Ideal Sauvignon Blanc Food Matches

Philippines wine supplier Manila wine shop discusses wine by the grape variety SAUVIGNON BLANC.

October 4, 2010

Ideal Sauvignon Blanc Food Matches

There’s More than Chèvre

Sauvignon Blanc is a quintessential white wine calling for white meats (from fish and shellfish to chicken, pork or other white meats). The wine’s typically crisp acidic edge and moderately medium weight does not lend itself to anything beyond that (it does not “cross over” into red meats).

The crisp, lean taste profile of Sauvignon Blanc also does not lend itself well to dishes containing disproportionate amounts of butter or cream (use only with balancing ingredients like lemon and capers, lest the wine turns unpleasantly sharp and the dish too fatty or oily). While the finest Sauvignon Blancs are replete with qualities of sweet melon (and sometimes citrus or fig), its propensity towards nuances of green herbs, cut grass or weeds in the aroma and flavor make it a natural with dishes utilizing leafy green herbs (parsley, basil, chervil and cilantro), and to a more limited extent, the more strongly scented herbs (rosemary, thyme, marjoram and oregano).

Take the Acid Test
Comparing Sauvignon Blanc with Riesling

By the same token, herb nuanced Sauvignon Blancs do well with dishes utilizing bell peppers (especially when roasted), olives, fennel, spinach, watercress, arugula, and most green leaf salad vegetables. Restrained use of aromatically similar chili peppers (most varieties) as well as chili spices, pastes and curry mixes all stand to benefit from Sauvignon Blanc’s contrasting qualities of moderate alcohol, palate-freshening acidity, and suggestions of melon in the nose and flavor. Restrained use of lemon, citrus, pomegranate, tomatoes and other acidic fruits underscore Sauvignon Blanc’s zesty acidic qualities.

Besides Chèvre, other mildly acidic cheeses (Greek Feta, Le Banon from France, Cabrales from Spain, Pecorino from Italy, and extra sharp Cheddars) work well with Sauvignon Blanc. Feel free to grill or smoke, as this brings out the minerally or flinty qualities of Sauvignon Blanc (especially the French versions).

While Sauvignon Blancs can certainly work well with richer, fattier white meats (lobster, pork, whole chicken, etc.) with the use of complimenting ingredients, its moderately weighted, crisp quality is more naturally suited to lower fat seafood or white meats (oysters, clams, flaky white fish, chicken breasts, veal, etc.).

While Sauvignon Blanc is one of the few varieties that handily match mild vinegars (particularly winy balsamic, sherry and rice wine vinegars), these ingredients still need to be used in balance lest the match turns into an exercise in sourness (in the dish as well as wine).

Since salt is more easily balanced by sweetness, don’t expect bone dry Sauvignon Blancs to work like a charm with highly salted or cured foods. For the same reason (the grape has tartness, but not sweetness), use pickled vegetables with caution.

While Sauvignon Blanc is indeed a food versatile grape, it does not cross easily into the realm of Asian foods (use of ginger, star anise, shoyu, kaffir, ponzu, and disproportionate use of sugar, garlic, etc.). Better to leave that to more fragrant or aggressively spiced varieties (i.e. Riesling and maybe Viognier among whites, and Pinot Noir and Syrah among reds).

More Successful Sauvignon Blanc Food Pairings

• Spring green salad with Chèvre and citrus in a caramelized bell pepper
vinaigrette with a refined, stony scented Château Carbonnieux Blanc
(Sauvignon Blanc dominated white from France’s Graves in Bordeaux)

• Fresh snapper ceviche with tequila, lime and roasted sweet peppers with a flinty, lemony Sancerre by Reverdy

• John Ash’s grilled marinated prawns with fresh melon salsa, matched with a light, mildly crisp and easy Fetzer Sauvignon Blanc

• Quenelles of lobster, scallops and leeks in a shiitake shellfish consommé with a light, spring-fresh Frog’s Leap Sauvignon Blanc from Napa Valley

• Risotto of lobster and sea vegetables with English peas and asparagus with an intensely herbal, zesty Brancott New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc

• Wood-grilled Anaheim chile stuffed with shrimp, mint and red pepper
couscous with a lush, vibrant Matanzas Creek Sauvignon Blanc

• Spicy shrimp ravioli in a citrus achiote vinaigrette with a crisply balanced Ferrari-Carano Fumé Blanc

Source: http://www.novusvinum.com/pairings/sauvignonblanc.html

Leading Philippines Wine Supplier Yats Wine Cellars based in Clark Philippines with outlets in Angeles City, Subic Freeport and Manila Philippines has been not only a wine shop for fine wines covering all major wine regions but also a source of reliable and useful information about wine, wine appreciation, wine accessories, wine and health, food and wine pairing and all other matters relating to wine and its appreciation.  This Philippines Clark Freeport based Wine Supplier and Wine Shop frequently holds public wine tasting events in Pampana Clark Freeport Zone, Angeles City, Subic Bay area, Makati, Fort Bonifacio and other areas in Philippines capital city Manila.  Private Wine events such as private wine tasting and private wine dinners are also designed and organized for private clientele for their wine loving guests.

This wine shop in Angeles Clark Philippines is also renowned for a very unique product called Vintage Beer which many characterize as “Champagne beer” because it comes in a bottle with a Champagne stopper and metal restrainer.  Vintage beers are top-of-the-line luxury beers bottle-conditioned for a slow fermentation to take place inside the bottle, a process that is very similar to Champagne which is designed to not only create the bubbles but also for an amazing complexity and depth of flavors.

For fans of Port and Sauternes, this wine shop in Clark Pampanga has a large selection of vintage port, Sauternes and Barsac as well as Eiswein/Icewine from Austria and Germany.  Likewise, there is a good selection of Vintage Champagne at the wine shoppers’ disposal in the cellars of this wine shop in Clark Pampanga.

http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila

Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple:  after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave.  From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City.  From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

Clark Wine Center

Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building

Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,

Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023

0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars

Manila Sales Office

3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,

Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605

(632) 637-5019   0917-520-4393  ask for Rea or Chay

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.  Visitors buy wine in Manila and Pampanga should not miss stopping at this wine shop for a few bottles of fine vintage wines to bring home.