Riesling

Alsatian tarte flambée (flammekueche) is a thin, crisp flatbread topped with crème fraîche, thinly sliced onions, and lardons (bacon). The savory, smoky flavors from the pork and the creamy base call for wines with bright acidity and subtle fruit notes to cleanse the palate between bites.

Apple desserts feature a delightful combination of sweet, tart, and often warming spice notes that pair beautifully with dessert wines offering complementary or contrasting sweetness. The fruity character and moderate acidity in apple desserts create a natural bridge to wines with honeyed characteristics and beers with malty sweetness or fruit-forward profiles.

Apple tart offers a beautiful balance of sweet, buttery pastry and slightly tart, caramelized apple flavors that pair wonderfully with dessert wines that echo its fruit notes while providing complementary sweetness. The caramelization in the tart harmonizes with the honey and dried fruit notes in Sauternes and Tawny Port, while the refreshing acidity in Riesling and Moscato cuts through the richness of the pastry.

Apricot desserts combine the fruit's natural tartness with added sweetness, creating a balance that pairs beautifully with honeyed, aromatic wines that echo the fruit's character. The delicate stone fruit flavors benefit from wines with complementary stone fruit notes and sufficient sweetness to match the dessert, while beers with subtle spice notes and effervescence can cut through richness while complementing the fruit.

Asian stir-fries typically feature a complex balance of umami, sweet, salty and sometimes spicy flavors with varying textures. Aromatic white wines with a touch of sweetness like Riesling help balance any heat while cutting through rich sauces, while crisp beers with moderate hop character cleanse the palate between bites.

Asian-inspired dishes often feature a harmonious balance of umami, sweet, sour, and sometimes spicy elements that benefit from beverages with bright acidity and subtle sweetness. The aromatic qualities of Riesling and Gewürztraminer complement the complex spices, while the crisp effervescence and citrus notes of Witbier and Saison cut through rich sauces while enhancing delicate flavors.

Blue cheese's bold, pungent, and salty character requires beverages with sufficient sweetness and body to balance its intensity. Sweet wines create a pleasing contrast to the cheese's saltiness, while rich, complex beers with caramel notes or fruity flavors complement its earthy, tangy qualities.

Brie cheese's creamy, buttery texture and subtle earthy notes call for beverages that can both complement and cut through its richness. Sparkling wines like Champagne provide refreshing acidity and effervescence, while fruity reds like Pinot Noir offer just enough structure without overwhelming the delicate cheese.

Buttered popcorn features a rich, savory profile with salt and fat that calls for beverages with effervescence to cleanse the palate and cut through the buttery richness. The sparkling wines offer refreshing acidity and bubbles that contrast beautifully with the salt and butter, while the crisp, clean beer styles provide a palate-cleansing effect while complementing rather than overwhelming the simple flavor of the popcorn.

The vibrant spices and complex seafood flavors of a Cajun boil demand beverages that can both complement the heat and cleanse the palate between bites. Off-dry white wines provide a touch of sweetness to balance the spice, while beers with high carbonation and lighter bodies help cut through the richness while cooling the palate.

Charcuterie boards typically feature a variety of cured meats with rich, savory, and sometimes fatty profiles, often accompanied by pickles, mustards, and complementary items. The best pairings cut through the richness while complementing the savory flavors, with effervescent or high-acid options working particularly well to cleanse the palate between different components.

Charcuterie boards typically feature a variety of cured meats, cheeses, pickles, nuts, and accompaniments that present a complex interplay of savory, fatty, tangy, and sometimes sweet flavors. Sparkling wines like Champagne or Prosecco cut through the richness with their acidity and effervescence, while light to medium-bodied reds offer complementary fruit notes without overwhelming the delicate flavors.

'Crustaces' (French for 'crustaceans') telegraphs exactly what this wine was born to do – pair beautifully with seafood. This Alsatian blend from the historic house of Dopff & Irion is essentially a love letter to shellfish, with a mineral profile and zippy acidity that makes seafood dishes sing. The beauty of this wine lies in its precision and purity – there's no oak to mask the crystalline fruit flavors, just the honest expression of Alsatian terroir. The blend combines Riesling's backbone of acidity and minerality with the soft, rounded notes of Pinot Blanc. It's the vinous equivalent of a cool ocean breeze – refreshing, invigorating, and exactly what you want on a warm day. While the name suggests shellfish, don't let that limit you – this versatile white is happy to accompany everything from sushi to salads to solo sipping.

The Dragon has landed – and it's bringing serious white wine game to a region better known for its reds. Luigi Baudana's Langhe Bianco Dragon is what happens when traditional Piedmontese winemaking meets an innovative white blend, creating something truly distinctive and downright delicious. This unique blend brings together the best qualities of each grape: Chardonnay's structure, Sauvignon Blanc's aromatic lift, and Riesling's precision. The result is a wine that's both intellectually interesting and simply enjoyable to drink – a rare combination indeed. Produced in limited quantities from high-altitude vineyards, it offers the kind of complexity that makes you keep coming back for another sip, trying to unravel its delicious mystery. Definitely not your average Italian white – this Dragon has serious bite.

If you still think all Riesling is sweet, this dry (trocken) version from Rheinhessen is here to change your mind. Prost's offering showcases the versatility of Germany's signature grape, delivering all the aromatic complexity and vibrant fruit that makes Riesling special, but in a completely dry style. Rheinhessen has undergone a quality revolution in recent decades, with a new generation of winemakers focusing on lower yields and more expressive wines. This bottle represents the modern face of German wine – precise, food-friendly, and utterly delicious. It's the perfect introduction for those who have been hesitant to explore Riesling due to concerns about sweetness. And for those already converted to the Riesling fan club, it offers a textbook example of the variety's appeal at a price that makes it easy to enjoy any night of the week.

Selbach's Dry Riesling 'Incline' comes from the steep slate slopes of Germany's Mosel Valley, where some vineyards are so precipitous that workers need to be practically part mountain goat. The name 'Incline' cleverly references both these dramatic vineyard sites and the upward trajectory of dry German Riesling's popularity among wine enthusiasts. The Selbach family has been crafting exceptional Riesling for generations, and this bottle showcases their expertise in creating wines with perfect tension between fruit, acidity, and minerality. Made in a properly dry style (unlike the sweeter Rieslings that dominated German exports for decades), this wine proves that Riesling deserves its reputation as one of the world's greatest white grapes. It's the perfect bottle for converting friends who still think all Riesling is sweet – one sip of this crystalline, mineral-driven beauty might just create a new Riesling enthusiast. Sometimes the steepest slopes produce the most thrilling results.

With possibly the most conversation-starting name in the wine shop, Teutonic's 'Boil Sauce' is actually a brilliant food pairing Riesling designed specifically for seafood boils. The name might be playful, but the wine inside is seriously good. Teutonic Wine Company specializes in German-inspired wines made in Oregon's Willamette Valley, and this Riesling showcases their ability to capture the spirit of German winemaking with a distinctly Pacific Northwest twist. The slightly off-dry style provides the perfect counterpoint to spicy seafood dishes, while the bright acidity keeps everything fresh and lively. It's the kind of thoughtfully crafted wine that comes with a side of humor – proving once again that serious wine doesn't have to be seriously stuffy.

Teutonic's Pear Blossom Riesling is named for the subtle floral notes that complement the variety's fruit character – it's not a pear-flavored wine, though the confusion has probably led to some interesting conversations at the tasting room. This is serious Riesling with a playful side, much like Teutonic itself. Founded by Barnaby and Olga Tuttle, Teutonic Wine Company is dedicated to producing German-inspired wines from cooler sites in Oregon's Willamette Valley. Their Riesling walks the perfect tightrope between sweetness and acidity – there's enough residual sugar to enhance the fruit character and balance the acidity, but the wine finishes clean and refreshing rather than cloying. It's the kind of bottle that reminds us why Riesling is often called the perfect food wine and the darling of sommeliers everywhere.