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Anthony Gismondi on Wine
Thursday, September 21 2017

Top 10 : Oyster Wines

By: Treve Ring & Anthony Gismondi
September is the start of oyster season. Here's what to drink.

They say you should only eat fresh oysters in months that contain the letter R.

This is because oysters are at their peak when our local waters are the coldest, and they spawn in the summer months when the water temperature is slightly warmer. The saying, originating in the early 20th century, was also a useful safety mechanism for a time when there was little refrigeration and even less food safety education. Hence, eating shellfish in the summer months wasn't a good idea. Obviously today BC oysters are available year round, but there is no denying the cooler fall/winter months are when the peak season for our Kusshi, Fanny Bay, Little Wing, Beach Angel, Read Island and more.

There's also no denying that fresh oysters are a natural mate for wine, with Champagne being the classic perfect pairing. But there's more to oysters than just Champagne. When pairing wines to oysters, remember that like goes with like. Reach for wines with briny, salty, mineral notes to complement the fresh salinity of the shellfish. Streamline and sessionable wines often make a good match, as do ones with a squeeze of lemon and / or a riff of smoke, or toast. 

Here are our Top 10 wines to pair with oysters, tasted recently at GOW. It's SeptembeR: enjoy!

Written By:
Treve Ring & Anthony Gismondi
Treve Ring & Anthony Gismondi

Every week Treve Ring and Anthony Gismondi collaborate on our Top Ten list, released on Thursday morning, often with a timely theme. If you count carefully the list will more than likely exceed ten names but only because we believe if any wine is tied by a score that makes our list it should be included. We know many of you are wine savvy and can do your own sleuthing to locate our weekly picks but for those who asked: BCLS means it is sold in government retail stores; when we say private wine shops we mean it could be in any private wine shop or liquor retail store (LRS); winery direct means check with the winery online. If it’s not sold in BC we usually try and give you a suggested retail price. Prices change hourly in BC – the price we post is what we are given at publication.