What Italian wine should I serve with gumbo?

June 12, 2004 5:55 AM

SommelierFilter - Having never eaten gumbo before, I'm at a loss as to which wine to bring to dinner tonight. Various Google results say anything from white wine with seafood gumbo to a red wine to go with spicy food. Er, right. Complicating matters ever so slightly is my current location: which Italian wine should I bring?
posted by romakimmy to Food & Drink (15 answers total)

This should be interesting... I'm no sommelier but I would recommend a spicy red (maybe lightish but I can't think of any reds that are spicy and light) -- served "fresh" -- cool, that is. I can't recommmend an actual bottle, your local quality wine merhcant should be able to do that.

Truth be told I am not even much of a wine afficianado but I love to eat and drink (what in France is called a gourmand); I follow few "rules" for what wine should be consumed with what food -- some are obvious things (e.g. no wine with artichokes, Alsatian wine or beer with choucroute) -- except for one: drink what you like. Mistakes might be made, but by the end of the meal, if it was a good one, no one will care.
posted by Dick Paris at 6:09 AM on June 12, 2004

No wine with artichokes?
posted by jacquilynne at 6:41 AM on June 12, 2004

I have never ever gone wrong with a bottle of cold Frascati, but depending on the company, they might sneer. Or try to find a Fume Blanc, which has a nice smokiness to go with the gumbo.

romakimmy, you up for a mini-meetup at the end of the month?

On Preview: no, artichokes make everything taste weird.
posted by CunningLinguist at 6:42 AM on June 12, 2004

Response by poster: We're all raging bourgeois ex-pat alcoholics, so Frascati will never be sneered at; I just wasn't sure if that would be too sweet with gumbo. Spicy or smoky...hmmm.

I'm all for a mini-meet up, CunningLinguist. Maybe we can even entice matteo down from Milano...
posted by romakimmy at 7:29 AM on June 12, 2004

There are so many different kinds of gumbo... The way I make it (sausage and chicken gumbo with a deep mahogany roux), a full-bodied red would be perfect, but I've seen very light seafood or chicken gumbos that definitely call for a white. I think you should consult with your host/hostess.
posted by taz at 7:43 AM on June 12, 2004

Response by poster: Ok, so the host's response to "Seafood or meat?" was "Both!" so guess I'll bring a spicy red & a smoky white. I have the distinct feeling that wearing drawstring pants tonight might also be a good idea... Ta to all who've responded so far.
posted by romakimmy at 8:20 AM on June 12, 2004

In the South ( at least where I live) , the proper wine to serve with gumbo would be beer.
posted by bradth27 at 8:28 AM on June 12, 2004

I'm fairly certain that the wine to drink with gumbo is beer.

on the other hand, the late Justin ("Ah gahrontee!") Wilson, cajun TV cook, used to say "What kind of wine should I drink with dat? Well, what kind you got?"
posted by crunchland at 8:29 AM on June 12, 2004

Thanks, crunchland. I knew someone would agree with me.
posted by bradth27 at 8:39 AM on June 12, 2004

Gumbo is heavy, so it should be a red. Plus it's spicy, so it shouldn't be a wussy wine.
posted by smackfu at 10:23 AM on June 12, 2004

Beer would be a great match with the gumbo, particularly if it is very spicy. I find that it's less of a crapshoot -- especially if the alterative is going with a red you don't know well.

A lot of people will tell you to pair a fruity wine with a spicy dish, but I disagree. I say the hotter the better! A spicy wine will play off the spices in the gumbo and make the flavors that much more intense. Of course, YMMV...
posted by Jugwine at 11:04 AM on June 12, 2004

a nice Sylvaner Verde, or a Gewurtz-Traminer (a Muller Thurgau, usually a great choice, would probably be too weak). all Alto Adige wines, they should be readily available at Rome's vinai
posted by matteo at 11:58 AM on June 12, 2004

fuck! tonight's dinner? I'm way too late with my suggestion, I guess. too bad, sorry.
the mini-meetup sounds terrifically good. terrifically. I'd love to be able to make it (cunning, kimmy, how about discussing that by e-mail next week?).
if we manage to pull that off, there'd be, for once, a majority of female MeFites in attendance of a meetup. so much for the boys' club
posted by matteo at 12:03 PM on June 12, 2004

Beer
posted by Grod at 12:44 PM on June 12, 2004

I'd agree with matteo -- Gewurztraminer is best for spicy dishes. Or, as others have said, beer. Peroni or any other crisp-ish lager would work nicely.
posted by Vidiot at 5:20 PM on June 13, 2004