Wine Pairing

I thought about the idea of paring wines and wanted to suggest one or more selections that would go nicely with not just any onion soup, but my onion soup (the soup) thus putting it on an entirely different level. So I thought about just grabbing something from the cellar and offer it as the answer to this question and decided against it. We?re not talking about the world?s most important dish, that I understand, and I don?t expect my personal soup adaptation to appear on a White House dinner menu it?s just that a successful "paring" wine to dish, translates into a heightened sense of culinary pleasure and enjoyment. I won?t take it beyond that point. So let me give this a try and if it proves to be helpful please let me know.

My point of departure is that the soup is not going to be a light little affair on one's palate so I?m thinking of giving the heavier/hearty wines a wide berth. Those are the wines that leave a sizeable footprint, run around all barrel-chested. They are the 300 lb lineman you don?t want to annoy. Typical in this class is going to be a wonderful Bordeaux or Cabernet. Anyway that's not what I want. The soup is going to have strong and complex flavors which is not surprising given a recipe that?s been tinkered with since the Romans times. The caramelized flavor from the onions, the strong beef flavor and the cheeses will need an offsetting or contrasting wine. So not having a sommelier (wine steward), I have been checking around, poking in other people's cellars, reading their mail and calling a few experts around the world to see if we could agree on a couple of suggestions.

1. You can be perfectly happy with a nice fruity Beaujolais Nouveau. Just because the Nouveau was celebrated in November it is still very much of a fun wine to have with this kind of meal. Try it slightly chilled. This wine can be had at a very reasonable price.

2. A Beaujolais or Beaujolais-Villages are both going to be excellent choices. I will not go into suggesting one year versus another because that?s ultimately a personal decision. Ask me though and I can certainly suggest a stellar year.

3. A southern tilting Côtes du Rhône such as the venerable pappy himself a Châteauneuf du Pape will greatly add to your dining experience. A wine with a friendlier price point is Rive Droite a great Côtes du Rhône/vin de table and an affordable one too.

1. A white Vin de Bourgogne from the Burgundy region of France where there are some outstanding wines not always as universally recognized as their southern cousins Monsieur et Madame Bordeaux. Two great names in white burgundy to think about might be a Meursault or Puligny-Montrachet. You can just as well pick up an easy drinking Chardonay of your own liking, that too is OK.

2. Let's veer northwards a bit towards the Alsace region for my last suggestion that being an Alsace Riesling which is a top white wine and there are some incredibly fine wines (at moutain peak prices) and some good average-priced ones. This type of wine is not a favorite with everyone's palate like any other kind of wine I suppose. But I leave that to your palate. This is a wine traditionally served with hearty, chest thumping meals like sauerkraut, smoked ham or an occasional beer hall putsch. But definately a Riesling will pair well with this soup, so go put on your Lederhosen and belly up to the table.

One quick note, en passant, here is a little shopper's tip, write down some of the names of these wines and head off to your local wine merchant who given the paramaters and your budget will surely have you walking away with a great one or two selections to complement your meal.