There is a widespread myth that fish dishes should be served with white wine. However, this is a limited view of this drink, which includes light mineral wines as well as denser ones aged in oak barrels – not to mention the semi-sweet and sweet variants. In two words – there is a suitable appetizer for every white wine!
Sauvignon blanc with ceviche
“Ceviche” is a restaurant dish of finely chopped fresh fish with various marinades, spices and sauces. His homeland is Peru. Here the chef can show imagination, so it is worth betting on a universal wine variety: sauvignon blanc. It is suitable for various types of kitchens.
What is the difference between white and red wine?
Muscade with oysters
The origin of this wine is from the Loire Valley. It has a mineral taste and good acidity. It is known as an ideal and relatively inexpensive companion to oysters. The main characteristic of muscade is aging on the lees, which gives it slightly sweet notes – they perfectly emphasize the sweetness in the aftertaste of oysters. By the way, if you don’t have oysters, they can be successfully replaced with mussels.
Champagne with profiteroles
White wines don’t have to be still. They can also be sparkling – with lush foam and a thin thread of pearls, or with barely perceptible carbonation. Any pastry-based dish will be perfectly suited to this drink.
And profiteroles are small balls of boiled dough with filling. They can be made spicy with white meat, caviar or mushrooms as a filling. But there are also numerous sweet varieties.
Chardonnay with fried cheese
Fried cheese is a versatile appetizer that pairs best with a fairly robust Chardonnay. After aging in an oak barrel, this variety acquires creamy notes that perfectly support the taste of the cheese. Do not forget that for this aromatic bright drink you need to choose a slightly sweet variety of cheese – for example, edamer or cheddar.
White or red wine – which is more useful
Riesling with spring rolls
Popular in Austria and Germany, the Riesling variety is extremely versatile in its aromas. At the discretion of the winemaker and depending on the time of harvest, Riesling can be either dry, semi-dry and semi-sweet, which has made it an indispensable partner of Asian cuisine with its intense flavors. “Spring rolls” are a typical Asian dish – a thin rice bun wrapped around a filling: mushrooms, meat, fish, seafood, noodles.
Viognier with Thai chicken
Thai chicken is famous not only in Thailand but also throughout Asia. White chicken meat is fried with sweet sauces, coconut, ginger, hot spices, rice flour. This gives an intense savory-sweet flavor to the dish, combined with the rather dense meat – which calls for a bright and dense wine, for example Viognier. It is an aromatic French variety originating from the Rhône Valley, something between Riesling and Chardonnay. One of the most popular dry wines in this region, known for its generous and refined taste, is “Condrio”. Its fruit bouquet is filled with the bright scents of peach, lychee fruits, violets, white lilies, spices.
Scientists have discovered an unexpected side effect of consuming white wine
Sauterne with foie gras
“Foie gras” is a French delicacy – fatty duck or goose liver, usually in pate form. The delicate, dense and sweet taste and enveloping texture of the dish calls for special wines. Here, dry varieties are no longer suitable – the perfect combination is with “sautern” wine. This is an elite sweet wine from the region of the same name in Bordeaux. But there is a problem: in Sauternes, the wines are made from botrytized, i.e. affected by noble mold, grapes. However, this production is very labor intensive and the wine is not produced every year. So if you can’t pair foie gras with Sauternes, consider semi-sweet versions of wines made from aromatic varieties like Muscat or Gewürztraminer.
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