CityView Magazine

50 | Food & Wine • 2009 Nick points out that pairing of wines is usually focused on the main course or entrée. With the Low Country Shrimp Creole, he recommends, for red wine aficionados, the 2006 Four Vines Zinfandel, "The Biker," out of Paso Robles, California. "This is a great example of full- throttled zinfandel," he says, "with loads of rich blackberry fruit, licorice and nice peppery notes. This wine has spice and weight but not a lot of tannin or acid, so it won't overpower the dish." This wine retails for about $25. Teresa recommends a slightly more affordable, at about $19 a bottle, 2006 Paul Dolan Zinfandel. Describing it as a "succulent, organic Zinfandel, with juicy splashes of spicy blackberry and We shared the recipes for the Christmas at the Coast feast with two local wine experts, Nick Parrous of Luigi's Italian Restaurant and Teresa Swint, co-owner of Grapes and Hops, a Fayetteville beer and wine specialty shop. Both are very knowledgeable and gracious about sharing what they know. Teresa recently earned the Certified Specialist of Wines designation, a distinction enjoyed by fewer than 2000 people in the United States. Even though Nick and Teresa approached the challenge separately, their recommendations were remarkably similar. And we so enjoy the way wine experts talk! raspberry" Teresa adds it is "underpinned by subtle chocolate tones." For white wine lovers, Nick recommends the Concha y Toro Gewurztraminer Casillero del Diablo 2007, Maule Valley, Chile to go with the Low Country Shrimp Creole. He says this wine is a touch sweet, which does wonders with spicy food. It's also very available and affordable, at about $8 a bottle. Teresa suggests a 2007 Helfrich Gewurztraminer from the Alsace region of France. It's pricier than the Chilean wine, at about $17 a bottle, but who could resist the description of " . . . fleshy and mouth-filling, with loads of uncomplicated fruit, full body and a nice bit of grapefruit into the finish." Both Nick and Teresa agree that with Oyster Pie, only a white wine will do. Teresa recommends a 2008 Murphy Goode Fume Blanc from California. "This wine boasts a citrus, tropical flavor, with bright notes of grapefruit and hints of tangerine," Teresa says. It retails for about $16 a bottle. Nick feels that a 2008 Broglia Gavi di Gavi "La Meirana" DOCG from Italy is the ideal wine for the Oyster Pie. "This wine is just built for oysters," he says. "It's from the town of Gavi in the Piedmont region of Italy and is traditionally paired with fish stew or steamed shellfish." Again, we thank Nancy Haithcock, Terry Ciccone, Nick Parrous and Teresa Swint for sharing their recipes and expertise with the readers of CityView! GOOD FOOD WINE! RIGHT WHEN PAIRED WITH EVEN BET TER IS THE

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