Level Up Your Takeout With This White Wine
Rhône-style whites are an ideal pairing for rich, highly spiced foods
(Caption: Post-takeout dinner Pictionary game with Site Viognier. That’s my vampire drawing. Can’t you tell?? Sigh, we lost that round.)
Now that we’re coming up on a year of the pandemic, here’s one thing I can say with absolute certainty: I am beyond sick of my own cooking. I used to truss chickens and layer lasagnas regularly. I’d find joy in transforming kitchen cast-offs into beautiful broths and stews. Welp, those days are over. At the moment, spending time over the stove gives me hives.
Fortunately, we live in a restaurant-rich city just across the river from downtown Manhattan. One of the highlights of this time (maybe the ONLY highlight) has been tasting through a treasure trove of local takeout spots.
My evenings of late have been filled with egg-battered, tomato-sauced chile rellenos. Glorious pork crackling and sweet plantains with black beans. Smoked chicken wings, bacon-y Brussels sprouts, and mac-and-cheese. Meltingly tender Indian butter chicken and spicy vindaloo curries. Stating the obvious, my go-to takeout foods tend to be rich, decadent, and boldly spiced. And they call out for a white wine that can take the heat.
There’s one style that keeps coming out on top: Ripe, aromatic, full-bodied Rhône-style whites. These wines have the flavor volume on max, with heady floral scents and vivid fruit flavors that complement deeply flavored dishes. Then add in rich texture and mouth-filling weight, and you’ve arguably got the best whites to pair with fried and creamy foods.
What to know
“Rhône-style” wines are made from grapes that thrive in sunny, warm Mediterranean climates like France’s southeasterly Rhône region. Many of these grapes originated from France, but are now farmed all over the world in places like Southern California, Australia, and South Africa. A few key grapes are:
Marsanne — A perfumed, heavier bodied grape with white flower, fruit (melon + pear), and nutty aromas and flavors, and an interesting silky or oily texture.
Roussanne - Highly aromatic grape (flowers + herbal tea + peaches + pears) that has juicy fruit flavors and crisp acidity, making wines that are full-bodied with a rich texture.
Viognier — An opulently fruity, floral grape (honey + jasmine + apricots + melons), with a silky texture and mineral flavors.
Grenache Blanc — High acidity and pure fruit aromas and flavors (green apple + pear + peach + lime) are hallmarks of this full-bodied grape.
Some Rhône-style whites are made from single varieties, and others are blends of multiple grapes. So why blend the grapes? There are a few reasons.
If the wine is from France, it’s likely due to appellation law. If a winemaker wants to use a prestigious region names on a bottle label, they have to adhere to strict rules around where grapes are grown and how wines are made. In the the Northern Rhone, for example, a coveted Hermitage white may only be made from a blend of Marsanne and Roussanne grapes. Wines in nearby Condrieu are only allowed to be made from Viognier.
But there are way around the rules. These days, you’ll see many young French producers bucking appellation restrictions so they can make the wines they want to make. They can do so by declassifying their wines to the broader regions of Vin de Pays (like the Julien Pilon wine below) or Vin de France. And in the U.S., anything goes. Winemakers can mix and match grapes to their heart’s content.
Another reason for grape blending is more “cheffy.” Think of the grapes like ingredients in a dish. Winemakers can mix together grapes that are higher or lower in acidity, fruitier or more savory, and lighter or heavier bodied to yield the “recipe” they like best. That’s especially useful with these warm climate grapes, which can tend to get overripe and lose acidity if a producer is not careful.
Fortunately, there are several exciting winemakers making Rhône-style wines that retain freshness and vibrancy while still offering the textural richness that pairs so well with takeout foods.
Four to try
I’ve highlighted a few of the producers I’m psyched about right now, along with a favorite old-guard winemaker whose wines I’ve been joyfully sipping for years: Randall Grahm. These wines are available from retailers who ship widely.
Domaine Laguerre, Côtes du Roussillon, Le Ciste Blanc, 2017 ($20)
Insane value alert! Eric and Corinne Laguerre are making phenomenal organic wines on steep, mountain vineyards in the Roussillon region of southern France. This wine blend is made from several grapes, including Marsanne, Roussanne, and Grenache Blanc. Vibrant acidity and salty minerality are coupled with lime zest and toasted almonds on the nose, and wild herbs and pears on the palate of this delicious, medium-bodied wine. Pair it with sushi, pad Thai, or coconut curries.
Bonny Doon, Le Cigare Blanc, 2019 ($20)
Randall Grahm is one of the original Rhône Rangers — California winemakers who in the 1980s decided to produce Rhône-style wines in California. He’s a benchmark producer of these wines in the U.S. Made from Grenache Blanc, Vermentino, and Clairette Blanche, this wine is surprisingly light and refreshing, with crisp acidity and bright aromatics and flavors (Meyer lemon + pineapple + mango). Pair it with smoked chicken wings, fried fish or calamari, or turkey burgers.
Julien Pilon, “Mon Grand-Père Était Limonadier,” Viognier, 2018 ($27)
Julien Pilon is an exciting, newer producer in the Rhône who focuses on white wines. He started out making wine in his parents garage (where his grandfather once had a lemonade-selling business, as referenced in the wine’s name). Heady aromas of orange blossom and jasmine lead the way into this full-bodied, richly textured wine that shows juicy orchard fruit flavors (pears + yellow apple). Pair it with mac-and-cheese, malai kofta, or soup dumplings.
Site Viognier, Larner Vineyard, Viognier, 2018 ($45)
With his Site project, winemaker Jeremy Weintraub is focused on vineyard-specific wines that “kindle our senses and intellect and leave a gut feeling of pleasure.” That mission comes through in this delicious, full-bodied aromatic white. Jasmine and dried apricots lead the nose, expanding into yellow pear and quince on the palate. It has a backbone of fresh acidity and minerality that carries into a long finish. Pair it with pork carnitas tacos, chile rellenos, or Cuban-style roasted pork shoulder.