Ah, the temperamental scallop! If not cooked just right, it is rubbery or mushy – you choose the lesser of two evils. If properly handled, the delicate, but meaty texture sings in your mouth.
Once having accomplished this culinary feat, what wine shall accompany? We asked one winery operations director, one restaurant owner, two sommeliers and one wine shop owner for their suggestions, and they accommodated, revealing a stunning passion for food and wine. The mouth waters in consideration of their inventive unions!
Scallops are one of the most interesting foods to hail from the sea. The rich texture coupled with a delicate essence of flavor never gets lost in the preparation, whether simple or complex. The rich texture and flavor are ideally suited for wines that are equally rich in texture and flavor. The scallop also needs crisp, refreshing acidity to cleanse the palate and prepare the taste buds for another bite. Some of my fondest wine memories around scallops are Gavi (an Italian wine from the Piedmont region made from the Cortese grape), pinot gris from Alsace and even beautiful rieslings from Germany. All three have exotic fruit and spice aromas, great nerve and balance.
Depending on the scallop’s preparation or the theme for the evening, choose one of these wines or s omething similar. For example, I had a beautiful pan-seared Diver Scallop served on a celery root purée with black olive tapenade that was extraordinary with a White Chateauneuf-du-Pape from Chateau de Beaucastel. All the stars aligned on this one – the richness of the wine stood proud next to the bold flavors of the Mediterranean and the aromatics were simply divine. Each bite brought out more from the next and was a symphony in my mouth. – Gregg Lamer, Director of Retail Operations, Rutherford Hill & Alderbrook Winery at Terlato Wines International, Rutherford, CA; www.rutherfordhill.com.