Goose Pate

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 Goose Pate · Goose Liver Pate

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.

Roussillon's fortified dessert red — Grenache-based, port-like, with notes of cocoa, walnut, and dried fig. The classic chocolate-dessert pairing.

Sauternes's quieter neighbor — slightly leaner, more delicate noble-rot sweet whites at often half the price. Same Semillon-Sauvignon blend, more restraint.

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

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.

White · Medium · Off-dry

The Loire's most versatile grape — bone-dry and steely from Savennières, honeyed and ageless from Vouvray. Naturally high acid keeps every style food-friendly.

Northern Rhône Viognier at its grandest — apricot, honeysuckle, ginger, with a richness that surprises everyone. The wine to drink alongside soft cheese and a sunset.

Southwest France's quiet treasure — both bone-dry and lusciously sweet wines from the Gros and Petit Manseng grapes. The sweet bottlings are world-class.

Red · Medium · Dry

Cabernet's softer sibling — plum, black cherry, and a whisper of chocolate, framed by rounder tannins and earlier drinkability. The wine that built Pomerol and the one to reach for when Cabernet feels like overkill.

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.