Food and wine pairing : Which wine to drink with oysters ?

Which wine to drink with raw oysters ?

Oysters are most often eaten raw. Of course, we will avoid pairing them with a red wine. Tannin and fruit will conflict with the salty taste of oysters. Whether they are natural, accommodated with a turn of a pepper mill, a few drops of lemon juice or even chopped shallots marinated in vinegar, we will pair them with a dry white wine.

To find the perfect match, we're going to choose to a lively and tense wine. It will find a good balance with the fatty texture of oysters. I advise you to favour a mineral wine with a beautiful acidity, even a certain salinity that will go perfectly with your oysters.

Which appellations to choose with oysters ?

The Chablis appellation is a good option for a successful pairing. This Burgundy wine, of the Chardonnay grape variety, has a pale color, slightly golden, with very light green reflections. The nose is fresh, with notes reminiscent of flint and citrus. The mouth is most often mineral with notes of gun stone and a beautiful acidity. A Chablis will be perfect to accompany the Belon.

The Muscadet Sèvre and Mène is also a successful classic pairing. This Loire Valley wine is made from the Melon de bourgogne grape. It is adorned with a pale gold color with green highlights. The nose is fresh and powerful recalling floral and fruity aromas. The palate is fresh on the attack and mineral. When it is "élevé sur lie" - aged on lees - we discover a more supple wine. Breeding on lies gives Muscadet's wines freshness and a pearly character. It will go perfectly with oysters from Paimpol !

You can also choose a Sancerre and its Sauvignon grape. This appellation produces fresh and subtle white wines with aromas of white fruits and citrus fruits, with some subtle exotic fruit notes. Generally, they also offer assertive minerality with a supple attack and a rich and creamy mouth.

For a more unusual pairing, a varietal Alsace wine Riesling, Sylvaner or Pinot blanc grapes will do wonders ! A Jurançon sec is also a very nice way to enjoy your oysters in a more unexpected pairing.

Which sparkling wine to choose with oysters ?

If you absolutely want a champagne, I recommend a Blanc de blancs champagne. It offers all the finesse and floral bouquet of the Chardonnay grape variety.

Since a good crémant is always better than a bad champagne, I advise you to be surprised by a Crémant from Loire Valley, from Jura or even Burgundy.

Which wine to drink with hot oysters ?

Hot oysters simply gratinated, poached or accompanied by a sauce become more tender and tasty. In addition, they seduce those of us who are reluctant to raw shellfish. The iodine flavour persists, but the new texture provided by this preparation no longer necessarily requires an acidic and lively wine as with raw oysters.

We can then turn to slightly fatter wines, more elaborate and with more texture as in Burgundy with a Chablis Grand Cru or a Mâcon-Villages.

The whites of Bordeaux vineyard can also be very suitable. The appellation Pessac-Léognan white offers rich wines with notes of white flowers, hazelnuts, citrus fruits and peach, the aromatic finish of which will go very well with your gratinated oysters.

A Riesling Grand Cru from Alsace vineyard turns out to be the perfect match for this dish. The sparkling wines, as far as they are concerned, will bring to the pairing their tangy mouth very adapted to this pairing !