Why You Should Pair Wine And Shellfish

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Brian Birzer

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Brian Birzer

oysters.

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Brian Birzer

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Warm weather has arrived, which means Texans have started their quest for refreshing cuisine and equally refreshing wine to pair with it. Well, here’s the combo you’ve been waiting for on your next night out. The soothing chill of oysters, crab and other shellfish pair beautifully with cool, crisp white wines. There’s both an art and a science as to why. The certified sommeliers at Truluck’s Southlake will break it down for you.

Summertime is the right time for white wine. Chilled, light and refreshing is what you’re after in the heat. But look deeper into white grapes and you’ll see how chemistry also makes the whites a friend to shellfish. White wines possess more acidity than their red counterparts. And acidity provides a perfect complement to oysters and crab. (The abundant acidic lime juice in your ceviche is a prime illustration.) The minerality of white wine also matches up beautifully with a fresh, meaty catch from briny waters.

If the raw oysters at Truluck’s are your thing, Muscadet should be, too. This amazing grape is grown in the mouth of France’s Loire Valley where the cold coastal climate has a big maritime influence on the vines.

In fact, the dew that settles on the grapes is laden with salt. This makes Muscadet Sauvignon Blanc an ideal match for oysters. An Albariño from Galicia is a home run with oysters, as well. But if you only remember one thing, let it be this: No Chardonnay with oysters. It lacks the needed salinity and its fruity sweetness clashes with the oyster’s flavor profile.

Love Truluck’s legendary Stone Crab? Pair it with a White Burgundy and you’ll be elated with the results. This grape expresses itself with acidity, as well as an earthy minerality that results from its vines growing in limestone hills. Also, the meat from Stone Crab is not fatty, so a fruity wine overwhelms it. Stone Crab begs for wine with a powerful sense of soil, not fruit.

For Chard devotees, hot, buttery lobster and scallops are a match made in heaven with big Chardonnays from Napa and Sonoma.

Last but not least, don’t forget the Champagne. Ever. By design, any Champagne or sparkling on the Truluck’s wine list pairs magically with shellfish. So raise a glass to a refreshing escape from the heat, with oysters and crab at Truluck’s. How cool is that?