484203 Tue Jan 29 07:55:44 -0800 2008 7 34 Wine 0 3343932 I need pairing suggestions, please, for a special dinner that includes a spicy, rich cioppino. I'm a little confused as I've received quite conflicting suggestions from various sources -- some suggest a sauvignon blanc, others a zinfandel...but I know I always get such fantastic advice here! Thank you --nothing too pricey -- something in the $20 range would be fine. Tue Jan 29 07:55:44 -0800 2008 72330 tsfirefly 1 3344268 Zin is classic. If you go that route, avoid the high-alcohol, heavily oaked monster wines and look for one of the increasingly rare light and fruity "Beaujolais" style Zins that are almost certainly closer to what the North Beach fishermen who invented the pairing made and drank. Other possibilities (always in the light and fruity vein): Barbera, Grenache, Tempranillo, Gamay. Zin or not, serve the wine more than slightly chilled. Sauvignon Blanc, especially the more restrained examples, Chardonnay, Italian/Sicilian whites, Vermentino, etc. all make better gastronomic sense, IMO. Go MOR, avoiding the bone-driest and the super-ripe, heavily oaked wines. Tue Jan 29 09:16:28 -0800 2008 3343932 10520 carswell 2 3344624 Oh, and don't forget: champagne* (and in this case rosé champagne) goes with just about everything. *or a similar bubbly Tue Jan 29 10:34:41 -0800 2008 3344268 10520 carswell 3 3345932 Rosé, including Rosato or Ceresuolo (Italian) or Rosado (Spain). There are many inexpensive, good options here, as little as $12/bottle. OR Rosé Champagne. My sense: A white wine is too light, with not enough heft to stand up to the tomato and spices; a red is too heavy and not lively enough. Rosé, especially its bubbly version, deals with the flavors and minor heat nicely. Please see the wine recommendations on this recent CH thread for pairing a similar spicy tomato seafood dish -- Lobster Fra Diavolo -- though, In the San Francisco Bay Area where I am, the level of spicy heat in cioppino is usually quite low so as not to overwhelm the subtle flavors of the seafood: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/470405 Tue Jan 29 15:16:43 -0800 2008 3344624 18222 maria lorraine 1 3344461 Italian based makes the most sense to me and personally, a white would be my first choice. Besides vermentino, you could try a vernaccia, a rosato, dry muscadet, Falanghia or greco di tufo. Tue Jan 29 09:58:11 -0800 2008 3343932 74451 vinosnob 1 3344578 Alot of white wines "work" here... chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, muscadet, soave, kabinett rieslings.... viognier would probably fly too especially if you have some lobster in there... My first personal choice is Chardonnay... it's so nice with the shrimp, crab, cod... great with garlic and basil.... 2nd probably a nice Soave Classico, which adds an "italian" dimension... If the dish has a high tomato content then I'd lean a bit more more towards sauvignon blanc... Tue Jan 29 10:24:38 -0800 2008 3343932 42549 Chicago Mike 1 3344769 I like sauvignon blanc (the ones that lean towards strong fruit, not the strongly grassy ones), and am a big fan of zinfandels. But for cioppino, and I love cioppino- I've found that I really like some California sangioveses. One winery, in particular, Vino Noceto, makes a number of really flavorful sangioveses. Their regular sangio is around $14-17, depending upon where you buy it. I think the current release of the regular sangio, the 2005 still needs a bit more time in the bottle. I think it's drinking really light. For a spicy, rich cioppino, I'd prefer their Riserva or Marmellata, in the mid $20s. If you could find a 2004 or 2003 regular sangio at a store, it would probably be around $15 and the depth of flavor would be good. http://www.noceto.com/ In Northern California, you should be able to find it in a number of locations. You might want to get a red and a white, and compare your reactions to the pairing. One of my favorite well-priced sauvignon blancs is Mason, around $14-16. Hope this is helpful! Tue Jan 29 11:07:18 -0800 2008 3343932 153308 souvenir 1 3368967 Somehow white wine doesn't compute with this dish for me. I recommend a medium, drinkable Italian red like Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. Tue Feb 05 20:56:15 -0800 2008 3343932 159158 HSBSteveM