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Did you ever wonder what sort of wine to have with oysters?

Not sure there are any clear rules, yet wouldn't it be fun to try oysters, prepared in a multitude of ways, with many different wines?

Recently, Oyster expert and James Beard Award-winning author Rowan Jacobsen, along with winemakers from Andre Lurton, Barone Fine, and the Crossings hosted a dinner at the famous Grand Central Oyster Bar to pair different wines with different preparations of oysters.

I was lucky enough to sit with Matthew Mitchell, Principal Winemaker from the Crossings in Awatere Valley New Zealand, who was presenting both a Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with the food pairings that ranged from fresh Kumamoto, Peconic Pearl, Sewansecott, and Fanny Bay oysters to a second course of oyster stew, third course of pan roast, and fourth course of Japanese fried bluepint oysters, to finally wild mushroom crusted New Zealand farmed King Salmon Filet.

Now Matthew is a down to earth guy who became interested in wine as a child and loves his chosen career path. As we tasterd his elegant Chardonnay (very lean and mineral) and Pinot Noir (extreme finesse and balance) with the different oyster preparations, he told me a bit about the quality decisions with regard to winemaking, such as low yields, green harvesting (trimming the unripe fruit so the plant can focus its energy on fewer grape clusters).

My personal choice was the Chardonnay with all the oyster courses (it is extremely bright and refreshing) and the Pinot Noir with the salmon, yet the Crossings Pinot Noir is so smooth and delicious I'd have it with everything.

Very exciting event and opportunity to try oysters with different wines ... I hope Matthew will be kind enough to check back in with us later with his new release.

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