Tarte Tatin (french Apple Tart)

White · Medium · Dry

Lychee, rose petal, and a touch of ginger; medium-bodied, low-acid, and unmistakable. The wine for any cuisine where the spice cabinet did the heavy lifting.

White · Medium · Dry

Aromatic, racy, and shapeshifting — bone-dry in Alsace, off-dry on the Mosel, syrupy and ageless when late-harvested. The single most versatile wine for spicy food on earth.

Loire Chenin Blanc at its sweetest and most age-worthy — noble-rot wines of striking honey-and-citrus intensity, balanced by laser acid.

The standard 'dry' sparkling wine designation — Brut means a maximum of 12 g/L residual sugar, the most common style of Champagne and Prosecco.

Bordeaux's quietly excellent sweet white — Semillon-based, often noble-rot-touched, drinking like budget Sauternes. The Bordeaux dessert wine no one talks about.

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.

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.

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.

Drôme's traditional sweet sparkling — Muscat-based, light, low-alcohol, peachy. The Rhône Valley's quietly delightful sparkling wine.

Dessert · Medium · Sweet

Bordeaux's legendary sweet white — Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc hit by noble rot, then patiently fermented. Honey, apricot, candied citrus, and a finish that lasts a small eternity. Pair with foie gras, blue cheese, or a fruit tart.

Loire Chenin Blanc with measurable sweetness — apricot, honey, balanced by the grape's signature acid. Drinks like a quieter Coteaux du Layon.

Sparkling · Light · Dry

Jura's traditional-method sparkling — Chardonnay-based, bright, mineral, often spectacular value. Crémant for those who already love Champagne.