We are having a party and the main course will be Ossobuco (the tomato version.)
We have a number of wines that will match very well.
The problem is besides everyone else who’s coming, we just found out there are two different guests who are coming that we’d like to cater to if we could and they both only drink… white wine!
Anyone have any ideas what white could possibly go with a long braised meat dish? Is the best choice here a bubbly because that goes with everything?
We do have any number of different types of mostly old-world whites.
Any suggestions would be very welcome. TYIA.
(If we wind up serving one I will let everyone know what it was and how it went.)
Funny, I was also thinking Chenin Blanc. First thing that came to mind was Nicolas Joly Clos de la Coulée de Serrant (probably tough to find and definitely more for a wine geek).
Champagne is always versatile. I agree with the other suggestions here as well. I think this is an easier problem to resolve than having friends who only drink big tannic reds and you are serving spicy and/or pickled dishes.
Just another thought…the people that I know who only drink white are not very into wine. Instead of concentrating on giving them a perfect pairing, treat them to a wine that they’d like. I suggest having a Riesling on hand, my hunch is they’d like a little RS in their wine.
Perfect! We have any number of Chenin blancs, (esp Chidaine & Huet secs.) Also have the Texier CdR white I’ve been wanting a reason to open, so here’s one now.
(I have 1 of the '02 Joly Coulée de Serrant but I don’t know if that is ready yet. I keep expecting the off-bottle I know is in my future but so far I’ve had really good luck with earlier vintages, If I’m going to break that string I’d rather not do it with company.)
Thanks!
You may be over-thinking this. I spent last evening pouring wines at my synagogue to a wide variety of people. I had a wide variety of wines available: A Prosecco, a kosher Riesling from Austria (Queen Esther!), a kosher Moscato from Italy, a Beaujolais Villages, 1990 Beringer Knights Valley Cab, 2001 Noon Eclipse. Their reasons for choosing one over the other were very much their own: One only wants dry wine and is reluctant to believe she will like the Riesling because Riesling is a sweet wine (she loves it). One hates wine with bubbles. One only drinks wine with bubbles. Another is disappointed to hear we had a Prosecco because she already had some Riesling and wouldn’t drink Prosecco after Riesling (don’t ask me why). And on and on.
My point is that you’ve already established these are not wine people. Having great wine for dinner probably doesn’t matter. It’s about them and catering to their wants which have no intersection with the wine wants of this community. If you can’t ask them more about their preferences in advance, have multiple wines ready for them. Some have suggested Champagne. As good a choice as any, but they may say they don’t like white wine with bubbles. Another good suggestion here is Chenin Blanc, but even a completely dry Chenin Blanc may seems sweet to them because it is soft and has fruit.
Years ago, friends invited us to dinner. They were making leg of lamb and wanted me to bring wine. I brought a young Rioja which matched brilliantly. They hated the tannin in the wine which disappeared for me with the lamb. Then, even though they didn’t like the wine, they asked me how much it costs. I told them with pride it cost $12. I say with pride because it was a terrific wine for the money. I think they were disappointed that I had not brought at least a $50 wine.
I see I am ranting a bit, so I’ll say succinctly: Matching the wine to people is harder and more important than matching the wine to the food. If matching the wine to people is most important to you, then open a good sparkling wine, a good dry white and a good off dry white. Serve them all with apps, and let them choose what they want to drink with the food. Have multiples chilled if possible.
I assume you mean this in some metaphorical sense? There is actually a white wine made from Nebbiolo in the Valtellina where Nebbiolo is known as “Chiavennasca”. Rainoldi makes a good one.
What Ken said. Many people who don’t really drink much wine won’t really care at all about the pairing. And truth be told, I wouldn’t care all that much either.
But I’d probably go with Sauv Blanc. They can be vegetal anyhow and they have a citrusy note, so if you’re adding a bit of lemon zest, that would be perfect.
Alternatively -
I’m assuming you’re using a white for cooking it? Why not use some of that white for the dinner too?
Don’t forget that the Germans and Austrians often drink whites with meats and game. Recently Austria has been producing some decent reds, but lots of people have a plate of meats and sausages and drink white wine with it. So you have stuff like Gruner Veltliner or Roter Veltliner or Schuerbe, or even better, Riesling. That tends to be something everyone likes, partly because you can have some that’s bone dry and some with a bit of RS, which tends to be a winner. I’d have something like that around just in case.
A white that’s too lean is going to be lost but maybe the guests won’t mind that actually, so you can always have an inoffensive Pinot Grigio around too and if you don’t drink it, it’s always nice to cook with.
I guess I wouldn’t get something that’s really oaky and buttery - somehow that doesn’t work with tomatoey things for me.
If someone says they only drink white wine, I feel fairly confident their reason is always “red wine gives me headaches”. Prove them wrong from the crap they always drink and serve them something good