Wine Pairings 101 - Riesling

Riesling is the star of today's wine parings. To get great food suggestions to pair with other wines, check out Merlot, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Riesling: Crisp and aromatic
A crisp, aromatic wine, considered the noblest white of all by much of the wine world, that goes with just about everything.

Photo: Rob D. Brodman

Swirl and taste: Delicate white peach, green apple, and lime flavors ― or riper apricot, nectarine, and mandarin orange. Riesling often has a pleasant minerality akin to wet stones and a haunting diesel-like aroma (if you can imagine that as a good thing).

Pair with:
• Shellfish
• Pork
• Ham
• Salads and vegetables
• Egg dishes
• Sausages, salumi, and charcouterie ― especially cured pork products
• Barbecue
• Asian dishes ― Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese (sushi!), Indian
• Southwestern foods

Find your style: Bone-dry to quite sweet. (Western winemakers are making it drier now.) The best have great acidity that keeps the wine lively.

Perfect recipe pairings
For dry Riesling
• Chicken Stew with Olives and Lemon
• Pork Scaloppine with Sweet-tart Shallots
• Potato, Leek, and Mushroom Gratin

For slightly off-dry
• Pan-Roasted Fish with Thai Curry Sauce
• Chile Verde
• Halibut and Sweet Potato Chowder

For fairly sweet (but not late-harvest dessert style)
• Best-Ever Chinese Chicken Salad
• Pad Thai
• Sweet-and-Sour Chicken-Apricot Skewers

Source: Sunset