Oysters & Wine

Shucking OystersOver the last few years, I've become quite obsessed with oysters, and have started eating them as often as I can afford to do so. Unfortunately, like wine, oysters are a somewhat expensive indulgence, but fortunately, they are incredibly healthy. Averaging about 10 calories per oyster, they are high in protein, low in saturated fat, and are a great source of vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids. In my opinion, they are the perfect appetizer, especially when paired with a crisp, white wine.

I have to confess, when I first started eating oysters, I thought that Champagne was the only appropriate pairing for them. However, over time, I found that wines such as Txakoli, and other crisp, dry, white wines make phenomenal companions for oysters. Still, when I was approached by Pangea Shellfish to help them craft a wine pairing page for their site, I felt as though I had some learning to do.

Pangea ShellfishThankfully, resources such as What to Drink with What You Eat and A Geography of Oysters by Rowan Jacobsen were available to help me develop and refine my knowledge of oyster and wine pairings, and Pangea Shellfish was kind enough to send me 9 different types of oysters, which I used to test various pairing suggestions. After eating my way through East Coast Oysters such as Belons, Standish Shores, Wellfleets, Summersides, and Pemaquids, and West Coast Oysters such as Komo Gways, Kumamotos, Penn Coves, and Kaiparas, I was thoroughly satiated, well acquainted with a wide-variety of oysters, and ready to offer up my thoughts on pairing suggestions.  

A sample of our oyster bountyTo me, the really interesting thing about oysters, is that like wine, they demonstrate the effect of terroir. An oyster's flavor is influenced by the salinity of the water it grows in, the local tides, and the make-up of the sea floor. It is an absolute thrill to taste a Wellfleet oyster alongside a Kumamoto, as the flavor profiles could not be more different. Whereas the Kumamoto is plump, mild and shows hints of melon, the Wellfleet is salty, crisp, and full of minerality. While I'm not an oyster expert by any means, it was a fun opportunity to taste the different varieties, and note the stark differences between them.

As far as the pairings go, my tasting experience largely validated the suggestions that Rowan Jacobsen, and the experts of What to Drink with What You Eat had to offer. You can view my tasting suggestions at the Pangea Shellfish wine pairings page. Cheers!

Football, Oysters & Riesling, and a Reminder Not to Forget Bordeaux

This past Saturday night, my fiancée and I sat down to enjoy the Patriots-Colts game, in style. Rather than choosing to enjoy traditional football fare as we cheered the Patriots on to victory, we decided to be a little fancier, and a little healthier. So, instead of loading up on pizza, chicken wings, and other snacks, we took a trip to Guild Fine Meats, and stocked up on oysters and a roast chicken for our gametime enjoyment. And of course, I was prepared to enjoy a few good wines during the game.

We enjoyed the oysters during the first half with a bottle of 2003 Trimbach Cuvée Frédéric Emile, a tremendous Riesling from Alsace. Oysters are becoming a new passion of mine, and after a rough first attempt at shucking them where I put a nasty gash into my left hand, I've become quite proficient at preparing a plate of oysters. (I've also bought an oyster glove.)Shucking oysters, my new culinary passion. As my obsession with oysters has developed, I've noticed that they demonstrate a terroir in a manner similar to wine. The oysters we enjoyed on Saturday were Thatch Island Oysters, from Barnstable Harbor, in Cape Cod. I'm still enough of an oyster novice that I probably couldn't tell the difference between a Thatch Island Oyster and a Wellfleet, or a Bluepoint, but I'm excited to test my palate, and learn more about oysters in the years to come. (Note: For anyone who might also be interested in learning about oysters, I was given a great book for Christmas, called A Geography of Oysters, by Rowan Jacobsen, which has been a tremendous resource in my oyster education thus far.

However, despite my love for oysters, and delicious flavors of petrol, honeyed mineral, and citrus displayed by the 2003 Trimbach Cuvée Frédéric Emile, it was a bottle of 2001 Chateau Talbot that left me awestruck on Saturday night.

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