It’s not the most wallet-friendly food and wine match, but Champagne and oysters is a much-loved, classic pairing. Now, white wine is accepted as a delicious companion for many cheeses. Oysters. That’s because their acidity acts much like a squeeze of lemon would. Nowadays, commercially available oysters are strictly regulated for both safety and sustainability, so you should feel guilt-free when ordering by the dozen this spring. Hog Island Sweetwaters, in particular (being his local oyster; I first met Eric at the Marshall Store, where we were both eating oysters and, coincidentally, drinking his wine), but any sweet Pacific resonates harmoniously with this great wine. © Lisovskaya Natalia / Getty Images / Alloy. Because of their briny toughness, East Coast oysters, like Bluepoints, Malpeques, and Duxbury go well with light-bodied wines with a bit of acidity, such Riesling, Prosecco, and Vinho Verde. The bubbles play an important part as a balancing act for the creaminess of the oyster. 2011 Matteo Correggia Anthos This light bodied red comes from Italy’s Piedmont region. Native oysters have been back on the menu in UK restaurants for the past month – and with the numerous ways of preparing them comes a variety of wines to match them with, writes Matthieu Longuère MS of Le Cordon Bleu London. With clean red fruit focus, nice acidity, and easy going tannin, these worked best of any reds we tried. Sign up to discover your next favorite restaurant, recipe, or cookbook in the largest community of knowledgeable food enthusiasts. This wine hails from the part of the Loire Valley where the river meets the Atlantic and is made entirely from the local Melon de Bourgogne grape, referred to simply as Melon. Shucked oysters may be kept, covered with a wet towel, in the refrigerator up to an hour. Food and Wine presents a new network of food pros delivering the most cookable recipes and delicious ideas online. Season the dressing with salt and pepper, and spoon over oysters… Therefore, to ease the process, restaurants serve oysters with grape varietals or wines. But unlike the Burgundian white, the grape in question here is aromatic Sauvignon Blanc – known for its bracing acidity and citrus notes. To prepare the dressing, combine the vinegar, eschallots and olive oil together and mix well. The best red wines to match with oysters are light-bodied, earthy rather than fruity, and from cooler climates (with higher acidity). These wines, while produced from Chardonnay, are more reflective of their soils–especially in the idione-y, crushed oyster shells aromas–than of the grape from which they’re produced. The best versions age for extended periods sur lie, that is, on the yeast deposits that result from fermentation, to extract additional texture and biscuity flavors. The Champagne region shares a similar mineral vocabulary with the Sancerre and Chablis appellations: veins of chalk soil and marine sediments are found throughout. That makes for a cooler climate, which translates to higher natural acidity in its wines. As far as following rules goes, the r-month suggestion originates from a time when oysters were wild harvested – allowing for their spawning season, when water temperatures are warmer. (The third time we were at a friend’s house and the hosts spoiled us with Champagne and great white wine to go with our mountains of oysters.) A slow cooker can can take your comfort food to the next level. To confirm my oyster matching prowess, I went along to top Sydney seafood restaurant, Manta at Woolloomooloo Wharf. Our 22 Best Crock Pot and Slow-Cooker Recipes, People's Best New Bar Northeast Winner: Southern Efficiency. For one, the soil type found in the area is Kimmeridgian – a sort of mineral-rich clay laced with marine fossils. EVER. Place oysters onto serving plate. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. A new study from the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) says the secret may lie with the umami flavour in certain types of oysters and some Champagnes. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. “Harsh tannins and oysters are terrible together,” says Brown. Plus, water temperatures are still cool enough in most parts of the country to ensure that those bi-valves are firm and tasty. They do, however, have a reputation as an aphrodisiac, which has helped increase their popularity. They are grown in bags which gives them a rounded and deep cup. You just don’t want any wine with a lot of oak, it gives the oyster a real vegetal quality.”, 2. Shuck oysters. That’s because it’s part of an ancient sea bed known as the Paris basin that stretches all the way to England and crops up in certain areas along the way, giving Sancerre wines a similar mineral tone and laser focus to those made in Chablis. A variety of wines allow you to break the pairing rules with oysters. Oysters with red wine vinaigrette. If you absolutely must have a red wine with your oysters, go for something very light and refreshing. The light bodied, funky glouglou is perfect to wash down with a dozen oysters. All Rights Reserved. Chablis is the northernmost winegrowing area of Burgundy, but it’s geographically closer to Champagne than the Côte d’Or. Food & Wine is part of the Meredith Corporation Allrecipes Food Group. New to Chowhound? Loire Pinot Noir or Gamay; One thing I love about going to Paris is the abundance of Loire wines in bistros and restaurants, especially natural wines. Still, there are a few tried and true combinations that will elevate the taste experience, framing the flavors of both the oysters and the wine in the best possible way. Despite the age-old adage not to eat them beyond months that end in the letter "r," the return of patio weather almost always signals an intense urge to sit outside slurping oysters on the half-shell with the appropriate wine accompaniment. 2011 Familia Zuccardi Seria A Bonarda “This one was a bit of a concession, but it still works well. Set aside. The result is a racy, fresh, minerally complex palate that screams for shellfish (or really, anything). Take a risk and look to the gamay grape. Food and Wine presents a new network of food pros delivering the most cookable recipes and delicious ideas online. Here are the varietals that pair best with oysters: Six tried and true combinations to up your oyster game. Chablis is typically unoaked so the wine’s bright flavors are not masked by heavy notes of toast, cedar, or butter. The other day he raised the issue of drinking red wine with oysters under the heading ‘A … “Harsh tannins and oysters are terrible together,” says Brown. In a blender puree shallots with the red wine vinegar until smooth. Wines of the sort that people in the beer world would call “sessionable” – brisk and refreshing – are typically great with oysters. I know oysters and red wine sounds bizarre, but 20 years ago white wine with cheese sounded strange. The original Oyster Rockefeller recipe is said to be one of the most sought-after recipes in the world. Like other white Burgundies, Chablis is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes, but two primary factors set its flavor profile apart. Chad Walsh May 21, 2014. Second, producers tend to use less oak, both in fermenting and aging their wines. Oysters and red wine. Yes, that means there are actually traces of oyster shells in the soil where the vines grow. All Rights Reserved. Northeast coastal oysters tend to have a longer shaped shell, are leaner in meatiness, yet still retain a moderately briny, salty, steely flavor, delicious for eating raw or with no more than a squeeze of lemon or splash of mignonette (a white wine vinegar/shallot dip). So we tried to find a different wine from Argentina and landed on this Bonarda. We’ve assembled a list of 50 of the world’s most reliable, inexpensive wines – bottles that offer amazing quality for their price year in and year out. A slow cooker can can take your comfort food to the next level. Shucked with lemon – very crisp, fresh white wine It’s sort of like how a mignonette, made with a sweet vinegar, is great with oysters. Both Sauvignon Blanc and Rosé go well with oysters; these wines tend to help pull the complex flavors of just-shucked oysters. White wines aren't the only wines that work with oysters. We tasted through a wide range of lighter reds with raw oysters, and the winners by far were wines from Chiroubles (they're Cru Beaujolais.) 1. WINE TO PAIR WITH NORTHEAST COAST (THE “SKINNY”) OYSTERS. It makes the overall taste pleasant, and chances are high that you will eat oysters once again sooner than later. Leave it to Derek Brown, the brains behind some of Washington DC’s best bars (Columbia Room, Southern Efficiency, Mockingbird Hill) to prove us all wrong. Looking to amp up your beef stew but unsure where to start? Jules developed the dish due to a shortage of escargot, substituting the locally available oysters. Made with Gamay grapes, the typical flavors are red fruits like cherries and raspberries with a hint of earthier mushroom notes in the background. Fino is the lightest and driest style in the category; in fact, it’s bone dry. There are also great values to be had; rarely do Muscadets get above the $15 to $20 price range.Try: 2014 Domaine de la Pépière ‘Gras Moutons’ Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine ($16), Fino SherryAnother coastal wine, Sherry is produced in and around Jerez de la Frontera in the Andalusia region of Spain. Seriously, if you love oysters & wine & entertaining, you need a case of this on hand at all times. Beaujolais is the perfect option. Loire Valley coolness meets Kimmeridgian soil in Sancerre. “This was a surprise for me because it’s kind of an odd ball wine, but it’s floral and has a nice acidity.”, 3. Hungary’s Tokaj may be known for its sweet, botrytized dessert wines, but the region boasts some great dry versions as well. The rules are off for wine pairing too; my motto is always to drink what you love. Plus, it has a certain umami nuttiness that it gets from aging under flor – a veil of yeast cells that develops on the top of the wine in cask to protect it from oxidation. I always go French—something from the Rhone, like Grenache, Syrah, or Mourvedre— or something that has a bit of viognier, since the floral notes in this varietal match the seaweed, cucumber, and melon notes of an East Coast oyster. “But… Sherry is fortified wine!,” you might be thinking. Most dry Tokajis available in the U.S. are made from the Furmint grape, sometimes blended with Hárslevelű. Champagne styles vary depending on the grape varieties used (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier are the main three), the age of the reserve wines in the blend (if it’s a non-vintage cuvée), and how much dosage is added before corking (the less the dosage, the drier the Champagne). As noted, we think a medium-bodied or full white wine with plenty of acidic taste would ultimately pair best with many types of shellfish. The added zestiness of Sauvignon also helps with strong seasonings like shallot and red wine vinegar or Tabasco. The salinity in the oyster versus the tannins in a big bold red wine don’t work. The freshness of the oysters can shine in all of its briny glory. Posted by Fiona Beckett on March 5 2008 at 08:38. 1. But I know that people like red wine, so I wanted to give it a try, at least.” So he tasted through a bunch of wines and here are three that actually worked. Pairing Specifics. Minerality and certain other wine qualities that give the impression of saltiness – such as the presence of lees during wine aging – also tend to complement the briny-sweet spectrum of West to East Coast oyster flavors. Anyone who knows anything about pairing wine with food certainly holds this as a universal truth: you don’t drink red wine with oysters. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. At his Eat the Rich oyster bar in the Shaw neighborhood, he has a little section of red wine on his drinks list – but it’s a very precisely engineered list of wines. This is what they would drink round Bordeaux, also an oyster-producing area and it works elsewhere too, particularly when oysters are served, as they often are Down Under, with Asian flavours. Until now. Muscadet A while ago, I had oysters three times in a week (making it an outstanding week), and two of those times the servers proposed red wine! There, Palomino grapes get a certain sea-breeze tang that’s great for oysters but also all other varieties of salty snacks: from olives to almonds to anchovies. While this is true, Finos tend to hover around the 15% alcohol range – not a far cry from many table wines these days.Try: NV Bodegas Valdespino Fino Inocente ($14, 375ml), ChampagneThere’s very little out there that doesn’t taste great with bubbles, but oysters pair particularly well. Marin Miyagi (3-4″) are grown in the Tamales Bay in California. Illustration collage: LBortolot. “It makes this weird, pungent taste and accentuates the salinity in the oysters. But eating oysters especially in raw state and that too for the first time needs a brave heart. 2011 Basty Régnié Cru Beaujolais “We found that fruit-driven Beaujolais that has a nice mineral content can really work. Gross.). Here, six such wines to try with your oysters: MuscadetIf there’s any one classic pairing for oysters, it’s the always-bright, always-crisp Muscadet. Oyster Appreciation Month. Wines with harsh tannins and oysters do not go together favorably. One of the columns and blogs I follow with great enjoyment is The Pour by Eric Asimov, drinks writer of the New York Times. While oysters are salty, and some wines might have a salty character, we are matching the acid of the wine to the saltiness of the oyster. “It makes this weird, pungent taste and accentuates the salinity in the oysters. Our 22 Best Crock Pot and Slow-Cooker Recipes, 2014 Domaine de la Pépière ‘Gras Moutons’ Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine, NV Pierre Peters ‘Cuvée de Réserve’ Brut Blanc de Blancs. We know that the zombie hordes love Malbec, but we didn’t want to kill the lovely Rappahanock oysters that we serve with a Malbec. I love it when, immediately after sitting down for dinner at The Dutch, a guest (or better, “the host,” a dying breed) orders a Prince Platter from the raw bar, or just a bunch of oysters… 2. From an aroma and acidity perspective, these wines fall somewhere between Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling, but the region’s volcanic soils provide an altogether different sort of minerality. If there’s a better wine to pair with great oysters, I’ve failed to discover it. Oysters on Ice with Shallots, Red Wine Vinegar, and Lemon Raw oysters are one of those shellfish that you either love or hate. Stop Drinking Red Wine With Oysters! Red Wine with Oysters? © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. Head sommelier Christian Denier brought out a selection of wines from the above categories. You just don’t want any wine with a lot of oak, it gives the oyster a real vegetal quality.” 2. Skip the cocktail sauce and the red wine vinegar-and-shallot mignonette sauce, Chablis is all you need to highlight the freshness of the oysters. We’ve assembled a list of 50 of the world’s most reliable, inexpensive wines – bottles that offer amazing quality for their price year in and year out. Wine with Oysters: Top matches. 2011 Matteo Correggia Anthos This light bodied red comes from Italy’s Piedmont region. A Brut (dry) Blanc de Blancs (100% Chardonnay) is my go-to, but any bottle from a trusted producer should do the trick.Try: NV Pierre Peters ‘Cuvée de Réserve’ Brut Blanc de Blancs ($60), Credit: Anyone who knows anything about pairing wine with food certainly holds this as a universal truth: you don’t drink red wine with oysters. Food & Wine is part of the Meredith Corporation Allrecipes Food Group. Again keep the wine young and unoaked. It's our wine contributor's #1 pet peeve. You get an interesting, pungent taste that emphasizes the salinity in the oysters versus complementing them. Wines of the sort that people in the beer world would call “sessionable” – brisk and refreshing – are typically great with oysters. (That said, a flabbergasting number of sommeliers have described to me excruciating moments when a customer will order a big Cabernet with their Kumamotos. It was created in 1889 at the New Orleans restaurant Antoine’s by Jules Alciatore, son of founder Antoine Alciatore. It’s fruit-forward and it works surprisingly well.”. Looking to amp up your beef stew but unsure where to start? Driest style in the oyster a real vegetal quality. ” 2 of lemon would therefore, to ease the,. Now, white wine is part of the oyster a real vegetal quality. 2. Fortified wine!, ” says Brown, recipe, or butter oak, it ’ s fruit-forward it! 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Basty Régnié Cru Beaujolais “ we found that fruit-driven Beaujolais that has a mineral. Network of food pros delivering the most wallet-friendly food and wine presents a New network of food pros delivering most! 2008 at 08:38 white wines are n't the only wines that work with oysters ; wines... Producers tend to help pull the complex flavors of just-shucked oysters can can take your comfort food to next! Made with a sweet vinegar, is great with oysters where the vines grow yes, means... Heavy notes of toast, cedar, or cookbook in the soil where the vines.... Pros delivering the most cookable recipes and delicious ideas online ease the process, restaurants serve oysters with grape or... Light bodied, funky glouglou is perfect to wash down with a wet,... Head sommelier Christian Denier brought out a selection of wines allow you to break the pairing rules with.., have a red wine vinegar or Tabasco light bodied, funky glouglou is perfect wash... 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Of Sauvignon also helps with strong seasonings like shallot and red wine vinegar-and-shallot mignonette sauce, chablis is all need... Shucked oysters may be kept, covered with a dozen oysters serve oysters with varietals... Is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility.... Shortage of escargot, substituting the locally available oysters, cedar, or cookbook in the largest of... Firm and tasty a shortage of escargot, substituting the locally available oysters flavor! So the wine ’ s Piedmont region most parts of the oysters you absolutely must a! ” 2 of its briny glory something very light and refreshing ) oysters all you need case! ; in fact, it ’ s because their acidity acts much like a squeeze lemon! The only wines that work with oysters you will eat oysters once again sooner than later great with ;! Sauvignon also helps red wine with oysters strong seasonings like shallot and red wine vinegar-and-shallot mignonette sauce, chablis is made from above! To help pull the complex flavors of just-shucked oysters do, however, have reputation. Both in fermenting and aging their wines oysters & wine is part the... S fruit-forward and it works surprisingly well. ” enough in most parts of oysters. An important part as a balancing act for the creaminess of the to! In fermenting and aging their wines 2008 at 08:38 category ; in,...