Coast to Coast on the Half Shell
by Allyson Noman
With their many nuances and preparations in mind, we’ve put together a collection of bottles to highlight oysters’ regional qualities and to celebrate the joie de vivre they elicit.
With their many nuances and preparations in mind, we’ve put together a collection of bottles to highlight oysters’ regional qualities and to celebrate the joie de vivre they elicit.
Coast to Coast on the Half Shell
by Allyson Noman
Oysters, like wine, reflect their terroir. Those from the choppy, cold, and salty Atlantic have smooth, shallow shells. Their delicate, slightly translucent flesh is clean and crisp, with a refreshing burst of brine. The Pacific Ocean is gentler and more mild; its oysters are deep-cupped with scalloped edges, and the pearly, opaque flesh has a richer, creamy texture, with a kiss of melony sweetness. Large and meaty oysters from the Gulf Coast inspired locals to try them grilled or fried—oyster po’ boys and Oysters Rockefeller (a decadent preparation birthed during an escargot shortage) are both staples in New Orleans.
Even a half-shell oyster purist such as myself can’t deny the abundance of ways to experience this sea creature. I often fondly recall my years spent running a seafood restaurant and the pleasure of sampling our daily selection of oysters from coast to coast, deciding which wines by-the-glass would provide the most delightful pairings. The possibilities were, and are, nearly endless.
With their many nuances and preparations in mind, we’ve put together a collection of bottles to highlight oysters’ regional qualities and to celebrate the joie de vivre they elicit. There is hardly anything better than a day spent with friends, shucking and slurping both oysters and wine. Mineral-driven Muscadet or elegant Champagne are classic pairings, but other mouthwatering matches include white Burgundy, stony iterations of Sauvignon Blanc, or salt-kissed Vermentino. We’ve also included unexpected options, like an Italian Sylvaner from Manni Nössing in Alto Adige, and a French one from Meyer-Fonné in Alsace. And—gasp!—even some reds, because everyone should know the distinct pleasure of Beaujolais alongside a barbecued or broiled bivalve.
Wines In The Collection
Yves Leccia France | Corsica
Mostly Grenache with a bit of native Niellucciu, the bottle is loaded with fresh red berry fruit, finishing with wild, herbaceous maquis.
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
It fills the mouth with suspicions of honeysuckle and pulpy stone fruits, all while maintaining classic notes of iodine and sea breeze that make this the vinous equivalent of tidepooling.
Veuve Fourny & Fils France | Champagne
No need to wait for the perfect moment to enjoy a bottle; popping the cork on their Blanc de Blancs is a special occasion unto itself!
Manni Nössing Italy | Alto Adige
This Sylvaner, from high in the Dolomites, is a finely channeled mountain breeze, an exercise in textural delicacy that will leave your palate tingling with the sensation of crispy minerals.
Meyer-Fonné France | Alsace
This bottle gives some of my favorite grand cru Rieslings a run for their money with a nose evoking peach skin and pear and a palate that ripples with fresh acidity.
Château Graville-Lacoste France | Bordeaux
Whatever snacks are on your table or picnic blanket, this blanc will fit the bill with its pretty notes of green apple, citrus, and subtle tropical fruits.
Domaine de Villaine France | Burgundy
Aligoté may actually be an even more precise conduit for Burgundian terroir than Chardonnay.
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
An opulent, mouth-filling expression of granitic terroir, this bottling has the delicate floral nuances and fine-grained tannin that differentiates Fleurie from the other crus.
Albert Boxler France | Alsace
Soaring with aromas of brioche and praline, this lush and luxurious bottling sets the benchmark for Crémants everywhere.
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
When you smell it, keep in mind that no other wine, besides a Melon de Bourgogne grown in the gabbro soil of Gorges, could possibly smell like this one does.
Domaine François Lumpp France | Burgundy
The Lumpp style is on full display with this beauty: open-knit, fruit-forward, silky, and seductive Pinot Noir beckons.
Domaine Savary France | Burgundy
Ethereal and bright, with the notes of cherry and earth that get red-Burgundy lovers’ hearts racing.
Guy Breton France | Beaujolais
Savor it while you can, because your glass will be empty before you know it, leaving you only with the spicy, mineral-laden aftertaste of a bottle that went down way too easily.
Nicolas Maillart France | Champagne
Beautiful perfume of orange blossom, very fine with an incredibly soft mousse.
La Marca di San Michele Italy | Le Marche
The wine’s salinity finds balance with a delightfully tart note of lemon rind.
Peter Dipoli Italy | Alto Adige
The uncommon location and treatment capture a different face of this very familiar variety, deep and mouth-filling yet carrying a bracing jolt of limey acidity.
Christine de Mianville France | Loire
A single-vineyard bottling whose age lends a soft, drawn butter richness to its bright, tart citrus palate.
Domaine Michel Brégeon France | Loire
Gorges boasts an incredible texture and tension imparted by decomposed, blue-green igneous rock, seventy-year-old vines, and years-long aging on the lees.
Roland Lavantureux France | Burgundy
Displaying both the oyster shell quality we love about Chablis and the sunny orchard fruit notes that make Bourgogne blancs so delicious.
France | Corsica
Mostly Grenache with a bit of native Niellucciu, the bottle is loaded with fresh red berry fruit, finishing with wild, herbaceous maquis.
France | Loire
It fills the mouth with suspicions of honeysuckle and pulpy stone fruits, all while maintaining classic notes of iodine and sea breeze that make this the vinous equivalent of tidepooling.
France | Champagne
No need to wait for the perfect moment to enjoy a bottle; popping the cork on their Blanc de Blancs is a special occasion unto itself!
Italy | Alto Adige
This Sylvaner, from high in the Dolomites, is a finely channeled mountain breeze, an exercise in textural delicacy that will leave your palate tingling with the sensation of crispy minerals.
France | Alsace
This bottle gives some of my favorite grand cru Rieslings a run for their money with a nose evoking peach skin and pear and a palate that ripples with fresh acidity.
France | Bordeaux
Whatever snacks are on your table or picnic blanket, this blanc will fit the bill with its pretty notes of green apple, citrus, and subtle tropical fruits.
France | Burgundy
Aligoté may actually be an even more precise conduit for Burgundian terroir than Chardonnay.
France | Beaujolais
An opulent, mouth-filling expression of granitic terroir, this bottling has the delicate floral nuances and fine-grained tannin that differentiates Fleurie from the other crus.
France | Alsace
Soaring with aromas of brioche and praline, this lush and luxurious bottling sets the benchmark for Crémants everywhere.
Italy | Sardinia
A fleshy and savory unfiltered Vermentino from northern Sardinia.
France | Loire
When you smell it, keep in mind that no other wine, besides a Melon de Bourgogne grown in the gabbro soil of Gorges, could possibly smell like this one does.
France | Burgundy
The Lumpp style is on full display with this beauty: open-knit, fruit-forward, silky, and seductive Pinot Noir beckons.
France | Burgundy
Ethereal and bright, with the notes of cherry and earth that get red-Burgundy lovers’ hearts racing.
France | Beaujolais
Savor it while you can, because your glass will be empty before you know it, leaving you only with the spicy, mineral-laden aftertaste of a bottle that went down way too easily.
France | Provence
It is a seafood lover’s dream wine.
France | Champagne
Beautiful perfume of orange blossom, very fine with an incredibly soft mousse.
Italy | Le Marche
The wine’s salinity finds balance with a delightfully tart note of lemon rind.
Italy | Alto Adige
The uncommon location and treatment capture a different face of this very familiar variety, deep and mouth-filling yet carrying a bracing jolt of limey acidity.
France | Loire
A single-vineyard bottling whose age lends a soft, drawn butter richness to its bright, tart citrus palate.
France | Loire
Gorges boasts an incredible texture and tension imparted by decomposed, blue-green igneous rock, seventy-year-old vines, and years-long aging on the lees.
France | Burgundy
Displaying both the oyster shell quality we love about Chablis and the sunny orchard fruit notes that make Bourgogne blancs so delicious.
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