Comments on: Sauerkraut: impossible food-wine pairing?!?

By: Marsha Siegel

Marsha Siegel — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 02:40:46 +0000

I served Sauerkraut and pork with keilbasa for New Years 2013. It was really good with a Sean Minor Pinot Noir. My Kraut is made with extra cabbage, brown sugar and beer. This wine was perfect with it.

By: alicia

alicia — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 14:54:25 +0000

i had sauerkraut along and i paired it with a merlot…i loved them together because the kraut is so salty and the bitterness of the merlot washed it away nicely…
what ya’ll think about that??

By: Szymon

Szymon — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 23:34:20 +0000

Depends on what you make with sauerkraut. Typical Polish sauerkraut meal is bigos – basically a stew made from sauerkraut and any leftover meat from Christmas or Easter. It always go good with hearty, full-bodied red wine.

By: Maciek Klimowicz

Maciek Klimowicz — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 23:38:22 +0000

We’ll be having loads of this stuff in the next weeks here in Poland. That’s because sauerkraut is one of the most basic, traditional Christmas products here. And I’ll be pairing it with rieslig – always a bottle of it on my Christmas table.

By: Scott Harvey

Scott Harvey — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 15:14:18 +0000

Since I’m was trained as a winemaker in Southwestern Germany, I leraned the German Kitchen as well. I now ferment my own Sauerkraut at home. Our Website ScottHarveyWines.com has the recipe for making wonderful Pfalzer style sauerkraut. Of course a halbtroken kabinett style Riesling is the best wine to go with it.

By: Mr. Zdur

Mr. Zdur — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 17:28:37 +0000

Your sandwich idea sounds delish. As a kid I thought sauerkraut would be disgusting because of the smell and I never tried it until my 20′s. It is delicious and really becomes part of a tasty package with a earthy whole grain bread, spicy mustard, savory protein, cheese, and a glass of Reisling Spatlese. The addition of tart cherry tomatoes sounds perfect. Also, grilled beets would work.

By: Frank

Frank — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 16:45:08 +0000

All these suggestions work if you wash the kraut first to remove some of the saltiness and acid. If you try to eat it directly from the crock or heaven forbid, the bag or can, then nothing can help.

We made a choucroute garnie last week with smoked turkey instead of pork as the main meat. Less greasy and heavy than the traditional version. It paired nicely with a dry Sauvignon Blanc from Quincy.

By: Matt D

Matt D — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 15:50:38 +0000

Gewurtz

By: Justin

Justin — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 08:35:27 +0000

@winetal: I’ll bet a Cotes de Beaune Pinot would be awesome! Mmm, I’m drooling already.

By: jason carey

jason carey — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 04:47:22 +0000

Well I have enjoyed craploads of it with Alsacian wine and loved it …great with an acidic pinot noir too.

By: winetal

winetal — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 04:18:22 +0000

i’ve enjoyed sauerkraut with alsatian and german rieslings, as well as fruity high acid cote de beaune pinots. the riesling was definitely the winner, but the pinot was by no means bad or ruined by the food.

By: Justin

Justin — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 02:34:02 +0000

Two pairing possibilities, both of which can show a nice saline character: Gruner Veltliner and Muscadet. Or, of course, beer.

By: John

John — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 02:13:18 +0000

Tyler,
We featured sauerkraut in one of our “Challenging Wine Pairings” posts last year. http://winepeeps.com/2009/09/08/challenging-wine-pairing-smoked-sausage-and-sauerkraut/
Of the two wines we tasted with the meal, our preference was a Washington State Poet’s Leap Riesling.

By: Dr. Vino

Dr. Vino — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 00:29:14 +0000

One more via Twitter from Michael Madrigale (@barboulud) who probably confronts this pairing every night:

“Riesling is the J to the Choucroute’s PB. Generally Grand Cru Alsace with higher alcohol. Or Smaragd level in Austria.”

By: Robbie C.

Robbie C. — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 00:22:39 +0000

I would pour something with a little residual sugar in it.. Riesling spatlese perhaps. I might even pour a lighter, less serious pinot Noir.