Chicken Fig

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 Chicken Fig · Chicken And Fig · Chicken With Figs +2 more Chicken Fig · Chicken And Fig · Chicken With Figs · Chicken With Fig Sauce · Chicken In A Poached Balsamic Fig Sauce

Sparkling · Light · Sweet

Asti's more refined sibling — gently frizzante, only 5-6% alcohol, all peach and orange blossom. The perfect summer dessert wine.

Works with Chicken Fig · Chicken And Fig · Chicken With Figs +2 more Chicken Fig · Chicken And Fig · Chicken With Figs · Chicken With Fig Sauce · Chicken In A Poached Balsamic Fig Sauce

Red · Light · Dry

Burgundy's most temperamental grape, but the rewards are real — translucent ruby with a perfumed lift of red cherry, forest floor, and clove. Silken tannins and bright acid make it the most versatile red on the table; serve cool, around 58°F.

Works with Chicken Fig · Chicken And Fig · Chicken With Figs +2 more Chicken Fig · Chicken And Fig · Chicken With Figs · Chicken With Fig Sauce · Chicken In A Poached Balsamic Fig Sauce

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 Chicken Fig · Chicken And Fig · Chicken With Figs +2 more Chicken Fig · Chicken And Fig · Chicken With Figs · Chicken With Fig Sauce · Chicken In A Poached Balsamic Fig Sauce

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 Chicken Fig · Chicken And Fig · Chicken With Figs +2 more Chicken Fig · Chicken And Fig · Chicken With Figs · Chicken With Fig Sauce · Chicken In A Poached Balsamic Fig Sauce

White · Light · Dry

Sancerre's cousin across the Loire — Sauvignon Blanc with a smokier, flintier profile. The 'fumé' in the name refers to that struck-match minerality.

Works with Fig And Lemon Chicken · Braised Chicken With Cilantro, Lemon And Dried Figs

Dessert · Full · 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.

Works with Fig And Lemon Chicken · Braised Chicken With Cilantro, Lemon And Dried Figs

White · Medium · Dry

Sauvignon Blanc from the upper Loire, grown on flint and chalk. Citrus, smoke, and a mineral finish that hints at struck stone. The refined antithesis of New Zealand's tropical SBs.

Works with Fig And Lemon Chicken · Braised Chicken With Cilantro, Lemon And Dried Figs

White · Light · Off-dry

Washington and Finger Lakes Rieslings split the difference between Mosel delicacy and Alsatian heft — bright stone fruit, modest sweetness, lively acid. A natural with Thai, Indian, and anything off the spice rack.

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

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.

An uncatalogued varietal or single-vineyard wine. Taste before pairing: assess color, weight, and any obvious sweetness, then plate accordingly.