Chicken Pate

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 And Pistachio Pate · Merlot Aand Chicken Liver Pate · Chicken Liver Pate With Brandy +3 more Chicken And Pistachio Pate · Merlot Aand Chicken Liver Pate · Chicken Liver Pate With Brandy · Truffled Mouse Pate Chicken · Crostini Chicken Liver Pate With Balsamic Onions · Chicken Liver Pate On Walnut And Cranberry Crostini

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 And Pistachio Pate · Merlot Aand Chicken Liver Pate · Chicken Liver Pate With Brandy +3 more Chicken And Pistachio Pate · Merlot Aand Chicken Liver Pate · Chicken Liver Pate With Brandy · Truffled Mouse Pate Chicken · Crostini Chicken Liver Pate With Balsamic Onions · Chicken Liver Pate On Walnut And Cranberry Crostini

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 And Pistachio Pate · Merlot Aand Chicken Liver Pate · Chicken Liver Pate With Brandy +3 more Chicken And Pistachio Pate · Merlot Aand Chicken Liver Pate · Chicken Liver Pate With Brandy · Truffled Mouse Pate Chicken · Crostini Chicken Liver Pate With Balsamic Onions · Chicken Liver Pate On Walnut And Cranberry Crostini

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 And Pistachio Pate · Merlot Aand Chicken Liver Pate · Chicken Liver Pate With Brandy +3 more Chicken And Pistachio Pate · Merlot Aand Chicken Liver Pate · Chicken Liver Pate With Brandy · Truffled Mouse Pate Chicken · Crostini Chicken Liver Pate With Balsamic Onions · Chicken Liver Pate On Walnut And Cranberry Crostini

Red · Medium · Dry

Pinot Noir (red) or Chardonnay (white) from the world's most expensive dirt. Translucent, perfumed, ethereal at the top of the hierarchy; honest and pleasant lower down. Drink slowly, with reverence.

Works with Chicken Pate · Chicken Liver Pate

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 Chicken Liver Pate · Chicken Liver Pâté With Figs And Walnuts

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.

Works with Chicken Pate · Chicken Liver Pate

Red · Medium · Dry

Amarone's lighter, livelier cousin — bright cherry, hints of almond, made from fresh grapes. The Ripasso style adds richness from Amarone lees.

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.

Fortified · Full · Sweet

Sherry's middle path — starts as Fino under flor, ages oxidatively when the flor dies. Hazelnut, salted almond, dried orange peel. Drink with hard cheese or rich stews.

Red · Full · Dry

Nebbiolo from a single corner of Piedmont, slow-aged into something legendary. Tar and roses, dried cherry, leather; tannins that take a decade to soften. Decant; pair with truffle, braise, or aged hard cheese.

Red · Medium · Dry

The cooler-climate sibling of Cabernet Sauvignon — leaner, more aromatic, with notes of bell pepper, raspberry, and graphite. The Loire's Chinon and Bourgueil do it best.