White Wine Pairings – #1

One of the things I do at my place of work is pair the foods we sell in our tasting room with the wines that we pour. I have had questions about what to pair with the recipes that I post. So, I thought that I would give to you what wines goes with what foods. My knowledge comes from trial and error and study on the topic. And, my experience is mostly from California wines. This is the first part of a series.

This blog will focus on what foods will go with a Chardonnay and a Sauvignon Blanc. So let’s step into the world of wine and food, shall we?

What are the characteristics of a good Chardonnay? I can tell you what to look for but if you find a wine that you like, buy it and enjoy it. Keep in mind that this is just my opinion, and your tastes might be different. A typical Chardonnay will have buttery, creaminess with a balance of oak that is not overpowering. Buttery means that the feel in your mouth will be smooth. Oak is the wood flavor in the wine that the barrel imparts. These two qualities should be well balanced. Here is the list of food pairings with Chardonnay.

Chardonnay
A butter based sauce
Chicken, whether baked, fried, roasted or in a cream sauce
Crab, Dungeness or soft shell
Cream sauce dishes
Creamy cheese like a Brie
Mushrooms
Pork
Risotto
Seafood, White fish, Salmon, Shellfish (lobster, scallops, clams) that is grilled or sauteed, in a cream sauce or salt encrusted
Tropical fruits
Turkey
Veal

When serving a Chardonnay avoid any dishes with chiles, cilantro, dill, oily fish like catfish, and red meat.

Next let’s take a look at Sauvignon Blanc. One of my most favorite recipes involves a good bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and clams! When looking for a Sauvignon Blanc, and again, this is my opinion, should be wine that is grassy, or tastes like citrus, particularly like grapefruit. Look for a wine that is herbaceous, or tastes “green.” The wine should show little oak, if any at all. And, it should have a crisp clean feel in your mouth. Try pairing Sauvignon Blanc with these foods.

Sauvignon Blanc, or Fume Blanc
Beef, braised or stewed
Cheese
Chicken, braised or stewed
Duck, roasted
Fruit, peaches are really good
Indian Food
Mushrooms
Pasta with a simple tomato sauce
Pizza, chicken as a topping
Sausage
Seafood
Shellfish, clams and scallops
Squab
Steak, grilled
Tomatoes and tomato sauces
Veal chops

Now I mentioned the term “Fume Blanc.” A little history on this name: Robert Mondavi created this name to boost the sales of Sauvignon Blanc in the 1960’s, when interest in this wine was declining. So if you see a Sauvignon Blanc sitting near a Fume Blanc, know that they are made with the Sauvignon Blanc grape and that the characteristics will be the same!

I hope that you benefit from this information today! If you have questions, please leave a comment and I will try to answer your questions!

Raise your glass, make a toast, and savor the flavors of these wines with these foods!

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My First Crush

When I am not writing I work at a winery in the Sierra Foothills. Below is a photo essay of my first crush! It was really an exciting time and I have been very privileged to learn a lot about the wine business, from grape growing, through fermentation, to bottling the final product.

When I first started working at the winery I was given time to go into the fields to take photos. Below are some of the photos I was able to take.

Cabernet on the Vine

These are Cabernet grapes, which up in the foothills are one of the last grapes harvested.

Sauvignon Blanc Grapes Ready to Pick

These are Sauvignon Blanc grapes and they are a very fussy grape. The vines need lots of air circulation so they do not develop mold.

Chardonnay Grapes

Chardonnay is one of the most popular of the white wines. Clusters of Chardonnay are very photogenic!

When crush starts, the grapes are brought in from the fields in bins that hold between 850 to 1000 pounds. The grapes are dumped into a device that has an auger that regulates the flow of grapes to the sorting table. Here is a photo of grapes being dropped into the device with the auger.

Chardonnay on the way to be crushed.

At the winery that I work at the grapes are hand sorted as they drop onto the sorting table. Leaves, grapes that are not good quality, and any bugs that are found are removed from the line.

Grapes being hand sorted.

From there the grapes are dropped into a machine that removes the grapes from the stems.

Grapes drop into the de-stemmer

The white grapes then go into the press, while the red grapes go from the de-stemmer right into tanks. Here is a photo of Chardonnay coming out of the press.

Chardonnay right off the press!

The red grapes, skins, seeds and juice are all run through the press after sitting in the tanks. Thirty percent of the juice from the red grapes comes from what settles at the bottom of the tank. Here is a photo of Petite Sirah dripping from the press:

Petite Sirah off the press!

From there, the juice goes back into the tanks.

The tanks

My first crush was one that I will always remember, and I am happy to share the experience with you through the photos that I have taken. Next time you enjoy a glass of wine, remember that this is what those little guys had to go through to get to your glass! Cheers!

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