As W.C Fields once said: “I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.”
Indeed, there are many great wines to choose from, whether you are a fan of reds or whites. For whites, some varieties are dry while others are sweet, as well as some that land right in the middle. Let’s look at some of the most common favorites, and what food pairings that they go best with. As well as some of these favorites that you’ll find at Superior Street Mercantile.
Moscato
Moscato is a grape varietal from the Muscat family and has been around for thousands of years. There are approximately 200 different sorts of Muscat grapes that produce table grapes and raisins (à la fortified wine).
Despite its Italian origins, Muscat is grown in wine regions all over the world. It’s adaptable and thrives in a variety of climates — from France to Spain to Italy to Australia.
Moscato is usually on the sweeter side and always fruity with a musky grapefruit aroma. It’s known for its sweet peach and orange blossom flavors, as well as the fact that its alcohol content is lower than other sparkling wines.
Food Pairings:
Moscato is best served on its own; nevertheless, sweet wines will pair well with dessert. Think biscotti or other nut-based or fruity desserts like a berry tart.
A Moscato you’ll find at Superior Street Mercantile
Menage a Trois Moscato 2020 California
Menage a Trois Moscato begins its seduction with lush, alluring floral aromas, followed by luscious peach and apricot flavors that yield to a refreshing finish. Made from premium grapes sourced throughout California. Sweet, fruity flavors are tempered by a clean, crisp acidity thanks to a 100% non-malolactic process.
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is the most popular white wine in the world. With nearly 500,000 acres of chardonnay vineyards planted globally.
Manufactured from green-skinned grapes that can adapt to a variety of climates, Chardonnay produces affordable wines that tend to be dry. Because of its flexibility and the fact that it is simple to work with in the cellar, Chardonnay is renowned as a winemaker’s grape.
Chardonnay can be light and refreshing or full-bodied, buttery, and oaky, appealing to a wide range of palates. Depending on where it is grown and how it is prepared, Chardonnay can have a broad spectrum of flavors from apple to lemon to papaya and pineapple with vanilla overtones when aged in oak.
Citrus aromas are usually present in California Chardonnay.
Food Pairings:
The thing about pairing Chardonnay with food is that it all depends on where it’s made, if it’s oaked, and how old it is when you drink it. The idea is to balance the wine’s weight with the food’s weight.
- Crisp, clean, unoaked Chardonnays pair nicely with goat cheese, oysters, shellfish, and delicate fish, like trout.
- Firmer fish like swordfish, white meats like chicken and pork tenderloin, and aged cheeses like gruyere and gouda combine well with medium-bodied Chardonnays.
- Thick, rich, and oaky Chardonnays pair well with heavy cream sauces, grilled meats with higher fat content, and pheasant or quail.
Chardonnays you’ll find at Superior Street Mercantile
Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay 2020
This medium-bodied, barrel-fermented wine offers light, toasted oak aromas, attractive baked apple flavors, and accents of butter and vanilla. Good balance keeps it going sip after sip, revealing spice and almond nuances.
Dablon Unoaked Chardonnay Michigan
Our 2018 Unoaked Chardonnay offers aromas of lime and passion fruit. Flavors: grapefruit, earthy and acidic finish.
Lindeman’s Chardonnay 2020 Australia
The bouquet shows the instant characters of a fine Chardonnay with ripe honeyed melon and fig fruit combined with a background of sweet nutty oak and subtle malolactic fermentation characters. The wine has an attractive length, finishing with light toasted oak and crispy acidity. It suits a wide variety of foods including fresh salads, light fish, white meat, and seafood dishes.
Wente Early Morning Fog Chardonnay 2021 California
Bursting with aromatics of citrus and green apple complemented by hints of toasty oak and vanilla, this wine is balanced by a lingering minerality and natural acidity to create a beautiful wine.
Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc has never been more popular. It’s grown on about 275,000 acres of vineyards around the world. Depending on where it’s cultivated, Sauvignon Blanc goes by several names, which means you’ve probably had a sip once or thrice in your life without recognizing it.
Because it was a primitive grape growing in the Loire Valley of Central France and throughout southwest France, Sauvignon Blanc takes its name from the French word sauvage, which means “wild.”
This lean, refreshing white wine packs intense, in-your-face aromas of freshly cut grass, peas, and asparagus, as well as tropical and ripe passion fruit, grapefruit, and even mango. Sauvignon Blanc has a light body, a sharp acidity, and a moderate alcohol content on the palate.
Food Pairings:
As a suitable substitute for Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc pairs well with various foods, including goat cheese, green vegetables, oysters, and mild fish, like sole.
A Sauvignon Blanc you’ll find at Superior Street Mercantile
The Crossings Sauvignon Blanc 2021
This wine delivers intense tropical fruit flavors and hints of citrus, along with brilliant acidity and a balanced crisp mineral finish.
Enjoy with both raw and cooked seafood dishes such as oysters, prawns, and fish.
Pinot Grigio
While Pinot Grigio is supposed to have originated in Italy, it is actually a mutation of the famous French grape Pinot Gris, which is derived from the red wine vine Pinot Noir.
Pinot Grigio’s flavor profile is as diverse as its origins. The grape’s fruit character, aromatics, and acidity are all influenced by temperature and aging style.
Flavors range from melon to green apple, with a hint of tropical or citrus fruit in some. Aromas of lemon-lime, pear, and stone fruit such as peach and apricot pervade this dry, light-bodied wine. Almond, baking spices, and honeysuckle aromas may also be present.
Food Pairings:
Light, fresh flavors go best with pinot grigio. Avoid heavy sauces in favor of creams and vinaigrettes. In addition, Summery foods like salads, chicken, and shellfish, as well as light pasta dishes and risottos, will pair nicely with Pinot Grigio.
Pinot Grigios you’ll find at Superior Street Mercantile
Tommasi Le Rosse Pinot Grigio 2021 Italy
A bright straw yellow with pale green reflections, on the nose it offers notes of ripe pears and golden apples, evolving in the glass with delicate hints of hay and almonds. On the palate it is dry and well-balanced, with a particularly fresh, tangy finish.
Guinigi Pinot Grigio 2020
With a pale golden hue, this Italian pinot grigio greets the nose with a fresh floral bouquet and notes of sweet peach. The palate is light and smooth with delicate
flavors of honeysuckle. Its bright acidity complements its softness, leaving a lingering finish with a touch of zesty lime.
This wine pairs exceptionally well with lighter fare such as grilled halibut with basil vinaigrette, risi e bisi, or an earthy garden salad. It can also be served as
an apéritif alone or alongside a cheese board.
Sémillon
The plump white grape, Sémillon, is popular in Bordeaux and Australia.
It’s a key component in White Bordeaux blending, used to make both dry and sweet wines. Reasonably easy to grow, Sémillon has strong disease resistance and a tendency to ripen early.
In the United States, Sémillon wines are usually inexpensive when considering their high quality. And despite its low price, it has the pedigree to compete with the world’s most popular white wines. This is a wine known for its full body, similar to Chardonnay, but with more Pinot Gris or Sauvignon Blanc flavors.
Lemon, apple, pear, and green papaya are the prominent fruit flavors in Sémillon wine. In addition, the taste has a waxy quality to it, which wine writers often compare to lanolin.
Food Pairings:
Sémillon pairs well with seafood, especially shellfish, as well as pork, veal, chicken, game birds, cheese, and dishes with cream sauces.
