Last minute suggestions please

[washingtonred]

Dinner is Salmon baked with a Pesto Asiago dip to be served with spinach basil pasta~
At a loss for what varietal to serve this with... Pinot Gris? Sauv Blanc? Help please... and thanks

[washingtonred]

I went with a COR cellars 2006 Sauv. Blanc. I remembered this one as being less on the fruit side with more mineral and grassy notes. It went well, and the flavors of the dish allowed me to pick up the faintest of the wines citrus notes, mellowing the mineral side very well. The dip was not too salty, more on the herb and pepper side, and when baked on the salmon, it made a great "crust". The pasta had less flavor than I imagined~I'll have to choose another side dish...

Overall, I think a chard may have gone better, (and almost went with a Pinot Gris) but am not disappointed in the pairing at all. I do have another fillet at home....

[Brad Ballinger]

Probably too late (if this was served last night), but nothing wrong with Pinot Gris, especially since the salmon is baked.

[ChefJune]

Arneis would be my choice, or Gavi. I wouldn't care for Pinot Noir with this flavor profile.

Cali-wise, Vision Cellars makes a delicious blend of Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc that would be delicious...

[Chicago Mike]

Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay... or better yet try one bottle of each... this is a good dish to compare and contrast the two wines with....

[washingtonred]

Now that sounds like a plan CM. I'm making the dish as a trial run before a dinner party~ I did grab two salmon fillets. So maybe I'll test it twice (If I open two, I'll drink two)

[Chicago Mike]

Wash, my thoughts here are not so much on the salmon as they are on the sidenotes... spinach, pesto, and basil... and these all point to chardonnay or sauvignon blanc, both of which are superb with salmon...

But now that you say it's a parmesan-nuanced dip... parmesan is friendlier to red wines, but among whites it works better with chardonnay than S.B. with my palate, so again this really tips the dish towards chardonnay or a chardonnay-based champagne.

[pinotho]

Pinot noir always does well with salmon , and who doesn't like a nice pinot noir ?

[maria lorraine]

Usually the salmon has to be grilled and have the smoky charring that comes from that, for it to pair with Pinot Noir. Baked salmon, no.

The basil "squared" (pesto + spinach basil pasta) may create enough flavor intensity for a Pinot pairing to work, but my concern at this point is that the mild flavor of the baked salmon is going to get lost with so much herbage.

I'd go Arneis, white wine from Piedmont. Or, a Rose.

But I'd definitely grill the salmon and ease off all the basil, and not have so much for the salmon to compete with for recognition.

[washingtonred]

Thanks for the insight~ I started to question the basil after reading your reply,. and grabbed the dip I purchased. I should've looked closer~ It's a Parmasean-Asiago Dip. I tasted it at a local Olive OIl co this weekend and the idea of it with salmon has been in my head ever since~

Wine is chilling, and I'm getting hungry~ will report back!

[maria lorraine]

Well, that might work.

In that case, I'd do Rose Champagne -- it has enough delicacy to pair with the salmon, enough heft for the Parm/Asiago, and bubbles to cut through the richness. Watch the salt level, since the dip will have plenty.

[whiner]

If I had access to a good selection of higher-end Northern Italian White wines, that is where I would look -- specifically Friuli and Alto Adige. I would take a Volpe Pasini Sauvignon Blanc OR Tocai over just about anything from CA with this.

That said, if your access to Italian whites ends at Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio (which, sadly, lots of people's does, I'm afraid) then your best bet, imo, is either a well balanced CA Chardonnay -- not a fruit nor oak bomb -- OR an Alsatian Pinot Gris or Pinot Blanc.