Latkes: impossible food-wine pairing?
Last night, someone asked me, “what wine do you pair with fried food since I’m going to be having it for the next eight nights.”
Let’s shed some light on the wine pairing for…latkes! Seems like a blank slate to me, starchy potato (with some onion, salt and pepper) simmered in olive oil. So have at it–or is it impossible?
And if you want to make it a Hanukkah duo, the gentleman also asked for a pairing with jelly doughnuts. That may require a second bottle…
Dec
11
2009
On December 11th, 2009 at 9:29 am ,Ellen M Bentley wrote:
sparkling for both. Bubbles and acid cut fat ie cleanse your palate (think coffee and doughnuts).
On December 11th, 2009 at 9:46 am ,Richard wrote:
I would say bubbly as well. I would lean towards the drier side and lean. Probably an apple-y one. Leave most of the big houses out of the equation and use a growers Champagne. That’s my 2 cents.
As far as the donuts, well, I’d just eat them plain.
On December 11th, 2009 at 10:00 am ,Solo500 wrote:
Wish I could be contrary on this one but if not sparkling wine, then what? If not now, when?
On December 11th, 2009 at 10:03 am ,Steve Raye wrote:
A lesson in latkes…In my family they are never made with olive oil…it’s not part of the ethnic Yiddish kitchen, but rather schmaltz or rendered chicken fat. It makes a world of difference in flavor.
And as to wine, of course the the traditional choice was Manischewitz concord wine, not that I’d recommend that today.
I’ll go with you and Joel on the bubbly…that’s a slam dunk for just about any food pairing. But as a still wine alternative, definitely need something with very high acid to cut the fat. So keeping in the geographic region of the dish, I’d opt for a Gruner Veltliner (transparency…we work with the Austrian Wine Marketing Board). Here’s why…I had the delightful experience on a trip there last year to make a classic Wiener Schnitzel with rendered pig fat. We’re not talking brilliantly white Crisco here…but rather a gray/brown lump of REAL FAT with bits of brown things in it. And GV was a perfect natural pairing, especially those from the Western regions like Wachau and Kremstal where they tend to produce wines with higher acid than in the lowlands. Add the definitive white pepper-ness of GruVee (not Gary V!)and you’ve got a natural combo. Like my grandma would say “Go ahead, eat, don’t mind me, I’ll just stand in the corner and suck on this chicken bone.”
On December 11th, 2009 at 10:06 am ,Coryn Briggs wrote:
I agree on the bubbly suggestions but would also like to add Riesling to the mix. Really any style would work. Dry will also cleanse the palate, Semidry will cleanse and compliment, while a sweeter/fuller style will hold up to the rich flavors.
On December 11th, 2009 at 10:15 am ,Steve wrote:
Sparkling wine is the go-to wine with fried foods, but in reality will pair with a wide variety of wines. There’s no need to drink sparkling wine 8 nights in a row!
The only thing to avoid are big tannic reds which clash with the fairly high salt content of the latkes.
On December 11th, 2009 at 10:24 am ,Jim wrote:
I would absolutely echo the riesling and would say that a german spatlese (I like JJ Prum) with at least a year or two in the bottle would be an excellent choice. If you wanted a red wine – just because, I think a Loire valley red (or a non-fruity cab franc from elsewhere) would be fun and interesting.
One final white wine – a chenin blanc would also be fun to try. In fact I might just try it tonight!
On December 11th, 2009 at 10:40 am ,Kate wrote:
Yeah, sparkling works best — but what about a nice Pinot Blanc? Mmmmm. Organic and BC VQA. Delish!
On December 11th, 2009 at 10:46 am ,Leslie wrote:
I second — or 8th – the call for sparkling wine for latkas. I’d argue for a dry, crisp Cava over a fruity Prosecco – unless you’re having applesauce with those latkas. And as for the donuts, well the rules are pretty simple with dessert – the wine should always be sweeter than the dessert. So, Prosecco or perhaps a Spumante.
On December 11th, 2009 at 1:02 pm ,Veronique Deblois wrote:
Riesling first comes to mind, but I agree that a bubbly would be wonderful also.
Wonder if a velvety Pinot Noir might also work…
On December 11th, 2009 at 1:40 pm ,Lisa wrote:
I would say a Sherry, perhaps a Manzanilla would do the trick for latkes.
On December 11th, 2009 at 1:56 pm ,Joel Burt wrote:
I can jump on board the sparking bandwagon. I would also think that the Poulsard in the post below would go really well, or perhaps a thin red Xinomavro.
On December 11th, 2009 at 2:08 pm ,Pablo Orio wrote:
I think sparkling wine is better.
On December 11th, 2009 at 2:23 pm ,Anthony wrote:
I agree with Coryn on this one, Riesling would go great with fried foods. Another wine that would go great with it would be another of my white wine favorites, Friendship School White from St. James Winery. Match made in heaven in you ask me. 😀
http://www.stjameswinery.com/shop/wine/semi-dry/friendship-school-white.html
On December 11th, 2009 at 2:59 pm ,beth - the wine school wrote:
A Loire Valley Rose (yes, bubbly) made with Cabernet Franc.
On December 11th, 2009 at 3:01 pm ,Weston wrote:
Riesling~
On December 11th, 2009 at 3:13 pm ,Michael wrote:
I’d hit a Hambrecht Grand Cru Alsatian Riesling. You’ll not only get superlative acidity, but will likely get both bacon fat on the nose (for the schmaltz) and some crisp apple in the mouth (if you’re having apple sauce). You can’t lose.
Alternately, stay in Alsace but hit the Pinot Gris to match up that variety’s milky characteristics with a side of sour cream.
Happy Chanukkah!
On December 11th, 2009 at 3:14 pm ,Michael wrote:
Typo! “Hambrecht” should be Humbrecht. Apologies.
On December 11th, 2009 at 3:23 pm ,dzop wrote:
I actually don’t like riesling with latkesas much as gewurtz, b/c I find the onion in the latke can clash with the limeiness of a riesling but sings with the more stonefruity/lychee fruits of a gewurtz.
You can actually go slightly off-dry (but no sweeter) and it doesn’t seem to hurt the pairing. Obviously, Alsace is the place to go for this. Paul Blanck Gewurtz is commonly available in NYC (where I reside) and generally reasonably priced for an Alsatian white, and it’s my go to latke wine. Have one waiting in the fridge for tonight…
On December 11th, 2009 at 4:17 pm ,Cindy wrote:
Riesling or Gruner.
On December 11th, 2009 at 4:27 pm ,Michael wrote:
@dzop: Good catch on the onion/lime. Is the effect a bitter finish for you?
On December 11th, 2009 at 5:38 pm ,Erwin Dink wrote:
You’ll have to try harder than that to stump the Dink.
Champagne with the latkes.
Sparkling Shiraz with the jelly donut.
(Now I’ll read the 20 responses that were posted before mine to see how many of you got it right.)
On December 11th, 2009 at 5:44 pm ,Erwin Dink wrote:
OK, there’s a kind-of consensus on bubbly but I’ll admit that’s almost cheating — any excuse, and all that.
Alas, it seemed nobody else took the donut seriously (and why should they, some might add).
On December 12th, 2009 at 2:36 pm ,Kimberly wrote:
OK, like most everyone else, I’d suggest bubbly, probably Prosecco. But what I really, really think would be perfect is a nice Rosé. I can taste the yummy-ness from here. I am a little obsessed with Rosé, and suggest it with almost everything that may be considered a difficult match, or dishes without obvious matches, anyway. With its crisp acidity, dry Rosé pairs with almost anything. OK, I know it’s “supposed” to be meant for summer drinking, mainly, but because it goes so well with such a wide variety of foods, I don’t know why it can’t be drunk all year round, like bubbly. And it’s relatively inexpensive.
I recently made biscuits with pancetta and fontina, and was at a loss for what to pair with them, then I thought, hmmm, Rosé,so I chose Les Jamelles Cinsault Rosé 2007 and it was a perfect match!
On December 12th, 2009 at 3:30 pm ,Magdalena wrote:
Artisan apple cidre — ok, so it’s not made from grapes, but the idea is the same (enough), and it just seems more cosy.
On December 12th, 2009 at 9:19 pm ,EternalOptimist wrote:
We went a little “weird” on our latkes tonight to offset the blandness of classic latkes. Followed a classic recipe (grated potatoes, eggs, salt, oil) but substituted sweet potatoes for white ones, included grated onion, and added fennel and onion seeds (nigella). Very tasty latkes, and I thought a great pairing with Marc Kreydenweiss 2005 Kritt Pinot Blanc, available locally for $11.50 after a WS79 made it hard to sell. I feared the sweet potatoes would overwhelm the pinot blanc’s delicate flavors, but it was great.
On December 13th, 2009 at 10:28 am ,Meg Houston Maker wrote:
A friend asked me last week what wine to take take to a Hanukkah party, and I suggested the following:
– CordonÃu Cava, a sparkling rosé with good acid and fruit;
– Reisling, but one from New York State rather than Germany to avoid potential sensitivities;
– Sancerre or other dry Loire white;
– Ca’ del Solo Albariño, which is crisp and bright;
– Ca’ del Solo Muscat, which is just slightly off-dry.
On December 13th, 2009 at 12:40 pm ,Jon Wollenhaupt wrote:
I’m totally down with Michael – a good Alsatian Riesling or Gewürztraminer should rock the latkes.
On December 14th, 2009 at 10:19 am ,Mike Veseth wrote:
Poet’s Leap Riesling from Washington State — that’s my choice. Assuming you have both the applesauce and sour cream!
On December 18th, 2009 at 12:04 pm ,Audrey wrote:
Vin Santo for the donuts. Cremant d’Alsace for the latkes. Yum!
On December 30th, 2009 at 9:59 am ,bobzaguy wrote:
Well, there was one apple cidre[?] so I don’t feel too out in the woods with my choice.
Cranberry Wine – Lynfred Winery, Roselle, IL. Cranberries from Wisconsin. Tart, crisp, lightly sweet. Goes very well with salt and onions which is more than can be said for most choices. And you can pop a spoon of Susan Stamberg’s NPR cranberry relish on top of the latkes for a dash of New World flavor on an Old World shredded cake.
PS they also make great Damson Plum, tart Montmorency Cherry, lightly herbal Pomegranate, and amazing Crimson Rhubarb wines that would be very match-worthy with Latkes.
For the jelly donuts, try their Strawberry, Raspberry, Blueberry and Blackberry wines which are a bit sweeter but depending on the filling, might just mirror that flavor!