My friend Genie Galina (yes, a nice Jewish woman with greyhounds) is married to a nice Jewish man — Steve — whose last name I cannot remember but it’s very Jewish sounding invited me for latkes.

I am going to bring a sparkling white Vinho Verde from Portugal. I think that will absorb the fat just fine.

Here’s the response regarding latkes:

Karyn,

As one of the Wine-Line Sommeliers I would be happy to reccomend a few wines that would pair with Latkes and a dairy meal.

The first wine varietal that popped into my mind was Riesling. I think the slight acidity and good fruit would offset the zest of the onion in the Latkes.
Another varietal that would go well is Viognier. Viognier has similar fruit characteristics as Riesling but with the body of a Chardonnay. Sparkling wines also are a great accompaniment to spicy or oily foods because of their acidity and palate cleansing effect of the bubbles. For your Latkes, I would go with a dry Champagne, Cava (spanish sparkling) or a Prosecco (Italian sparkling)

Here are a few suggestions that you should be able to find in your local fine wine shop.

Champagne – Moet & Chandon “White Star”, Brut, France Domaine Chandon, Brut, Napa Valley Cava – Codorniu, Spain Prosecco – Canella, Italy Viognier – Clay Station, California Viognier Chenin Blanc Blend – Pine Ridge, Napa Valley Riesling – s.a. Prum Essence, Germany Riesling – Hugel , Alsace, France Riesling – Domaine Ostertag, Alsace, France.

I hope this helps and have a great holiday season !

Regards,

Wine-Line Sommelier,

Andrew Nielsen

Fun post, Karyn.