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September 20, 2018

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Perfect drinking companions for bounty of the sea

One of the great pleasures of living in Shanghai is the abundance of seasonal seafood. Honoring these cyclical delicacies, I’ll take a quick look into the synergy between relationship between creatures of the seas, lakes and rivers and mankind’s most food-friendly beverage, wine.

I couldn’t fathom enjoying a nice seafood or freshwater fish dish without an accompanying glass of wine. The drink you choose may well be the difference between dreary mediocrity and scrumptious excellence. Fruit, minerality and other qualities found in wines all work to embellish the flavors of seafood and freshwater fish, but it’s the acidity that’s most important.

Every great gourmet culture around the world has historically used acidic liquids or ingredients to embellish their waterborne fare. In the west, we love sprinkling lemon on fish and shellfish. In China, enjoying seasonal hairy crab without vinegar is unthinkable very much in the same way it is in Britain with fish and chips. The right wine awakens and accentuates the best fresh and natural flavors of sea and freshwater fish. Here are some prime examples.

Sashimi is best with bracingly dry and acidic white wines and unoaked Sauvignon Blancs or Spanish Albarinos from Galicia perfectly fit the bill. The mouth-puckering dry and acidic qualities heighten the freshness of raw fish while the fruit and mineral flavors in the wine add pleasant flavor dimensions.

Fresh oysters are another raw seafood treat that demands a dry white wine or dry sparkler. If you are a lover of bubbles try an Extra Brut or zero dosage Champagne or CAVA sparkling wine. All no dosage sparkling wines are bone dry and will elegantly highlight the freshness and natural sweetness of the oysters while accentuating the snappy texture. If you like your oysters cooked, then a more fruit-driven brut or even barrel-fermented sparkler is perfect.

Simply prepared steamed or grilled fish benefit from top white wines — like an equally austere, yet perfectly elegant, Chablis. This 100 percent Chardonnay from the northernmost reaches of Burgundy adds magic to the natural flavors of fish. Fish and shellfish with sauces and heartier flavors work well with more exuberant whites like Pouilly-Fuisse or New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs.

Now let’s have some fun: You’re invited to a friend’s home for a seafood dinner but you have no idea what will be served or how it will be prepared. What wine should you bring? One great answer comes from the green heart of Italy: Orvieto.

In the center of Italy situated between the more recognized and visited regions of Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, and Lazio, the bucolic rolling hills of Umbria are home to some of Italy’s best foods and wines.

The best wines of Umbria are mostly red, but still the most recognized wine of the region is the white wine Orvieto. Although sweet, semi-sweet and even red Orvieto wines are also made, the vast majority are light bodied, dry whites.

These easygoing wines have long been underappreciated outside Italy. Critics cite the light body, forthright and simple style, but the modern reality of Orvieto is increasingly more complex and delicious.

Comprised of at least 60 percent of Trebbiano and Grechetto with small contributions of Drupeggio and other Italian white varieties, most Orvietos feature a straw-yellow color, enticing fruity and floral aromas and crisp peachy flavors. The best wines are made with grapes from the Classico region on the hills surrounding the scenic historic hilltop village of Orvieto and nearby towns.

The fresh, clean nature of Orvieto whites make them natural companions to many seasonal Chinese sea and freshwater dishes. Orvietos should be consumed young while their aromas and fruity flavors are still fresh, at no more than 8 degrees Celsius.

Despite their excellent value for money, Orvieto wines in Shanghai can be hard to find, but well worth it are Orvieto Classico wines from small Umbrian producers like Barberiani and Conte Vaselli. Easier to find are Orvietto wines produced by large Tuscan-based wineries like Ruffino, Piccini, Sensi, Antinori and Carpineto.




 

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