Comments on: Latkes: impossible food-wine pairing?

By: bobzaguy

bobzaguy — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:59:23 +0000

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!

By: Audrey

Audrey — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:04:18 +0000

Vin Santo for the donuts. Cremant d’Alsace for the latkes. Yum!

By: Mike Veseth

Mike Veseth — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:19:07 +0000

Poet’s Leap Riesling from Washington State — that’s my choice. Assuming you have both the applesauce and sour cream!

By: Jon Wollenhaupt

Jon Wollenhaupt — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:40:43 +0000

I’m totally down with Michael – a good Alsatian Riesling or Gewürztraminer should rock the latkes.

By: Meg Houston Maker

Meg Houston Maker — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 15:28:33 +0000

A friend asked me last week what wine to take take to a Hanukkah party, and I suggested the following:

- Cordoníu 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.

By: EternalOptimist

EternalOptimist — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 02:19:21 +0000

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.

By: Magdalena

Magdalena — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 20:30:39 +0000

Artisan apple cidre — ok, so it’s not made from grapes, but the idea is the same (enough), and it just seems more cosy.

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:36:28 +0000

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!

By: Erwin Dink

Erwin Dink — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:44:33 +0000

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).

By: Erwin Dink

Erwin Dink — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:38:23 +0000

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.)

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:27:12 +0000

@dzop: Good catch on the onion/lime. Is the effect a bitter finish for you?

By: Cindy

Cindy — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:17:46 +0000

Riesling or Gruner.

By: dzop

dzop — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:23:25 +0000

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…

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:14:36 +0000

Typo! “Hambrecht” should be Humbrecht. Apologies.

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:13:50 +0000

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!