Top pairings for dry and off-dry Alsace whites

On a recent visit to Alsace, I had the pleasure of rediscovering the region’s diverse wine offerings, from crisp Rieslings to  Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris. What struck me during this trip was how integral sweetness is to perfecting a food and wine pairing—a nuance that can vary greatly between a youthful bottle and a more aged vintage.

In Alsace, we focused on traditional local Alsatian cuisine, because I always prefer to eat local when I visit a wine region. This region’s wines, particularly the off-dry varieties, are famously well-suited to spicy dishes—a testament to Alsace’s global culinary influence. While the French may not always excel at Asian cuisine, Alsace wines undoubtedly do. They shine brightest when paired with bold, flavourful dishes, and I’m convinced they have untapped potential with Scandinavian fare as well.

Intriguingly, a new sweetness indicator is appearing on the back labels of many Alsace wines, offering a helpful guide to their style—an invaluable tool for any wine enthusiast looking to enhance their dining experience. But to truly appreciate these wines, one must delve deeper into the unique pairings they complement. Let’s explore some of the top pairings that make Alsace wines truly unforgettable.

Top Pairings for Alsace Riesling

Riesling is my favorite Alsace wine. While Gewürztraminer has its charm, Riesling’s versatility, especially in its drier forms, makes it a standout. Here are some of the best pairings:

In Alsace:

• Creamy sauces with fish: Particularly with zander, plaice, or sole, where a dry Riesling cuts through the richness.
• Choucroute: A traditional Alsace dish that pairs beautifully with both dry and off-dry Rieslings.

Other Great Matches:

• Scandinavian seafood dishes and smorgasbord: Dry or off-dry Riesling complements the delicate flavours.
• Japanese seafood dishes: Especially sashimi and sushi, where dry Riesling’s acidity enhances the freshness.
• Raw seafood: Think fish tartares, carpaccios, and ceviches—dry Riesling is the perfect match.
• Asian-inspired seafood: Oysters with an Asian twist, seafood cocktails, lighter Thai dishes like crab cakes and salads are all lifted by an off-dry Riesling.
• Fish dishes in general: Fish terrines, simply cooked sea bass, and seafood salads all suit a drink Riesling.
• Dry spiced chicken dishes: For example, chicken tikka and tandoor chicken are both ideal with an off-dry Riesling.

Top Pairings for Riesling Blends

One of the styles I was most impressed by on the trip, particularly Domaine Pfister’s Cuvée 8 (Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewürz and Muscat) and Marc Kreydenweiss’s Clos du Val d’Eleon a 50/50 blend of Riesling and Pinot Gris. By and large I’d follow the pairing suggestions for dry to off-dry Riesling rather than those for Pinot Gris or Gewürz. Riesling blends, such as Domaine Pfister’s Cuvée 8, are equally impressive. These blends often include Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, and Muscat, creating a symphony of flavours. Follow the pairing guidelines for dry to off-dry Riesling, keeping in mind the additional depth the blends offer.

Top Pairings for Alsace Pinot Gris

Pinot Gris from Alsace can be a bit of a wildcard—sometimes dry, sometimes rich and verging on sweet. Here’s what I recommend:

In Alsace:

• White meats in creamy sauces: Especially when mushrooms are involved, a dry Pinot Gris is sublime.
• Hot pâté en croûte: A brilliant match we enjoyed with an older Pinot Gris at Leon Boesch.

Other Great Matches:

• Smokey foods or sauces: Pinot Gris handles these with ease, particularly when off-dry.
• Richer fish like monkfish and salmon: Both dry and off-dry styles work well.
• Thai curries with coconut: The off-dry Pinot Gris balances the spice and creaminess perfectly.

Top Pairings for Alsace Gewürztraminer

Gewürztraminer is almost synonymous with spicy cuisine, particularly Chinese and Indian dishes. However, it’s important to choose the right dishes to avoid overwhelming the palate.

In Alsace:

• Foie gras: The off-dry Gewürztraminer is a classic, luxurious pairing.
• Munster cheese: Another regional specialty that matches well with both dry and off-dry versions.

Other Great Matches:

• Washed rind cheeses: Like Epoisses or Maroilles, which pair beautifully with dry or off-dry Gewürz.
• Szechuan and Korean dishes: The spicier, the better—Gewürztraminer’s sweetness cools the heat.
• Apple desserts: Off-dry Gewürz works wonderfully with apple crumble or strudel, enhancing the cinnamon and fruit flavours.

Best Pairings for Alsace Pinot Blanc

Often overlooked, Pinot Blanc is a versatile and underrated wine from Alsace. It’s an excellent all-rounder, particularly with light, simple dishes.

In Alsace:

• Onion tart or Tarte flambée: Both are classic Alsace dishes that pair effortlessly with Pinot Blanc.
• Quiche Lorraine: A perfect match, especially with a creamy filling.

Other Good Matches:

• Risottos and pastas: Especially those with creamy sauces or spring vegetables.
• Simple seafood dishes: Fish pie or fishcakes are enhanced by the smoothness of Pinot Blanc.

Best Pairings for Alsace Sylvaner

Many of the dishes that go with a dry to off-dry riesling will go with a dry Sylvaner though it generally doesn’t have Riesling’s purity and minerality. Again it’s regarded as an inexpensive wine in Alsace though the best examples e.g. from Ostertag really show the grape’s potential.

In Alsace:

• A winstub (wine bar) wine drunk with light snacks such as salads, cold meats and tarte flambée

Other Good Matches:

• You could drink it with similar dishes to a dry Riesling. It’s a good match for Westernised versions of dishes like stir fries or noodles that have an Asian influence but are not particularly spicy or authentic.

Best Pairings for Alsace Muscat

Alsace Muscat is aromatic and fresh, but not as versatile as Gewürztraminer. It’s best enjoyed as an aperitif or with a few select dishes.

In Alsace:

• White asparagus: Served with a buttery sauce or smoked ham, an off-dry Muscat shines.
• Smoked cheeses: Another excellent match for the off-dry style.

Other Good Matches:

• Fresh fruit salads: Particularly those featuring tropical fruits, where Muscat’s fruitiness complements the flavours.

If you have other favourite matches do leave a comment! 

Image credit: Alberta Studios

Why Pinot Gris hits the spot with spicy food

You may think tasting wine sounds arduous but a major wine and food tasting, I assure you, is a much greater assault on the system as I was reminded the other day when Victoria Moore of The Guardian and I ran 14 Pinot Gris through their paces with foods that ranged from smoked eel to chicken tikka masala. Neither of us was able to eat much for several days.

It was all in the good cause of identifying exactly what the best matches were for Pinot Gris, an aromatic white which usually has a touch of sweetness, making it pair with an entirely different range of foods from its cousin Pinot Grigio. It’s original home is Alsace but fine versions are now being made in New Zealand, Oregon and Australia, especially Tasmania. In Alsace it’s often matched with pâté and creamy sauces but it also pairs particularly well with smoked and spicy foods.

You can read Victoria’s account and wine recommendations in The Guardian today. Here are my comments and conclusions, rated as follows:

*** Great match, the best of the tasting
** A good match
* An OK match but one which slightly diminishes the food or the wine
No stars: A misfiring match

Smoked eel and horseradish sauce
I was rather more excited by this combination than Victoria. I thought it went particularly well with the lighter, crisper styles of Pinot Gris such as Pirie’s South Pinot Gris 2006 (**) from the Tamar Valley in Tasmania and Josmeyer’s rather expensive Le Fromenteau 2004 (***) from Alsace. A Finca Las Higueras Pinot Gris (*) from Lurton, an inexpensive Pinot Gris from Argentina, and a useful all-rounder was OK too though not if you're not into eel, obviously.

Gravlax
Always a tricky match because of the herbal notes of the dill and sweetness of the mustard sauce. When it works, as it did with the 2006 Waimea Estate Pinot Gris (**) from New Zealand which had quite a marked touch of sweetness, it’s great. When it doesn’t, as it did with some of the other bottles we tried, it totally misfires.

A Brussels-type pâté with mushrooms
Not a great success with any of the wines but it wasn't a particularly interesting paté. We suspected a foie gras terrine might have been a better match (though given the volume of food we had to try, thankfully we didn't have any handy . . . )

Creamy mushrooms on toast.
This is the kind of sauce that would be served in Alsace so no surprise it worked with our two Alsace wines, an inexpensive Pinot Gris 2004 (**) from Turkheim and the Josmeyer above (***). Victoria was less impressed.

Pan-fried salmon with nam phrik num dressing
The salmon on its own wasn’t a great match but once Peter Gordon’s exotically, sweet, spicy dressing was added (for recipe click here) it was a different story. Possibly the best match of the tasting especially with sweeter styles like the Waimea Estate (***) above or the floral Tamar Ridge 2006 (***), another Pinot Gris from Tasmania.

Roast scallops with pancetta
An OK match with the lighter, drier styles but a decent Chardonnay would have worked better.

Thai fish cakes
Although shop bought, these were quite hot and aromatic, making them a natural for Pinot Gris. The styles that worked best were the simple wines like the Turkheim (**) or the more fresh, floral styles such as the Pirie (**) and Tamar Ridge (**). A rich, tropical Pinot Gris from Tim Adams (**) in the Clare Valley was also good but the Waimea tasted too sweet.

Thai Green Chicken Curry
We souped up this supermarket version with some extra lime juice and coriander to make it taste more authentic. On the whole most of the wines worked pretty well, the best matches being the Tamar Ridge 2006 (**) from Tasmania and the Villa Maria Private Bin 2006 (**) from New Zealand, both of which were quite aromatic.

Chicken Tikka Masala
Surprise, surprise! So this is what goes with CTM! A really good match for a number of the wines, including the Villa Maria (**), Tamar Ridge (**) and full bodied Elk Cove Pinot Gris 2005 (**) from Oregon.

Fried goats cheese with membrillo
A new one on me. I usually serve membrillo (a Spanish quince paste) with a sheep’s cheese such as Manchego but it’s really delicious with warm oozy goats cheese. And with a crisp Pinot Gris. The Turkheim (**), Josmeyer (**) and Tamar Ridge (**) all worked well, as did the off-dry Waimea (**).

Pinot Gris with Spicy Food: Overall conclusions

1. Pinot Gris is potentially a really useful match for spicy food, especially Indian, Thai and fusion dishes with a touch of sweetness.
2. Inexpensive bottles such as the Turkheim and Finca Las Higueras are a good place to start especially with ready meals. More expensive wines - and we particularly liked the two we tried from Tasmania - play better with the cleaner, brighter flavours of home-made dishes
3. Spot-on matching with Pinot Gris is tricky because of the fluctuating levels of sweetness between different bottles so if you want to show off the wine to best effect, have a dry run first. (Note the hotter the dish the more sweetness you need in the wine)
4. This was far too much food for any rational human being to taste on one occasion. Don’t try this at home!

Image credit: DXT_91