Mussels Cream

White · Medium · Dry

The most-planted white grape and the most chameleon-like. Crisp and steely from Chablis; rich, oaky, and tropical from California. Read the label, then match the style to the dish.

Works with Mussels Cream · Mussels In A Cream Sauce · Fresh Steamed Mussels With Shallots, Fresh Cream, Tomato

White · Light · Dry

Italy's everyday white — light, lemony, neutral by design. Pleasant with anything; profound with very little. The best Friuli bottles are quietly excellent.

Works with Mussels Cream · Creamy Garlic Mussels · Fresh Steamed Mussels With Shallots, Fresh Cream, Tomato

Rosé · Light · Dry

Provence's gift to summer — dry, pale, faintly strawberry-and-citrus, with low alcohol and crisp acid. Made to drink cold, with food, in the shade.

Works with Mussels In A Cream Sauce · Creamy Garlic Mussels · Fresh Steamed Mussels With Shallots, Fresh Cream, Tomato

White · Light · Dry

Citrus, cut grass, and a wire of acid. Marlborough makes it loudest; Sancerre makes it most refined. Either way, it cuts cleanly through goat cheese, herbs, and anything with shellfish.

Works with Mussels Cream · Creamy Garlic Mussels · Fresh Steamed Mussels With Shallots, Fresh Cream, Tomato

Sparkling · Light · Dry

Méthode champenoise from the most chalk-rich corner of France — fine bubbles, brioche, lemon zest, and a finish that goes on for half a minute. The wine for anything fried, salty, or special.

Works with Mussels Cream · Fresh Steamed Mussels With Shallots, Fresh Cream, Tomato

White · Full · Dry

California's flagship white — rounder, riper, and oakier than the Old World original, with tropical fruit, butter, and vanilla. Sonoma Coast and Sta. Rita Hills bottlings are leaner; Napa stays plush.

White · Medium · Dry

Provence's most serious red — Mourvèdre-dominated, structured, savory, with notes of black olive, leather, and Mediterranean herb. The age-worthy alternative to a southern Rhône.

White · Medium · Dry

Bordeaux's affordable shadow just to the east — same grape blends, simpler structure, much lower prices. The everyday red of southwest France.

Sparkling · Light · Dry

Spain's traditional-method sparkling, made in Catalunya. Crisper and chalkier than Prosecco; remarkable value next to Champagne. Pair with jamón, tortilla, and grilled vegetables.

White · Medium · Dry

Chardonnay grown on Burgundy's chalkiest soils, almost never oaked. Lean, steely, oyster-shell minerality; a wine that tastes like a place. The wine for shellfish, full stop.

White · Medium · Dry

Chardonnay grown on Burgundy's chalkiest soils, almost never oaked. Lean, steely, oyster-shell minerality; a wine that tastes like a place. The wine for shellfish, full stop.

White · Medium · Dry

Austria's national white — green apple, white pepper, faint celery; lean acid, medium body, and an uncanny ability to pair with otherwise wine-hostile vegetables like asparagus and artichoke.