I’m back and I’m still working on my (what seems like) 100 course dinner. We move slowly so don’t fill up on anything too soon. Today we look to appetizers. I’ll tackle a couple of white wines and a red during this course.

Everyone knows about my love of Sauvignon Blanc but for this we are going to go in a different direction. The first appetizer we will work with is a sweet chili shrimp. Whenever you are working with heat, one of the best pairings is something sweet. I like to go fruity sweet rather than sugary sweet. Something with lower alcohol, vibrant lychee fruit and pear—Two Princes Riesling! The sweet cleanses the heat when you take another bite. Besides, the the story of Two Princes is amazing. It’s from the Nehe region of Germany and is made from two vineyards owned by two actual princes! So go make your shrimp and tell your guests they will drink like royalty tonight!

Is it just me or is there a worldwide phenomenon with the crab cake? I can’t talk about appetizers without pairing this beauty. The great thing about crab is that it is a delicate, sweet meat. Hey let’s stay in the area and go for something a little different, like Alsatian Pinot Gris. We carry one at ABC so you don’t have to go too far. Just ask for Zinck from Alsace. Go ask your wine consultant and get to pairing!

Finally, I will give you a nice small plate to pair with red wine: eggplant ravioli. Something vegetarian, light but fried. I don’t know if any of you have had this wine before, but Anarkos red blend from Italy would be an amazing match! This wine has an undertone of fruitiness that would be amazing with this appetizer. This wine carries black and red berries that combine with eggplant, not to overdo but to blend flavors for a perfect match!

Now go on out there and find some appetizers for yourself and pair away! As I always say, wine is subjective and that’s why I love it, so these pairings are suggestions. Try mine and then add a few of your own.

Bon appetit

Kathleen Anderson. North/West FL Wine Supervisor--Follow me on Twitter @ABCwineKat