What style white wine would you use for this recipe?

Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes
1

I plan on making this dish tomorrow but am not sure what type of white wine I should use. I’m thinking this will come out very rich and savory and thought something like a white rhone or white rhone blend would be ideal to cook with and drink with the meal. Then I started thinking should I use something more acidic for balance in in the dish and maybe to cut through the richness of the finished meal.

Thank you in advance for your recommendations and thoughts.

Serves 6 to 8

4 Italian sausages, sweet or hot, about 1 pound in weight
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup flour
Salt and pepper
3 pounds chicken thighs, bone in and skin on (about 8 large thighs)
1 large shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 cup dry white wine
1 large sprig rosemary
1 cup chicken stock
1 12-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1 lemon

In a large sauté pan, cook the sausages in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat until brown on all sides, 10 to 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, transfer the sausages to a cutting board and let them rest for 5 minutes. Cut the sausages into diagonal slices about 1/3 of an inch thick. Turn the heat back up to medium and brown the sausage slices well on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Put the flour in a shallow bowl and season it with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the chicken thighs liberally with salt, dredge them in the flour and dust off any excess. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, and then the chicken pieces, skin side down. Do not crowd the chicken – you may need to do this in two batches. Turn the heat up to medium-high, but keep an eye on things to make sure nothing burns. Brown the chicken on both sides, about 8 minutes total, remove and set aside.

Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat in the pan and set back on the stove over low heat. Add the shallots and cook for a minute, stirring frequently. Add the garlic cloves and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots and garlic start to turn golden, another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes if using and cook for another minute.

Add the white wine and the rosemary sprig and cook until the wine is reduced by half, scraping up all the nice brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken stock and the chicken pieces, skin side up. Bring the liquid to a boil, then lower the heat so it’s just simmering and cook uncovered, turning the chicken pieces once, until the meat is cooked through and the sauce has thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the rosemary sprig and discard, then add the sausage and the artichoke hearts to the pan, stirring gently to immerse in the sauce. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Simmer for a few minutes more to warm the sausage and artichokes, then squeeze the lemon over everything and give it one more stir. Serve immediately with roasted potatoes or a simple risotto.

2

Even though the recipe calls for white wine, that dish seems like it could be paired with a number of whites or reds very successfully as long as they had sufficient acidity and were on the drier side. Personally I would try a Sancerre or a nice aged barberesco as either would be nice. Maybe try both?

3

Can’t imagine it would make a huge difference. I’d use Two Buck Chuck Sauvignon Blanc. Use the same in the suggested risotto. You just need something with some acid and alcohol to bring out the alcohol soluable flavors.

4

Whatever you decide to use, make sure it is something that you would drink on its own. Any really good dry white would work. I like the more aromatic wines here. A Gewurz from Tieffenbruner in the Alto Adige would be fabulous in this dish. I am a firm believer that the white wine does contribute to the sauce element here. There are some strong spice flavors from rosemary etc but the wine will still add complexity and needs to be something you would drink on its own. FWIW.

5

Another perspective:

6

I always use a Sauv Blanc when possible.

Edit: Looks like Cooks Illustrated agrees.

7

Most Italian dishes- I might open a bottle of something while cooking add that/
Fiano / vermentino – but most of the time I keep dry Vermouth handy

8

Thanks everyone.

Apparently I need to do inventory on the home wine fridge as my cellar tracker inventory says I have some Sauv Blanc but couldn’t find a bottle. After a quick refresher on the wine, I went with a bottle of Robert Sinskey Abraxas.

Unfortunately, my cellar is overwhelmingly domestic so many of the excellent recommendations I couldn’t even begin to consider.

9

In a dish like that, it’s not particularly important. You could use any crisp Mediterranean white or a lighter red. Acid is your friend usually.

Most kitchens, even very good ones use box wine or cheap stuff.

10

/Edit: I’m leaving my original post below … I totally misread the OP, thought it was asking for a pairing.
Now I realise it was asking about the cooking wine.
For that I’d say more or less whatever is on hand, doesn’t need to be particularly fine. If nothing on hand, a bottle of what you plan to drink…
/end edit

Possible Pairings:
Not sure about too much acid here with the sausage.
From left field… Sigalas Assyrtiko with 4-7 years bottle age

And, I’d play with White Rioja, Semillon, Provencale Rose, Rhone

11

Yep. inexpensive sauv blanc or other un-oaked crisp dry whites… Albarino works, as do many of the inexpensive italian whites (i.e soave), or Vinho Verde. I have used Pinot Gris as well, but many don’t have quite the acidity level that I would prefer. A good dry riesling might be OK, but wouldn’t want any off dry as the sugar concentrates.

For pairing with- I think you have more flexibility, especially depending on whether you use hot sausage or sweet sausage. I would think a young fruity red with enough acidity could be a good pairing. i.e. a decent beaujolais or cotes du rhone. Or any number of the whites mentioned, though I would think of moving to something with a bit more body like a chenin blanc or even a slightly off dry riesling if you spice it up.

If in doubt, champagne pairs with everything. :slight_smile: