Help with wine/food pairing

[john b]

Any suggestions for a main course I could make for New Year's Eve dinner which would be good with this sparkling riesling? I'm not a professional chef but I'm pretty good in the kitchen, so I can handle a recipe with moderate complexity.

It'll be dinner for two (I've given up on restaurants on NYE). I'm thinking crab or lobster (or both???), but I'm not sure...

[KatieLoeb]

John:

I think it depends how "dry" your Sekt is. If it's really bone chilling dry then something briny/salty is in order. Salt is the chemical opposite of acid, so screechingly acidic/dry wines taste much tamer and fruitier with a salty accompaniment. Think Sancerre and oysters, dry champagne and caviar, etc. A dish with a briny or salty component will compliment better. However, if your Sekt has some sweetness to it, then you'll want something really rich to counteract that like a buttery lobster, foie gras, etc.

[Brad Ballinger]

You really have a lot of versatility here. Riesling goes with so much. 1999 was a ripe and fat vintage in many parts of Germany, so I would expect a bit more fruit in this sekt than in perhaps some others.

I would do a poached fish over a carrot-ginger puree with some type of light orange sauce or in a court-bouillion.

[Jason Perlow]

Seafood. Lobster, Crab, perhaps in an asian preparation. I'm thinking a Salt and Pepper deep fried lobster cantonese or crab. Salty and Spicy is the way to go.