What are we drinking with oysters?

At Christmas time, oysters arrive on the tables... this traditional holiday shellfish needs a worthy accompaniment, and wine seems to be the best ally of oysters in these festive times. As there are different types of oysters, they can be accompanied by different wines. Les Grappes offers you a wide choice of wines that will satisfy your taste buds!

Oysters, wines and ....

Oysters and wine are easily matched, especially during festive meals before the opening of Christmas presents! These two dishes are a good match for the end of year period. If some may be put off by the texture of the oyster, the wine could put everyone in agreement and become a reason to taste them and finally not be able to do without them!

Oysters and dry white wine: tradition

It's a tradition! Oysters have long been accompanied by dry, fruity white wines. Indeed, these wines with fruit aromas and acidic persistence will accompany the iodized taste of the oyster, which will sublimate the acidity in mouth. The wine must be very fresh to accompany the oysters, and it can go well with both cold raw oysters and warm oysters (try oysters au gratin!).

Here, the choice is wide, but for a classic pairing we suggest the white "Dena Dela" wine from Egiategia. The vineyard from which it comes is located on the hills facing the ocean, and the bottles are aged under the sea in the bay of Saint Jean de Luz. These wines have iodized and acidulous aromas that go perfectly with oysters. So we stay close to the sea with this wine!

The ideal appellations to accompany oysters.

You can traditionally choose to accompany your oysters with a dry white wine. In this case you can choose Muscadet, Chablis, or Sancerre. For an exotic side, Alsatian wine will do the trick, with a white Sylvaner from Alsace for example.

Less traditional pairings

By tradition, the question "what to drink with oysters" is hardly asked anymore. However, to vary the pleasures, do not hesitate to opt for champagne: the bubbles reinforce the acidic flavours of the wine and thus bring more freshness during the tasting. Also, champagne served as an aperitif will arrive at the same time as the oysters, at the beginning of the meal. It will also go very well with warm oysters. We therefore recommend a brut or extra brut champagne such as those from our winemaker JeaunauxRobin, which will goperfectly with warm oysters as a main course or as an aperitif. The fine bubbles and the acidity of these champagnes will sublimate the product and balance the iodized side.

To remain original, you can also serve red wine to accompany oysters: it is a departure from the ordinary white wine and champagne. The DenaDela Rouge from Egiategia remains in the same spirit, fruity, but retains this fresh and well-balanced acidity.

Happy tasting to all and happy holidays ????

Marie Lecrosnier-Wittkowsky(for Les Grappes)