I’ll have to try fino sherry
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We have a slab of smoked pepper salmon every Monday (from the Sunday Farmers Market) and we always have Champagne with it and it’s always a delicious pairing!
Tom
I agree with Doug_Schulman. It seemed that the wine was clashing with the smoke, not the pepper.
I think the lesson here is that the answer is always Champagne.
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I have been a big fan of Pinot Noir with salmon forever. I agree with some posters that the pepper may be the cause of the mismatch.
For a red with peppered smoked salmon, I would go with a Cotes du Rhone or a Roussillon. If I liked Beaujolais more, I could see that as well.
Dan Kravitz
Ha! I’m going to risk the wrath of Glea$on and explain that I was tongue-in-cheek responding to the Bachelet comment. Others have noted that Champagne and Lambrusco seem to be all-purpose Board pairing responses.
(not that Lambrusco isn’t versatile and good with smoked foods)
Yes, Champagne is the lazy man’s response to the question, “What wine should I pair with this food?” I always want to say, “Come on, try harder!”
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Why mess with perfection? Popcorn? Champagne. Fried Chicken? Champagne. Bellybutton shots from a nubile Scandinavian godess? Champagne. Smoked fish? Champagne. See? Perfection.
Which restaurant has this on the tasting menu? Asking for a friend.
Quite a few 2020 Napa cabs might work. Particularly those under NDA labels.
[Armando_Basarrate]
Quite a few 2020 Napa cabs might work. Particularly those under NDA labels.
For smoked salmon??
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My attempt at humor (in view of the reported smoke damage to much of the 2020 crop). Apparently I missed the mark.
So far, lots to choose from (I’ll edit to update occasionally):
- Chenin Blanc
- Riesling with residual sugar
- Riesling without residual sugar
- Sauvignon Blanc
- White Bordeaux
- Pouilly-Fumé
- Pinot Blanc
- Champagne
- Rose Champagne
- Gruner Veltliner
- Rosé Vinho Verde
- Pinot Noir from Anderson Valley
- Pinot Noir from Oregon
- Pinot Noir from Sonoma
- Pinot Noir from 2020 with smoke taint
- Burgundy (Bachelet specifically, but white or red?)
- Australian Shiraz (Grange specifically)
- Pinot Gris (Alsatian semi-specifically)
- Gran Riserva Rioja
- Lambrusco
- Fino Sherry
- Other types of Sherry
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Yes. Please post notes after you do a comparison taste test with a Grange and a Rosé Vinho Verde.
[Armando_Basarrate]
My attempt at humor (in view of the reported smoke damage to much of the 2020 crop). Apparently I missed the mark.
Around here, you never know. I missed the 2020 smoke reference, and there probably IS some Berserker who really thinks that would be a good combo.
I’m glad to know that you are not that person.
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Rose Champagne.
Missed fino
Fixed, thanks.
Smoked food is indeed difficult for wine. But off-dry, mature, northern Riesling works well with smoked trout. I tried it with Kabinett and Spätlese from Mosel and Rheingau.
Smoked ham, bacon, sausages and similar works fine with dry, slightly mature Riesling of the non-fruit style, like a 10 years old Kabinett trocken Saumagen from Köhler-Ruprecht.
I would try the different types of Sherry with smoked food, but neve did so far.
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I’m surprised that no-one has mentioned a white Bordeaux - I have found that they work well against peppery food, particularly fish-based. If heavy on the pepper then the slightly off-dry wines, or if the oiliness of the salmon is more predominent then a crisper more sauvignon-driven wine.
I was at an event at the CIA a few years ago. Janice Robinson and her husband were talking about food and wine pairings, and for each example they discussed, they provided tastings for us to try. One pairing was air-popped popcorn with black truffle salt. It was paired with Champagne. I would have never tried this on my own. It’s an amazing pairing and our go-to treat ever since.
One can search for the best pairing for smoked peppered salmon but we have found Champagne (or other sparkling wines) to work the best. A weekly dinner for us either smoked Alaskan King or smoked Bodega salmon. Both are fantastic!
This week we paired J Vignier Aux Origines Blanc de Blancs with a slab of Alaskan king salmon and it was damn near perfect. This Blanc de Blancs is fermented in stainless steel tanks and it does see malolactic fermentation. Three years, four months on lees with a low dosage of just 5 grams/litre.
Nose of lemon oil, pear, chamomile. Flavors follow with fresh pear, citrus and some toasty-yeasty flavor in the background. Very nice streak of minerals throughout the profile.
This comes from 85% 2014 and 15% 2015 and was disgorged in 2019. Drinking very well now.
