Sunday Brunch: Best wines for cooking
Lindsey Anderson, owner and sommelier of Uvae Kitchen and Wine Bar in Andersonville shares her favorite wines for cooking.
Anderson will be sharing the following wines:
- Sparkling Rosé: To lighten/sweeten savory dishes, $15 to $30.
- Sancerre/Sauvignon Blanc: For seafood dishes, $20 to $40.
- Soave: For dishes with heavy, cream-based sauces, $20 to $40.
- Sherry: For hearty, earthy dishes, $20 to $30.
- Port: For sauces, like dessert reductions, $20 to $40.
Anderson’s choices for each wine are:
Maison Jaillance Cremant de Bordeaux Sparkling Rosé
Sparkling wine is perfect for drinking at any part of the meal. It’s light, refreshing and easy drinking makes it the perfect wine to start off the meal and it’s a nice sipper while prepping for guests. I prefer cooking with a dry rosé, so you can adjust the sweetness based on what you’re cooking. A simple, no hassle starter would be a rosé gelee accoutrement to pair with a cheese and charcuterie plate. Great on it’s own or anything with a high fat content such as cheese or fried foods. Bubbles and high acid cut through the fat and cleanse the palate.
Henril Bailly Sancerre
This Sauvignon Blanc-like wine is crisp and acidic French wine that acts as a great palate cleanser for recipe testing and tasting, as it will refresh your palate between each taste test while cooking. Sancerre is a versatile wine that fills in whatever culinary gap that you need, but Its brightness is a great fit for heavier European dishes, like Pan Roasted Artichokes with Tarragon White Wine Butter. This crisp, dry, mineral driven with high acid is an ideal starter to any meal. It pairs perfectly with high acid vegetables such as tomatoes or light mineral driven seafood such as oysters or shrimp.
Adalia Soave
Made with the Garganega grape, this wine is a bit richer and shows more body level making it stand up to fuller bodied second courses and heavier seafood. Well balanced with bright acid makes it drinkable on it’s own as well—a perfect glass to have while prepping. I like to use it in a charred vegetable relish to go alongside lobster cakes—a great fresh dish for spring! This wine has a round mouth feel with ample acid and tree fruit. It pairs well with anything cream based, matching the body level of the wine with a rich, round mouthfeel of the food—think cheese, mayo, and cream-based dressings. The ample acid will also cut through the fat of these items.
Amontillado Sherry
Amontillado Sherry is a dry sherry, making it the perfect aperitif or appetizer builder before a meal, and the rich, nuttiness of the sherry makes it perfect for cooking. The sherry lends well to warm hearty dishes with mushrooms, like a short rib wellington. This wine pairs nicely with nutty cheeses such as Grana Padano or aged Parmesan, and earthy elements such as mushrooms.
Warres Ruby Port
Ports are the perfect way to end your meal with something sweet. Fortified wines add packs of flavor and an extra level of depth to a range of foods and can be enjoyed either by itself with cheese as a dessert wine, or in a sauce—like a reduction for a dessert. The Warres Ruby Port in particular is a sweet wine, so it’s best enjoyed with food for balance. I like to use it in a black currant reduction that goes alongside a gorgonzola ice cream. Great for sauces—especially reductions for desserts—this rich, bright, fruit-forward wine complements any chocolate dessert, any red or black fruit sauce, or stinky cheese such as aged gorgonzola.