose. Here's a quick link to a page about madiran:

http://www.terroir-france.com/region/so ... adiran.htm

Sam's web site indicates a 2003 Montus (a top grower) for $40 which should be quite good. Additionally, here's a link to a popular wine board about a participant's recent madiran and cassoulet experience:

http://dat.erobertparker.com/bboard/sho ... p?t=132727

I make cassoulet a few times each winter. I usually use the meats you have listed, but I also include pork shoulder and pig's feet. Best of luck.

I'd recommend champagne with the first 2 courses. Of course, truth be told, it might not really matter what those courses were, I'd probably still recommend champagne However, in this case I actually do think it will cut through the richness of the croque madame, and be neutral enough to let the strong flavors of the smoked trout stay at the forefront. A crisp sancerre would work well too, as JLenart suggested. I'd stay away from big white wines like California Chardonnays, or very citrussy wines like Savignon blanc.

The nutty profile of an oloroso sherry would work nicely with the dessert. I'd stay away from super-sweet Pedro Ximenez sherries, which I usually find are best on their own.

better question- how do i get invited to said supper club? in any event the champagne and pinot noir selections are good options. for champagne I'm drinking the Jacquesson cuvees 730 and 731 right now. For pinot noir I'm drinking the Williams Saylem (sp?) 05 right now along with the Patricia Green Reserve from 05. Both are a touch tight but drinking wonderfully right now.

I would agree with the above recommendations on the first courses: something crisp with good acidity like champagne, sancerre, gavi, or verdicchio.

As for the cassoulet, I would suggest something full with low tannins, like a bold pinot noir/burgundy, a syrah or other Rhone-style GSM blend. Just make sure that if you go Rhone, don't get something with lots of tar/earth, but rather more black fruit flavors.

The crisp white would go with the salad, and the full-bodied red would go with the chocolate, so keep a glass of each around and have fun with the flavor pairings!

Bon appetit!

Well, the dinner was a big hit and we enjoyed two new wines. With all the recommendations I received, I went into a favorite shop of mine, Fine Wine Brokers, with a set game plan. However, as usual, I couldn't resist asking the opinion of the staff. I planned on trying the Sancerre with the 1st two courses, but was persuaded to try a Pouilly-Franc as an alternative. I thought it was a great choice, a little richer than the usual Sauvignon Blanc that I love, and it went really well with the smoked trout (my favorite course- for flavor and presentation - the beets were a great color).

I liked the idea of pairing the traditional cassolet (my first) wine, so I went with the Madiran. Although I wasn't wowed by the cassoulet itself -besides the excellent veal sausage, I found it a bit flat - the madiran really lifted that course up with a strong earthy flavor.

Great idea wino on keeping a glass of white around for the salad!

The mousse was also a highlight. The chef who made it told us the restaurant she studied at in France wouldn't let her do anything but make mousse because of her inexperience. So needless to say she got really good at it. We tried a port at the recommendation of the staff at Fine Wine Brokers that I can't remember the name of at the moment.

Thanks for the advice! Now I still have some great ideas to try.