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mussels with syrah

post #1 of 8
12/15/05 at 6:20pm
Thread Starter 
Hello fellow wine lovers,

I'm having a party where we will serve a variety of wines and appetizers. I'm wondering if it would work well to serve Rosemary Mussel Skewers (from the new Herbal Kitchen cookbook) with a syrah (Glen Fiona--Washington State for the curious)? The recipe calls for steaming the mussels open with a white wine and then threading them onto rosemary skewers before panfrying with flour. Traunfeld suggests serving it with oregano aioli.

Thanks.
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post #2 of 8
12/15/05 at 11:37pm
syrah seems awfully tannic to serve with mussels...why not stick to something white and dry, so that the wine does not overpower the fish? other than that, if you really like the syrah you are serving, by all means serve it. confidence and preference is more important than anything else in wine selection.

Erik.
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post #3 of 8
12/16/05 at 10:43am
Mussels & Syrah! Yuk! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Not even at gunpoint.

No, No my friend. Especially if the mussels are cooked with white wine.

Something WHITE and crisp like champagne, Chablis, (REAL Chablis from the Chablis region of France), A good white Bordeaux, or a sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.

Let us know how it works out.

Mark
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post #4 of 8
12/16/05 at 1:25pm
^^ I agree that is just wrong
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post #5 of 8
12/17/05 at 3:38am
Why not something with minerals in it, crisp and light as not to overpower the seafood, a nice German or Austrian reisling might be nice.
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post #6 of 8
12/20/05 at 1:46pm
Thread Starter 
Okay, no red wine with mussels! Just checking. I'm more married to the wine than the mussels so I'll think of something else. I've already got the foods planned that I want to serve with the whites.
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post #7 of 8
12/30/05 at 3:45am
Sandy -- I apologize for not writing sooner but I am grateful you were intercepted!

I presume you had your dinner already, and I am curious what you did serve. I would have actually recommended an earthy sparkling brut white believe it or not -- fanciful accompaniment to a herbally dish that sounds quite lovely.
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post #8 of 8
1/3/06 at 8:31pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for your interest. The party was a success! I wanted to have a particular grouping of snacks with each wine but we can only control so many things, right! Some folks skipped white wines and the food kept piling up so we all ate and drank whatever we wanted together in the end.

Here's the original plan:

Gloria Ferrar Brut (NV)--steamed edamame pods with smoked salt, cherry tomatoes sprinkled with zaatar and served with garbanzo flour fry breads (a huge hit), assorted greek olives and your basic mixed nuts.

Kris Pinot Grigio (2004)--swiss cheese gougeres and a huge cheese plate with three groupings to continue into the next wines: Beecher's Flagship cheese (a local Seattle semi-hard cheese) with apples and toasted hazelnuts; Gorgonzola with pears and toasted walnuts; and two goat cheeses with persimmons and pistacios. Red grapes all around.

Buena Vista Pinot Noir (2003)--a Rueben dip and a sort of stuffed potato-potato salad. I got the idea for the Rueben dip from Sunset magazine as the perfect pairing with a pinot noir. It really is a great combo.

Glen Fiona Syrah (2001)--the plan here was the Surreal Gourmet's Gaucho Snack, steak bites on sourdough bread with a chimichurri sauce but I never ever brought this out since everyone seemed content with the food we had.

Lockwood VSR Meritage (2000)--rosemary zaletti (a not-so-sweet cornmeal based cookie) and a serious double chocolate cookie.

The whole thing was a blast to cook and enjoy!
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