Aïoli A
thirst-quencher is needed for its garlic heat. Rhône, sparkling dry white;
Provence rosé,
Verdicchio.
And marc or grappa, too, for courage.
Antipasti Dry
or medium white: Italian (Arneis, Soave, Pinot Grigio, Prosecco, Vermentino);
light
but gutsy red (Valpolicella, straight or ripasso, can handle most things).
Artichoke vinaigrette An incisive dry white: NZ Sauv Bl; Côtes de Gascogne or
a modern
Greek;
young red: Bordeaux, Côtes du Rhône.
with hollandaise Full-bodied,
slightly crisp dry white: Pouilly-Fuissé, Pfalz Spätlese, or a
Carneros
or Yarra Valley Chard.
Asparagus A
difficult flavour for wine, being slightly bitter, so the wine needs plenty of
its own.
Rheingau
Ries goes well. Sauv Bl echoes the flavour. Sém beats Chard, esp Australian,
but
Chard
works well with melted butter or hollandaise. Alsace Pinot Gr, even dry Muscat
is gd,
or
Jurançon Sec.
Aubergine purée (melitzanosalata) Crisp New World Sauv Bl, eg. from South Africa or NZ;
or
modern
Greek or Sicilian dry white. Baked aubergine dishes can need sturdier reds:
Shiraz,
Zin.
Or try a Turkish red like the Imam.
Avocado and tiger prawns Dry to medium or slightly sharp white: Rheingau or
Pfalz Kabinett,
Grüner
Veltliner, Wachau Ries, Sancerre, Pinot Gr; Sonoma or Australian Chard or Sauv
Bl,
or
a dry rosé. Or premier cru Chablis.
with mozzarella and tomato Crisp but ripe white with acidity: Soave, Sancerre,
Greek
white.
Carpaccio, beef Seems
to work well with most wines, incl reds. Top Tuscan is appropriate, but
fine
Chards are gd. So are vintage and pink Champagnes.
salmon Chard
or Champagne.
tuna Viognier,
California Chard or NZ Sauv Bl.
Caviar Iced
vodka. Full-bodied Champagne (eg. Bollinger, Krug). Cuvée Annamaria Clementi
from
Ca’ del Bosco.
Ceviche Australian
Ries or Verdelho, Chilean Sauv Bl.
Charcuterie/salami Young
Beaujolais-Villages, Loire reds (ie. Saumur), or NZ or Oregon Pinot
N.
Lambrusco or young Zin. Young Argentine or Italian reds. Bordeaux Blanc and
light Chard
like
Côte Chalonnaise can work well, too.
Chorizo Fino,
Austrian Ries, Grüner Veltliner, but not a wine-friendly taste.
Crostini Dry
Italian white such as Verdicchio or Orvieto. Or standard-grade (not Riserva)
Morellino
di Scansano, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Valpolicella.
Crudités Light
red or rosé: Côtes du Rhône, Minervois, Chianti, Pinot N; or Fino Sherry. For
whites:
Alsace Sylvaner or Pinot Bl.
Dim sum Classically,
China tea. For fun: Pinot Gr or Ries; light Pinot N. For reds, soft, evolved
tannins
are key, and the more mature and complex the wine the better it will go.
Bardolino,
Rioja,
or light Southern Rhône are also contenders. Plus NV Champagne or gd New World
fizz.
Eggs See
also SOUFFLÉS. These present
difficulties; they clash with most wines and can ruin good
ones.
But local wine with local egg dishes is a safe bet, so ★→★★
of whatever is going.
Try
Pinot Bl or not-too-oaky Chard. As a last resort I can bring myself to drink
Champagne
with
scrambled eggs.
quails eggs Blanc
de blancs Champagne.
seagull (or gull) eggs Mature white burgundy or vintage Champagne.
oeufs en meurette Burgundian genius: eggs in red wine with glass of the
same.
Escargots A
comfort dish calling for Rhône reds (Gigondas, Vacqueyras). St-Véran or Aligoté,
in
Burgundy, . In the Midi, v.gd Petits-Gris (“little grey snails”) go with local
white, rosé or
red.
In Alsace, Pinot Bl or dry Muscat.
Fish terrine or fish salad Pfalz Ries Spätlese Trocken, Grüner Veltliner, premier cru Chablis,
Clare
Valley Ries, Sonoma Chard, or Manzanilla.
Foie gras Sweet
white. In Bordeaux they drink Sauternes. Others prefer a late-harvest Pinot Gr
or
Ries
(incl New World), Vouvray, Montlouis, Jurançon moelleux,
or Gewurz. Tokaji Aszú 5
puttonyos
is a Lucullan choice. Old, dry Amontillado can be sublime. With hot foie gras,
mature
vintage Champagne. But not on any account Chard or Sauv Bl. Or red.
Goats cheese, warm Sancerre,
Pouilly-Fumé, or New World Sauv Bl.
chilled Chinon,
Saumur-Champigny, or Provence rosé. Or strong red: Château Musar, Greek,
Turkish,
Australian sparkling Shiraz.
Guacamole Mexican
beer. Or California Chard, Sauv Bl, dry Muscat, or even non-vintage
Champagne.
Haddock, smoked, mousse, soufflé or brandade Wonderful for showing off any stylish, fullbodied
white,
incl grand cru Chablis or Sonoma, South African or NZ Chard.
Ham, raw or cured See
also PROSCIUTTO. Alsace Grand Cru
Pinot Gr or gd, crisp Italian Collio
white.
With Spanish pata negra or jamón, Fino Sherry or Tawny Port. See also HAM,
COOKED
(Meat,
poultry, game).
Herrings, raw or pickled Dutch gin (young, not aged) or Scandinavian akvavit,
and cold beer. If
wine
essential, try Muscadet.
Mackerel, smoked An
oily wine-destroyer. Manzanilla Sherry, proper dry Vinho Verde or
schnapps,
peppered or bison-grass vodka. Or gd lager.
Mayonnaise Adds
richness that calls for a contrasting bite in the wine. Côte Chalonnaise whites
(eg.
Rully) are gd. Try NZ Sauv Bl, Verdicchio or a Spätlese Trocken. Or Provence
rosé.
Mezze A
selection of hot and cold vegetable dishes. Fino Sherry is in its element.
Mozzarella with tomatoes, basil Fresh Italian white, eg. Soave, Alto Adige. Vermintino
from the
coast.
Or simple Bordeaux Blanc. See
also AVOCADO.
Oysters, raw Non-vintage
Champagne, premier cru Chablis, Muscadet, white Graves, Sancerre,
or
Guinness. Some like cold, light Sauternes.
cooked Puligny-Montrachet,
gd New World Chard. Champagne gd with either.
Pasta Red
or white according to the sauce or trimmings:
cream sauce (eg. carbonara) Orvieto, Frascati, Alto Adige Chard.
meat sauce Montepulciano
d’Abruzzo, Salice Salentino, Merlot.
pesto (basil) Barbera,
Ligurian Vermentino, NZ Sauv Bl, Hungarian Furmint.
seafood sauce (eg. vongole) Verdicchio, Soave, white Rioja, Cirò, Sauv Bl.
tomato sauce Chianti,
Barbera, Sicilian red, Zin, South Australian Grenache.
Pastrami Alsace
Ries, young Sangiovese or St-Émilion.
Pâté, chicken liver Calls
for pungent white (Alsace Pinot Gr or Marsanne), a smooth red like a
light
Pomerol, Volnay or NZ Pinot N, or even Amontillado Sherry. More strongly
flavoured
pâté
(duck, etc.) needs Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Cornas, Chianti Classico, Franciacorta,
or gd
white
Graves.
Pipérade Navarra
rosado, Provence or southern French rosés. Or dry Australian Ries. For a red:
Corbières.
Prawns, shrimps, or langoustines Fine dry white: burgundy, Graves, NZ Chard, Washington
Ries,
Pfalz Ries, Australian Ries – even fine mature Champagne. (“Cocktail sauce”
kills
wine,
and in time, people.)
Prosciutto (also with melon, pears, or figs) Full, dry or medium white: Orvieto, Lugana, Grüner
Veltliner,
Tokaji Furmint, white Rioja, Australian Sem, or Jurançon Sec.
Risotto Pinot
Gr from Friuli, Gavi, youngish Sém, Dolcetto, or Barbera d’Alba.
with fungi porcini
Finest mature Barolo or Barbaresco.
nero A
rich, dry white; Viognier or even Corton-Charlemagne.
Salads Any
dry and appetizing white or rosé wine.
NB Vinegar
in salad dressings destroys the flavour of wine. Why don’t the French know
this?
If
you want salad at a meal with fine wine, dress it with wine or lemon juice
instead of
vinegar.
Salmon, smoked A
dry but pungent white: fino (esp Manzanilla) Sherry, Alsace Pinot Gr, grand
cru Chablis,
Pouilly-Fumé, Pfalz Ries Spätlese, vintage Champagne. Vodka, schnapps, or
akvavit.
Soufflés As
show dishes these deserve ★★★ wines.
cheese Red
burgundy or Bordeaux, Cab Sauv (not Chilean or Australian), etc. Or fine white
burgundy.
fish Dry
white: ★★★ Burgundy,
Bordeaux, Alsace, Chard, etc.
spinach (tougher on wine) Mâcon-Villages, St-Véran or Valpolicella. Champagne can
also
be
good with the texture of soufflé.
Tapas Perfect
with Fino Sherry, which can cope with the wide range of flavours in both hot
and
cold
dishes. Or sake.
Tapenade Manzanilla
or Fino Sherry, or any sharpish dry white or rosé.
Taramasalata A
rustic southern white with personality; even possibly retsina. Fino Sherry
works
well.
Try white Rioja or a Rhône Marsanne. A bland supermarket tarama submits to
fine,
delicate
whites or Champagne.
Tempura The
Japanese favour oaked Chard with acidity. I prefer Champagne.
Tortilla Rioja
Crianza, Fino Sherry or white Mâcon-Villages.
Trout, smoked Sancerre;
California or South African Sauv Bl. Rully or Bourgogne Aligoté,
Chablis
or Champagne. German Ries Kabinett Feinherb.
Vegetable terrine Not
a great help to fine wine, but Chilean Chard makes a fashionable
marriage,
Chenin Bl such as Vouvray a lasting one.
Whitebait Crisp
dry whites, eg. Furmint, Greek, Touraine Sauv Bl, Verdicchio; or Fino Sherry.
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