Suggested Wine Matches...Cajun / Mardi Gras

We are attending a Mardi gras party. Cajun Food always screams white wines or champagne for Dina and I, due to its inherent spiciness and seafood origins. But this is, definitely a Red Wine crowd.

I'm considering just taking a couple of good halbtrocken Reislings or Sauvignon Blancs (Sancerre?) anyway, but with this menu?? Can anyone recommend good matches with red? I always have trouble matching red wine with cajun food.

Fresh Gulf Shrimp with Remoulade Sauce
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Crayfish Etoufee
Turducken
Red Beans and Rice
French Baguette Garlic Bread
King Cake
Original Aunt Sally’s Pralines
Bananas Foster

Thanks,

Richard

We are attending a Mardi gras party. Cajun Food always screams white wines or champagne for Dina and I, due to its inherent spiciness and seafood origins. But this is, definitely a Red Wine crowd.

I'm considering just taking a couple of good halbtrocken Reislings or Sauvignon Blancs (Sancerre?) anyway, but with this menu?? Can anyone recommend good matches with red? I always have trouble matching red wine with cajun food.

Fresh Gulf Shrimp with Remoulade Sauce
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Crayfish Etoufee
Turducken
Red Beans and Rice
French Baguette Garlic Bread
King Cake
Original Aunt Sally’s Pralines
Bananas Foster

Thanks,

Richard

Cajun food screams for good beer. That menu in particular.

I referred this to my Cajun guru, a guy who's from Ville Platte, taught me about food and wine, cousin of Paul Prudhomme (he got us past the lines at K-Paul and took me to the famous Fred's Cafe for morning music), and an award-winning home winemaker. Here's his response:

They're having all that in a single meal? And hopefully at least not in that order!
Also, have they considered beer? That's what the 'Cajuns drink with most of these dishes.

OK, how about reordering and splitting this into three meals, maybe with a few additions.

High-class Creole
Creole oyster soup (Viognier)
Garlic bread
Gulf shrimp Remoulade (a Bandol rose)
Les deux huitres - Bienville & Rockefeller (Pouilly-Fuisee)
Crawfish Etoufee (Hermitage or a very old Cornas)
Bananas Foster (chilled Barsac)

Everyday Creole
Creole seafood gumbo (a Languedoc or Camargue rose)
Dressed oyster/shrimp poboy - use a very light gros pain, not a baguette (a Sauvignon Blanc with a steely edge)
Red beans and rice, or jambalaya (Chateauneuf or Cotes du Rhone)
King cake (Montbazillac or Grahm's Eismaschinwein)
Pralines (green pecan or hickory liqueur)

Cajun fancy
Toasted salted pecans (Amontillado Sherry or dry elderberry)
Boudins blanc & noir (a maceration-carbonique red such as Beaujolais)
Chicken cannibal salad
Turducken (monster fruity California-Cab)
Maque-choux
Chicken & Sausage Gumbo (an inky Australian Shiraz)
Bread pudding (sweet Muscadine or persimmon wine)

And now, just for you, a rare beast, 'Cajun vegetarian
Toasted salted cayenne pecans
Steamed broccoli Raab
Maque-choux
Sauteed oyster-mushroom salad
Broadbean & smoked squash quiche
Gumbo 'zerbes
Blackberry pie, made with butter instead of lard

Thanks Stuart! Unfortunately...it ain't my menu. We're just eating it and I wanted to bring something that might come close to matching at least some of the dishes.

I hadn't considered Rose's. That would work very well with at least a couple of dishes. An aged Northern Rhone? That will take some searching around here...but maybe I can find a semi-aged N. Rhone..LOL.

Richard

Thanks Chef...

Yep...I think that would be the perfect match for this menu also. An ice cold Abita Kolsch would be really nice. Although only a couple of us would be drinking them

I may throw a few onto a cooler and take em anyway.

Richard