For my family, enjoying Butternut Squash and Chestnut Soup signals the start of Winter. As snow flurries fly, markets still offer fresh Butternut Squash and Chestnuts. So the time is right for making this delightful, warming soup. Its creamy, rich texture and earthy, savory flavors hit the spot especially when paired with versatile French white wines.
Fresh Butternut Squash by themselves are homely at best. But when paired with sweet, meaty chestnuts and then transformed with the alchemy of the recipe at the end of this post, they render a gorgeous orange colored soup as shown in the photo at the top of the post. Pair the soup with the following tasty wines made from organically grown grapes:
2018 CÉLINE ET LAURENT TRIPOZ, MÂCON-LOCHÉ “CUÉE DU CLOCHER”
From the 1950’s into the early 1990’s, the southern Burgundy region of Mâcon had a reputation for churning out oceans of industrially-produced whites. To deliver the high volume of fruit required to make these underwhelming wines, growers liberally applied synthetic chemicals on the vines. This killed living organisms in the soils and undermined the possibilities for producing top quality, aromatic fruit. The resulting inexpensive, but bland wines delivered little pleasure.
In the 1990’s, a vanguard of young growers including Céline and Laurent Tripoz took a different path. Starting in 1986 the Tripoz’s grew and sold grapes to the local cooperative, but in 1990 they began to make and bottle their own wines. They studied ways to produce quality wines reflecting the distinctive limestone and clay soils of their village of Loché. Organic and biodynamic viticulture caught their attention. It was the path to revitalizing the soils and supporting healthier, naturally vital vines.
Today their vines are certified both “A.B” for “biologique” (i.e., organic) and Demeter for biodynamie. The three decades of dedicated hard work in the vineyards is paying off with wines like the fresh and delicious 2018 Céline et Laurent Tripoz, Mâcon-Loché “Cuvée du Clocher” (Available from Chambers Street Wines: $27.99). The wine’s chardonnay grapes fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks. The young wine also aged ten months in tanks before bottling with minimal added sulfites.
The wine’s shimmering golden color unfolds enticing citrus and white floral aromas. Pure flavors of tangerine and lemon burst on the palate balanced with a touch of zesty salinity. Marvelous bright acidity and a rich texture carry through the uplifting dry finish. Its a vibrant and energetic wine contrasting nicely with the creamy, savory soup.
2019 ARNAUD LAMBERT, SAUMUR “BRÉZÉ,” “CLOS DE MDI” lieu-dit
In the Loire Valley, winegrower Arnaud Lambert works in the Saumur appellation where the majority of the growers still sell their grapes to local cooperatives. But Lambert bottles his own wines based on his belief in the distinctive quality of his Chenin Blanc vines in Brézé, an historically significant terroir within Saumur.
The Brézé vineyard has a relatively high elevation enjoying ideal south-eastern sun exposure. In the soils, clay and light sand cover a rich vein of tuffeau, a porous, chalky limestone. When he assumed control of the 3.5 hectare lieu-dit site called “Clos de Midi” within Brézé, Lambert converted to organic viticulture. He also is transitioning the vines to biodynamic methods. Again the object is to revive both the soils and the vines resulting in high quality grapes. This enhances the possibility for wines with complex aromas and pure, fresh flavors.
Lambert succeeds admirably with the tasty 2019 Arnaud Lambert, Saumur Brézé Blanc, “Clos de Midi” lieu-dit (average national price on wine-searcher.com: $23). The wine’s bright straw yellow color offers aromas of ripe grapefruit, white flowers and baked apple aromas. On the palate, zesty citrus and quince flavors balance with bright freshness, a touch of creaminess and a long dry finish. It makes a terrific combination with the Butternut Squash and Chestnut Soup. Lambert’s exporter, Becky Wasserman-Hone, also recommends pairing this delicious wine with Pumpkin and Chestnut Soup. Sounds good to me!
2018 DOMAINE ZIND-HUMBRECHT, MUSCAT, GOLDERT ALSACE GRAND CRU
Vigneron Oliver Humbrecht has long championed organic and biodynamic grapegrowing in his native Alsace and around France and beyond. His vineyards enjoy both A.B. (i.e., organic) and Demeter certifications. The domaine participates actively in Biodyvin, an association of 150 winegrowers in France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland committed to 100% biodynamic cultivation.
Visit Humbrecht’s vineyards and you’ll find fertile, loamy soils with verdant grasses and other plants growing between rows of flourishing, sturdy vine. You’ll also see plenty of fauna such as plump snails noshing happily. Humbrecht treats the vineyard as a living organism within the overall environment. A vibrant, living environment is essential to providing the vital energy required for the vines to provide delicious fruit. The proof, however, must ultimately be translated in the wines, and Humbrecht does so marvelously in the 2018 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht, Muscat, Goldert Alsace Grand Cru (average national price on wine-searcher.com: $55).
Facing mainly to the East, Goldert Alsace Grand Cru enjoys plenty of sunshine but with a relatively cool, dry micro-climate. This allows the grapes to ripen slowly and reach complete maturity late into harvest. The vineyard’s sub-soils contain marine oolithic limestone, a rarity in Alsace geology. Humbrecht makes the most of the conditions by producing an exotic, yet gorgeous wine with a firm backbone and scintillating raciness.
The wine’s lovely light gold color offers delightful aromas of rose petals, honeysuckle and grapefruit. On the palate, the wine delivers pure grapefruit, ripe pineapple, and quince flavors with rich concentration balanced by zesty, fresh acidity and a dry finish. The wine is intense, yet exquisitely well-balanced and a sheer pleasure to experience. A perfect match with the Butternut Squash and Chestnut soup.
Kate’s Butterrnut Squash and Chestnut Soup
My wife, Kate, adapted this recipe from the original from Betty Ostermann, our American Wine Society friend and Burgundy travel companion. Betty served the soup back in 1999 at a memorable (actually perhaps unforgettable!) “Y2K” party.
Ingredients:
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter
- 1 jumbo white onion, chopped
- 5 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into pieces
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
- 1 large carrot, sliced
- twelve fresh chestnuts, roasted and peeled (Or substitute 1 can (or jar) of preserved chestnuts)
- 2 tablespoons salt
- Water
- 2 cups half-and-half
- Sour cream, thinned with a little additional half-and-half
- Chopped pecans
Melt the butter in a large pot. Saute the onion in the butter until it softens. Add the squash, sweet potato, carrot, chestnuts and salt, and then add water to cover by an inch. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 1 hour.
Add 2 cups half-and-half, the thinned sour cream and pecans. Puree the mixture in a food processor (or use a handheld electric blender in the pot). Serve the soup in individual bowls with freshly ground pepper and a dollop of sour cream.
Bon appetite and cheers!