I know. Oysters and red wine. It sounds so…unappealing. That is, to my particularly persnickety preferences. I do love white wine and steak. But that doesn’t seem as radical. Hey, I’m a drink-what-you-like kind of person, but bivalves and big reds are one of the very few things I can’t get behind.
So I was surprised while conducting interviews for my latest VinePair missive to hear about a red wine and oyster pairing from a winemaker. (Who heard it from a sommelier.) Valpolicella was the wine. This red blend from northern Italy’s Veneto region was one of my first steady wine loves and a killer, spot-on pizza wine.
If you are into chillable reds, get thee to a bottle of Valpolicella. Unfortunately, lighter versions are a little harder to track down. You might be confronted with the broader-shouldered, concentrated “Ripasso” wines. Nothing wrong with a little heft, but I want to beat the drum for the light and lithe Valpolicellas. Anyhow, check out my VinePair article about a wine to chill (with).
Felt like Eww in the first place and later realized Cabernet Sauvignon would also be a right pairing with oysters.