Thirsty: Red Or White? That Isn’t The Question

Food + Wine = Success. Yep, the equation is literally that simple.

By Anthony Giglio

Over my three-decade career in wine, I’ve hosted thousands of tastings, tours and dinners. Literally. One story I love to recount in front of an audience is an email I received many years ago from a distressed woman (via an “Ask the Sommelier” link in a now-defunct Food & Wine newsletter) who wrote: “Anthony, oh my gosh! I just put two steaks on the grill and realize I only have Chardonnay in the fridge! Now what?” Even though I technically had 72 hours to reply, I was at my computer when she sent it and immediately wrote, “Hi—I see a clear path to a great dinner, but, given the urgency, you’ll have to decide between two scenarios immediately: Steak with Chardonnay. Or steak with water. I think you know the correct answer.” She got my meaning immediately and sent me a thank you the next day. The question for you reading this is: Do you get my meaning? My logic is simple. She only had Chardonnay, but because so many of us are misled by the old adage, “white wine with fish, red wine with meat,” she assumed the white wine would ruin her red meat (or vice versa). If you only have one wine in the house and dinner’s ready, that’s what you’re drinking tonight and, IMHO, it’s gonna be better than water.

This is an evergreen conversation I’ve been having with wine drinkers for as long as I can remember. So many people think there are “perfect pairings,” but I like to think that there are only good ideas. Put another way, how will you know if you don’t try? And yet, here we are. I still get emails asking for pairing recommendations, and I often get hired to consult on menus for weddings (because everything must be perfect!). Here’s the truth: Pairing is as subjective as your palate. If you like your steak well-done and favor tannic Cabernets from Napa Valley, and I like my steak to quiver and prefer the acidity in French Northern Rhône reds, how can we agree on what’s ‘perfect?’ We can’t and we shouldn’t. But that’s never enough for those who are wine insecure. So, here’s what to do: Ask an expert at the wine shop or at the restaurant—that’s what they’re there for.

That’s what I did—and I did it for you!—when I took a look at the menu at the stunning Klocke Estate in Claverack, just five miles outside of Hudson on a 160-acre estate, replete with 60 acres of vineyards and apple orchards grown for one purpose: to make exquisite brandy. But they also have a seriously impressive wine list, too, written by their very passionate beverage manager, Brian Crocco. To set the stage, I spotted two dishes that, for me at least, could be troublesome for wine pairing: An appetizer of crispy Brussels sprouts and kale—cruciferous vegetables can make wine taste metallic—with apple, maple, miso and sunflower seeds, followed by a main course of halibut with saffron-fennel broth, fregola, n’duja sausage—which could be spicy, as in hot, and hot spice can render most wines flat—rouille and grilled baguette.

I asked Crocco to talk me through some pairing ideas, and after assuring me that he hadn’t invented this philosophy, he shared the “parallel or perpendicular” pairing strategy that professionals often use. “For parallel, we want to mimic the flavors on the plate in the glass, for example, Muscadet and oysters; the wine’s minerality from limestone soils is great with shellfish,” he explained. “Perpendicular, then, is needing the sum to be greater than the two parts. A bright and incisive wine that might cut through the richness of a dish, for example.” Are you following? There’s a lot of room for experimentation here.

With the Brussels sprouts, Crocco said, “We have an absolutely lovely Grüner Veltliner, FX Pichler’s Ried Loibenberg Smaragd 2022 from the Wachau in Austria ($166), which pairs well with veggies.” It’s true. Though not very well known, Grüners are the unicorn whites that stand up well to those cruciferous veggies. “This Pichler has just the right body, Anjou pear fruitiness and brassica have a little bit of bitterness, so we’re looking for something round, fleshy, orchard fruit and also a really terrific green vegetable savoriness to it,” he explained, adding, “This particular Grüner would be dynamite pairing with the Brussels.”

As for the halibut, we’re looking at a white fish, but, Crocco warned me, “We need to talk about sauces and spices and preparation.” This is why it’s always a bad idea to generalize about pairing because “fish,” for example, can be one of a dozen species, and spiced, sauced and cooked in innumerable ways. “This could be paired with a white or red, depending on the table’s preferences. Given that there’s a roux on the plate, give me a rosé please,” like a Château Pibarnon Rosé ‘Nuances’ 2022 from Bandol, France for $120. “But let’s have some fun talking white or red first. For this particular dish, there’s nduja incorporated in the sauce, so you have warmth and richness, and given that halibut is meaty already, how about an assertive cru Beaujolais such as Pierre Marie Chermette Moulin-a-Vent ‘Les Trois Roches’ 2022 from France ($80)?” he asked, referring to a super light, chillable, gulpable red made with the Gamay grape. For fun, I’d add to the list of possibilities a spicy (not sweet) Riesling on Crocco’s list from Alsace, such as Albert Mann’s ‘Cuvée Albert’ 2022 ($90).