I
NEW AREA BUSINESS
Pour Decisions
By Brett Chappell
White with fish ... unless you like red
On the North Carolina coast we are blessed with an array of local seafood
we can grab at a market or, better yet, catch ourselves. Grabbing a cold beer to
quench our thirst is easy, yet we should never forget how well wine pairs with fish.
A couple of easy rules help start the selection process. Start with the density or
richness of the fish: is it flaky, oily, shellfish or steakfish? What wine do you like to
drink?
The old saw is white with fish, red with meat—and with good reason. White
wines have higher acid levels and seem lighter in flavor and texture to our
palates. Serving these wines cold heightens their brightness. We put lemon on
our seafood for exactly that reason. Start by matching weight of wine to weight of
food. Light dishes call for bright, crisp whites made from grapes like sauvignon
blanc or albarino. Think choices like flounder or garlicky, butter-based shrimp
dishes. Denser seafood or preparations with lots of cream or excessive butter call
for a wine made from a heartier grape or with more oak influence. Lobster pairs
perfectly with big oaky chardonnay or rich viognier.
You like only red? Go for it. Here are the quick rules. Go lower tannin. Higher
tannin grapes like cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and nebbiolo create a drying
sensation in your mouth. Tannins in wines do not play well with fish oils and give
fish a metallic/copper flavor. Choose high acid, low tannin wines from pinot noir,
barbera or gamay. The denser the fish, the better the pairing will be. Barbera will
pair better with swordfish than with flounder. In Oregon, drinking pinot noir
with salmon is almost required.
Here are other easy rules. Select wines from an island or a coastal region.
Generations-old traditions and cuisine of the region both inform winemaking. If
a people eat mainly fish, then their wines will complement seafood. Sicilian and
Greek reds prove this point. The acids are high, the tannins are low, and you can
even chill them to highlight their crispness.
Want to be in the know on wine? Pick wines from regions with chalky soils.
Old seabeds grow wines of high acidity and fresh fruit. If the land is made of
oyster shells, the wine will match seafood—in three words: Chablis, Burgundy
and the Loire.
Still stuck? When you are at dinner with someone who only drinks white and
you only drink red, choose rose. By nature of production, most rose is high acid
and dry, meaning not sweet. Darker roses tend to please the “only red” drinker s
palate better. Sparkling wine goes with everything. Champagne is the perfect foil
for fried seafood—fat, salt, bubbles, oh yeah.
The most important rule, though, is enjoy what you drink. Who is to judge?
People from Bordeaux drink Left Bank Margaux with Dover sole. If I were sitting
at that table, I would first eat the fish and drink water. Then I would drink the
wine. Both are great. Nothing should go to waste.
Brett Chappell is a certified Sommelier and Wine Educator with 30-plus years
of experience in all aspects of the wine and restaurant industries. He and his wife,
Jen, who is a Wine and Spirits Education Trust Level Two, escaped from Northern
Virginia to Pine Knoll Shores to “retire” by opening ME Chappell Wine Merchant in
Atlantic Beach during COVID-19. ME Chappell Wine Merchant is located at 407
Atlantic Beach Causeway in Atlantic Beach, and the phone number is 252-773-4016.
The Shoreline I Augyst2020
BILL JOHNSON, WILL JOHNSON,
KATE JOHNSON and SYBIL BBIT
Do Business Locaiiy
Soft Water Solutions, LLC.
is proud to be your local authorized
Making water good for
Dealer for Eastern NO.
Our services include:
• Free water analysis
• Sales 8e Rentals for Water softening Systems
• Residential salt delivery to all brand water softeners
• Sales Rental Reverse Osmosis Rirification Drinking
Water Systems for Trihalomethane contamination
• Filter Service to all brands of Reverse Osmosis
Drinking Water Systems
• Rust Control for irrigation systems to prevent rust
stains on driveways & sidewalks
• E4 Hour Emergency Service on all brands of water
treatment systems by calling 252.7S5.1940
• 100?c Customer Satisfaction on All work Performed
SPECIAL ^39'^^
Inspect & Check Any Brand water
softener & qet two free bags of salt!
WYrER(3RE“ nL
Making water good for life?
Serving all of Eastern NC
WaterCare, Inc. has heen manufacturing water
treatment systems since 1946.
WaterCare, Inc. is American owned and all products
are made in the USA.
Water
AS^OOATJON
Visit us at: www.softwatersolutionsUc.com
Call today & SWITCH YOUR SERVICES TO
SOFT WATER SOLUTIONS, LLC.
4911-B Bridges Street Ext. • Morehead City, NC
Office: 252.222.3220 Cell: 252.725.7464 Emergency service: 252.725.194(
I
f:'
I