Hit & Miss: Steininger 2010 Sauvignon Blanc with Pickles & Seaweed Salad

Wine: Steininger NV Sauvignon Blanc Sekt
Origin: Kamptal, Austria

Taste: Zesty in both acidity and flavor with primal Sauvignon Blanc notes of fresh-cut grass, sweat and yuzu. Loaded with itty-bitty bubbles.

Expectation: Light foods with high acidity or green notes should match well.

Hit: Schorr’s Zesty Pickle Chips
The pickles’ vinegar notes mimic the wine’s acidic punch while the garlic and savory spices harmonize with the wine’s mineral undertones. Best of all, the jalapeño flavor in the pickles echos the hints of green bell pepper in the wine.

Miss: Seaweed Salad
This was an unpleasant surprise. I expected the saline quality of the seaweed to match the wine’s flinty notes, but somehow the salad made the wine taste flat and earthy. I’d love to try this again with a different seaweed salad. Texturally, however, it worked brilliantly: the bursting bubbles and crunchy strands created a dynamic mouthfeel!