A PAIRING GUIDE
What wine goes with crab?
Crab: Viognier.
The short answer
For crab, start with Viognier. Why it works: a little ripe sweetness balances salt and spice.
The wines to reach for
- Viognier: apricot, honeysuckle, lush. Viognier is full-bodied, with almost no tannin and moderate acidity, with a touch of ripe sweetness. A little oak is common. Home turf: Condrieu, Northern Rhône.
Where to look
Good places to find these styles include Condrieu and Rhône.
From menus we hold
- Brown crab at Restaurant de l'Hôtel de Ville: Pouilly-Fumé "Silex" Domaine Dagueneau (2020). The garden of France, blooming beside a wide, gentle river.
- Brown Crab / Pea / Osmanthus * Classics at Sühring: Sancerre Exils 2022 François Crochet (2022). Dewy mornings on a hillside of wet clover.
- Brown Crab at Sühring: Riesling Orange (2021). Apricot on a cold stone sill.
- Stir-fried Imperial Bird's Nest with Fresh Crab Meat and Egg at Jade Dragon: Taittinger, Comtes de Champagne, Grand Cru, Blanc de Blancs, Brut (2012). A good chair, a clear evening, and company worth keeping.
- Deep-fried Crab Meat with Pork Lard and Black Truffle at Jade Dragon: Taittinger, Comtes de Champagne, Grand Cru, Blanc de Blancs, Brut (2012). A table set, a room warming, a night ahead.
The same wines also suit
scallops and mild curry.
Quick answers
What wine goes with crab?
Viognier. a little ripe sweetness balances salt and spice.
Red or white wine with crab?
White or sparkling: Viognier.
Pairing logic from the Sommurai pairing engine and the grape facts of our table. Taste is personal: treat this as a starting point.
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