Food & Wine Pairing

IntoWine asked a panel of wine experts to recommend the best wine to pair with raw or steamed oysters: News Flash: Champagne goes great with oysters. Oh, wait. You mean that isn’t breaking news? Okay, so everybody knows that one of the most classic food and wine pairings of all times is champagne and oysters. Whether you eat them raw on the half-shell, steamed, grilled, or baked to perfection with bread crumbs and mixed herbs Rockefeller-style, nothing compliments the subtle nuanced flavors of oysters like champagne. One explanation for this lies in the soil in which champagne grapes are grown. The Champagne region of France is famous for its chalk soils, which impart an elegance and finesse unmatched by any other sparkling wine producing region. These soils are actually the geological result of an historic sea basin that left behind numerous minerals and sea fossil deposits when the waters receded. It’s only natural that a sparkling wine that has its roots in the sea goes well with the fruit of the sea. The Champagne region is full of big house names that used to be the benchmark of quality. But recently more and more small growers are bottling their own champagnes rather than just selling their grapes to the big houses. While the quality of these champagnes can be varied, Find Moncuit's Brut Blanc de Blanc Nichole and Yves Moncuit of Champagne Pierre Moncuit have consistently made champagnes worthy of top accolades. They have vineyard holdings in the same site as some of the most famous names in Champagne, such as Krug and Salon, but their champagnes cost a fraction of the price. Moncuit’s NV Brut Blanc de Blanc is a study in elegance with its racy minerality, and layered flavors of citrus, brioche, and cream. No oak is used, and it’s purity shines through when accompanied by a plateful of oysters. - Kareasa Wilkins , Wine Consultant for Weimax Wines & Spirits in Burlingame, CA and an IntoWine Featured Writer

IntoWine asked a panel of wine experts to recommend the best wine to pair with filet mignon: What I particularly enjoy about filet mignon is its rich, buttery texture. I enjoy this cut of meat most when it is wrapped with bacon, to give it an extra shot of savoriness and juiciness. Sautéed mushrooms also complement the meat’s creamy texture and add savory, earthy notes to the meat. When it comes to a wine for this dish, I avoid anything very ripe and fruity, as I feel those kinds of wines dominate the pairing and overwhelm the meat’s more subtle flavors. My favorite pairing with this cut of beef is a mature Rioja Reserva or Gran Reserva. The resolved tannins and resulting creamy texture of this wine, along with its tertiary flavors of tobacco, mushroom and leather make it very compatible with the filet mignon, adding interesting notes without overwhelming the subtleties of the meat. Traditional style Rioja Reservas and Gran Reservas that are widely available here include those from Bodegas Hermanos Peciña, La Rioja Alta, López de Heredia, Marqués de Cáceres, Marqués de Murrieta and Muga. Another enjoyable pairing with this dish is one of the more traditional California Cabs, one with balance, good acidity and lower alcohol. This is the style of Cabernet that California made so well back in the 1950s to 1970s, but that went out of style by the mid-1980s. A few producers, however, continued to make Cabs in this style, and they’ve been joined in recent years by a few others who are also aiming for a more balanced style. My go to Cali Cabs in this style that are also good values include Culler Casaeda, Dry Creek Vineyard, Goodland Wines Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara Red, Ridge Santa Cruz Mountains Estate, and Rubus Old Vine. Richard Jennings, IntoWine.com Featured Contributor and the Founder RJonWine.com.

Polarizing fare – you either love it or hate it. The phrase “blue cheese” elicits strong responses from most. I suspect the ribbon of blue, representing nasty mold in naysayers’ minds, may play a greater role than any objectionable taste. The grossout factor cannot be underestimated in analyzing individuals’ culinary rejections. It is just those blue veins, however, coupled with a racy mouthfeel and piquant flavor, that attracts those perpetually looking for more “edge” on their plates and on their palates.

IntoWine asked a panel of wine experts to recommend the best wine to pair with pork tenderloin: I like to go one of two different ways with pork tenderloin . This tends to be the most delicate, least “porky” portion of the pig, so I want a wine that’s not going to drown out the more subtle flavors of this cut of meat. I’m also looking for wine with a little juiciness, as pork tenderloin can often end up on the dry side. A rich Chardonnay with good acidity works well for me, as does a lighter bodied, juicy red—a Zinfandel or Grenache, preferably one with little or no oak. For juicy, medium bodied Chardonnays with great acidity, it’s hard to beat those that are currently coming out of Santa Barbara County’s Santa Maria Valley or Sta. Rita Hills appellations. Bien Nacido, Brewer Clifton, Chanin, Clos Pepe, Deovlet, Liquid Farm, Longoria, Melville, Paul Lato, Presqu’ile, Sandhi and Sanford all make wonderful, rich, balanced Chards with great acidity from these appellations. I’d be very happy with any of them as a partner to a perfectly tender pork tenderloin. Going the lighter red route, I’d be delighted with a flavorful, juicy, old vine Zin from the likes of Bucklin, Nalle or Vino Noceto. For a Grenache, I’d recommend a Côtes du Rhone (typically a Grenache blend) or one of California’s best Grenaches, the Tuck Beckstoffer Melee. - Richard Jennings, IntoWine.com Featured Contributor and the Founder RJonWine.com

Pesto sauce, generally comprising basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts, grated hard cheese and salt, originated in Genoa of Northern Italy, but no mention appears in the United States until 1944, when the New York Times reported an imported, canned pesto paste . Soon after, a recipe appeared in Sunset Magazine in 1946, contributed by Angelo Pellegrini. But the sauce did not gain popularity in the United States until the 1980s and 1990s, partly because fresh basil was not sold here until the 1970s. For a time, a mini pesto fever took hold with chefs and home cooks prolifically turning out recipe after recipe, varying the proportions of olive oil, cheese and basil and even changing the herb and nut combinations to such concoctions as parsley and/or mint with pistachios.

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.

IntoWine recently asked its panel of wine experts to recommend one wine to pair with breast of duck: Duck breast is juicy , gamey and flavorful, and needs a wine companion that is lighter bodied, lightly fruity, with good acidity and some earthiness to it. A Pinot Noir is the natural pairing, but one with a little mushroomy flavor, which Pinot Noir can get with maturity, or earthy “sous bois” characteristics, can echo the gamey, earthy flavors of the meat. An older red Burgundy or California Pinot would do the trick beautifully, but that might not be very practical if you don’t happen to have any sitting in your cellar. Fortunately, a lot of new release domestic Pinot Noirs can fill the bill as well. One gets a lot of earthiness from Pinots grown in cool climate regions like the Santa Rita Hills and Santa Cruz Mountains in California, and the Amity Hills in Oregon. Particular recommendations with the requisite earthiness would be: (1) from Sta. Rita Hills, Rusack’s Reserve Pinot or the Clos Pepe Estate; (2) from Santa Cruz Mountains, Mount Eden’s or Thomas Fogarty’s Estate Pinots, and (3) from Oregon’s Amity Hills, Evening Land’s La Source Seven Springs Vineyard or St. Innocent’s Zenith. Another fun and delicious direction to go with duck is a Pinot Noir-based sparkling wine. I’ve had memorable results matching duck with both Ferrari’s vintage Rosé Perlé and their less pricey Ferrari Rosé Brut . Ferrari is probably the top Italian sparkling wine producer making wines in a champenoise style, and the NV Brut is widely available for only about $30. Other sparkling rosés should go well too, but Ferrari, for my money, has the requisite balance of fruitiness, minerality and acidity that really sparks with a dish like duck. - Richard Jennings, IntoWine.com Featured Contributor and the Founder RJonWine.com

IntoWine.com asked our panel of wine experts to suggest a great wine to pair with grilled salmon. While pinot noir seemed to rule the roost as a common favorite, chardonnay proved that wine pairing is beholden to the variances of the human palate as we had strong recommendations both for and against chardonnay.

“Irish” Cuisine Paired with Winning Wines and Festive Films Let’s talk Ireland and wine. Ireland and wine? The phrase does not roll trippingly off the tongue. Yet after years of being a beer nation, Ireland is birthing more and more inhabitants inexplicably enamored with wine. Total wine sales more than quadrupled between 1990 and 2007. What’s going on?

In this episode of IntoWineTV, host Lisa Kolenda and wine experts Loren Sonkin, Mulan Chan, and Edward Ruiz convene at one of San Francisco's finest restaurants, Incanto, to taste and discuss great port wines. Subscribe to the IntoWineTV Podcast on iTunes