Wine Suggestions for Lobster Rissoto

I was going to suggest a big, rich, oaky California Chardonnay, which I learned recently goes really well with lobster - but I like your thinking too!

Tom S

snip

How about Corton Charlemagne or even a really good - and old - Alsace Pinot Gris, one of the world's most under rated wines in my view.

Timothy Hartley

Frankly, I worry about the effect of the asparagus on Chardonnay-based wines, though they'd go fabulously with the risotto. How about instead a more acidic white such a top quality Sauvignon from the Loire? Or a Premier Cru Chablis? Or a Pinot Gris or Riesling from Alsace? Or a Smaragd Grüner Veltliner? Seems to me that you want to combine richness with high acidity. Come to think of it, how about Vintage Champagne? That might serve your other objective, too, Art ;-)

Mark Lipton

We grilled a couple of Lobster tails and a petite filet last night, and a vintage Champagne was a perfect match for the lobster. Our particular foray last night was 1996 Duval-Leroy "Femme" Brut Champagne. A rich graphite nose which gave way to a nice balance of biscuit and almondy flavors.

Cheers, Gary

Lugana is one to try. Zenato makes a nice one.

Lugana! Lugana! Lugana!

My thought, exactly... I'm thinking Alsace Gewürtztraminer..., how about that? Anders

I detest seared Foie Gras, so I will pass on that(I do like fresh poached whole truffled goose foie gras such as Petrossian sells).

I would move the asparagus to a separate course after the lobster dish.Then I might add baby vegetables as a garnish for the lobster dish

- baby green beans, baby carrots, baby squash, and such. I think many good white wines would go well. A top white Graves such as Laville-Haut-Brion with enough age should be very good. A good Batard-Montrachet woud be nice. A top Chabls such as a Les Clos should work. A good Hermitage Blanc also might work. Mastroberardino's Fiano di Avellino or Greco di Tufo might work. Any number of new world Chardonnays would work. Also Chalone Estate Pinot Blanc from California might be good. If you want to be very bold, you could serve Yquem with the lobster as sometimes was done in the past. I do not think I would like that combination, but I have never tried it.

My mailbox is always full to avoid spam. To contact me, erase snipped-for-privacy@webtv.net from my email address. Then add snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com . I do not check this box every day, so post if you need a quick response.

Lugana works much better with trout, even Visconti's---D'Yquem or a good chablis would so well with a lobster risotto. For those who don't know, a lugana is similar to soave or bianco di custoza, but comes from Lombardy, rather then western Veneto. I believe they all are gargenaga and trebbiano. Other italian whites that could go well are fiano di avellino, arneis or if you want a little sweetness, Chambave Moscato Passito

Lombardy,

Soave or Bianco di Custoza are a little lighter than Lugana, in my experience.

Lombardy,

This restaurant features lobster ravioli and suggests Lugana:

"Lobster Ravioli 21.95 Smothered in a crawfish cream sauce with artichoke hearts and green onions Wine Suggestion: J. Lohr Chardonnay, Lugana, Pomino Rosso"

As always, some great suggestions ... to save on bandwith .. a couple of comments.

First ... let me say that the wines will be limited to ones I can pull from my cellar ... one that has almost no depth at all in Italian whites.

To all those who refreshed this tired old brain about the way asparagus can fight with non acidic wines ... thank you ... think I'll opt for baby carrots and snow peas.

To the suggestions of Champagne ... for me .. I tend to keep my vintage ones for the spring/summer/fall enjoyment ( chuckle .. though thanks for thinking of me.

As for the white burg ... I was thinking of pulling from the '85/'86 ones for either Montrachet ( or batard or bienniviel ) or Corton's

Ed R. - By simple sauternes I was thinking of an '87 Château Trillon I have. Not a "big" vintage from a maker whose sauternes tend to be a bit more on the acidic side.

cdwx --- Hmmm hadn't even thought of a white graves ... I've several nice ones from the '83 vintage .. Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc, Haut-Brion Blanc and Pavillon Blanc. However, perhaps it's me .. but I don't quite see the older semillion dominate ones as being quite the match for the lobster risotto ... dunno.

Mark L. and other .......... why is it that, even though I've quite a few ( albeit almost no Alsace ones ) rieslings, I always seem to forget them in favor of my white burgs??? Have some nice '89s from Georg Breuer, Fritz Haag and Studert Prum they should be just about ready and I like the thought of a bit more of the cleansing nature of the acidity.

Soooooooo Now you've got me thinking .. and quite honestly a bit curious about some of the Italian whites of which I have no knowledge. Thanks for the suggestions Jo.

That's the thing that's fun about groups like this ... for I know I tend be guilty of simply pulling past "knowns" instead of venturing into the other stuff squirreled away in the cellar.

Art Stratemeyer ============================

Cellar! Wine Software

tell that to the winemakers at Piropan & Anselmi or try Bolla's Jago(sp). My former clients the Giacopazzi brothers at Corte Sant Arcadio, make a full bodied bianco di custosa.

Jago(sp). My

I said 'in my experience'. The qualification was there, for all to see. The selection available here (Columbus, Ohio) is pitiful. I often have to beg the dealers to get me stuff.

Jago(sp). My

In any event, I still suggest Lugana for this dish. For a southern Itlaian lobster dish, I'd say Fiano di Avellino.....

What about a Didier Dagenau Silex or Pur Sang? Ron Lel

Ciò che ha detto Joe Rosenberg ( snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net) è così interessante, che devo dire la mia:

It is not totally correct. Soave can be made both with Garganega and Trebbiano of Soave. Lugana is made pretty only with Trebbiano di Lugana. Trebbiano di Soave and Trebbiano di Lugana are the same grape, but they definitely don't belong to Trebbiano family. Despite the name they are a Verdicchio Biotype (Biotype=a group of clones with similar characteristics).

Only recently Lugana has begun to be produced in a more structured version, whilst in the Soave DOC there are some excellent producers (Pieropan and Inama are the first I remember) that have produced for a long time high class wines, suitable for long ageing.

Coming back to lobster, among the italian wines people usually seggest some full bodied Gewurtztraminer from Alto Adige, different than the Alsatian counterpart because of being normally less structured and completely dry. One for all: Kolbenhof from Hofstatter

Luk

I'm sure you're a peach to deal with in person. IF you don't like the selection in Columbus, try the internet or move. Bi!!

Bravo Luca, cosi 'sto qua non ci molla piu' ;-)))

The Garganega you and I tasted recently, from Maule, was quite remarkable and very much to my taste... I guess this is very hard to find outside Italy.

Cheers

Mike Tommasi, Six Fours, France email link