What wine with artichokes?

[wineguy7]

What wine do you like to pair with artichokes? I've found that artichokes seem to flatten out most wines.

[georgempavlov]

Echoing OliveBelle, Gruener is the way to go. It is well-known in the wine universe as the only thing to pair with artichokes, even more so the more simply they are prepared. The tannins in anything red will accentuate the bitterness, and a sweet wine is not a good idea either.

Go for a young-vines, snappy, lean Gruener - something around 12 to 12.5 percent alcohol. Hofer would work, as suggested, but also the entry level GV's from Bruendlmayer, Hirsch, Hiedler, Nikolaihof, Berger, Setzer, Loimer, et al would work perfectly.

However, when you start adding things like tempura, tomato, aioli, you're off into different territory...

[bob96]

I've had luck with verdicchio, and some of the otherwise fairly neutral but crisp/high acid central Italian whites (a decent Trebbiano d'Abruzzo or Orvieto) would I think work. I usually make artichokes only 2 ways--small, alla romana (braised with garlic, mint, parlsey) and stuffed with garlic/pecorino/parsley/breadcrumbs, and these matches work for me. I'm interested in the Gruner match, and will try that next. Thanks for the tip.

[bclevy]

I would probably opt for bottled hard cider with artichokes.

[Vinny Barbaresco]

I've been having good luck with Irouleguy Blanc and Bandol rose w/ chokes.

[chefdilettante]

Fino sherry.

[illatthought]

artichokes have a tendancy to make wine taste sweet so a dry riesling is the obvious choice since rieslings can tollerate sugar without tasting awfull (which is why they make icewine from from it). If you simply cannot tollerate a wine that has any hint of sugar that I'm afraid you are SOL.

[SixMileDrive]

Just pulled out my pairing book out of curiosity and found some interesting answers. The most strongly recommended wines are either a Dry French or Italian Rose as well as a dry Sauvignon Blanc, esp from New Zealand. The most interesting suggestion to me was dry fino sherry. The fino suggestion was manzanilla and i believe that could be a very interesting combination.

Avoid:
Red Wine, esp tannic.
Sweet Wine

[RCC]

Mywife made a very good artichoke ravioli with pesto sauce last night for dinner. It killed the falanghina that I opted for.

[jaime smith]

tocai "friuliano"
sometimes soave
a fruity style of cava
demi-sec vouvray

[hotoynoodle]

pricey, but joly's "coulee de serrant" is heaven with artichokes.

[chrystaldawn]

I agree with Olive Gruner Veltliner is good to pair w/artichoke. You need a wine with higher acidity and enough body. It may not be a wine you would like to drink otherwise. A good one to try in Hofer Gruner Veltiner, Austria!! Or perhaps a NZ Sauv. Blanc. Frascati maybe but might be a little to light. Good luck!! Let us know what you try.

[ccbweb]

One way to deal with it is to use a tomato sauce/dipping sauce of some kind (braised artichokes with tomato, for instance) and serve something big like a Barbera.

Otherwise, as many have noted, the wines are going to taste sweeter, so you want to choose one with a lot of acid. Champagnes or sparking wines tend to do well. I've also had very good luck with good Rose. My wife loves artichokes but isn't about to give up the glasses of wine with dinner whenever we eat them.

[Bill Hunt]

That Barbera pairing with the tomato sound great! Gotta' make a note of that.

Thanks,
Hunt

[wineguy7]

Just watched a cooking show with Lidia Bastianich today. She made a Roman artichoke dish and recommended a Nero d'Avola to accompany. She stated that the large amount of fruitiness would stand up to the 'chokes.

[Bill Hunt]

Interesting choice. I'll have to give this one a try. Thanks for the info.

Hunt

[Vinny Barbaresco]

A fresh and fragrant Ligurian white....Vermentino is a pretty good bet. For that matter, any of the Vermentino (Rolle) based white from the South of France should do nicely.

[whiner]

They don't really pair well with much in the way of wine. That said a full bodied Alsatian Gewurtz is my favorite pairing with them.

[maria lorraine]

The cynarin in artichokes make them difficult to pair with wine. That substance, though
good for the liver and gall bladder, makes wines taste sweet, even saccharine-sweet.

A few things may help:
-- serve the artichoke with a garlicky or spicy aioli, to tame any sweetness you may perceive,
-- serve the chokes only (the cynarin is in the leaves), and
-- grill the chokes (that seems to neutralize the cynarin).

That being said, I've served steamed artichokes and aioli with a zippy Sauvignon Blanc
and done OK, but I'd like to try grilled artichokes. Or try the Gruner Veltliner that OliveBelle said worked well. Red wine really doesn't work well at all, and I'm afraid the Sancerre (though a good idea akowit and I both had) didn't work very well either. More experimentation is in order.

[maria lorraine]

oops...#2 above should read serve the *hearts* only...sorry.

[starlady]

I second the rose thoughts on this one but if I know I am having artichokes for dinner I go for a martini :)

[OliveBelle]

Gruner Veltliner is legendary for its ability to pair with artichokes (and asparagus,too)

[Chicago Mike]

Chardonnay.

If you can work butter and/or garlic, and/or a cream element and/or chardonnay-friendly cheese into the dish you'll be ahead.

Sauvignon Blanc is a second choice.

[akowit]

sancerre might work

[Bill Hunt]

Uh, a tough one. Like asperagus, and green beans. I forget the acid, that all of these share, but they are usually "death" on wines. However, I have had fair luck with Pinot Gris/Grigio with artichokes. We had some micro-chokes with butter and a King Estate Reserve PG, that was quite good. Maybe the butter and the oak in the Reserve did the trick. Either way, I was surprised.

Next guess would be a Brut Rosé, either Champagne, or maybe domestic. Thinking Iron Horse here.

Hunt

[carswell]

Have yet to find a match made in heaven. That said, Provençal and Corsican rosés have sometimes come close, and whites from the same regions work better than most.

[TonyO]

Here is my suggestion:

I like to use a tempura batter on artichokes sided with a caper mayo and a glass of Brut. Works fine according to my tastebuds.........

[FoodShark]

I think you aren't supposed to drink wine with artichokes because they always make the wine taste sweet.

[monkeyinthemiddle]

not red, that's for sure.
my mom always taught me to leave my artichokes to the end, because after that the wine turns in your mouth.