How To Pair Oysters And Wine

Oysters and wine are both crowd pleasers on their own. But when paired together they can make an even better combination! There is a method to pairing them together, and so we talked to Kersten Krall Walz of Stark Wine and Samuel Keller of Brooklyn Oyster party to get a sense of how best to combine oysters and wine.

Walz says to start simple: "I think one of the main things you want to keep in mind is you don't want the wine to overpower the oyster or the mignonette sauce that it is with. So what you want is a simple flavor profile. You don't want too many things going on, and you also want high acidity so it can balance the brine."

Keller suggests knowing where your oysters come from, "Oysters are products of their environment... So it depends on the salt water, the area they grew in. All East Coast oysters are going to be pretty briney." Howeve,r he doesn't think that this means you should only stick to one oyster if you are only pairing with one wine.  "I always suggest that people switch it up, try the different flavor profiles... Go with the least briney to start and then up the brine."

For specifics, Walz thinks generally that Muscadets go well with oysters; and from her own collection she prefers the Stark Thirst, which is a dry un-oaked chardonnay.

For more watch the video above! And if you like a little bit of sustainability with your oysters and wine, find out more about how Stark Thirst is donating 10 percent of their profits to WaterAid on their website.