In this recurring feature, members of the Court of Master Sommeliers, an international association of wine experts, suggest pairings for popular menu items. The sommeliers do not have a financial interest in any of their recommendations.
Here, Laura Williamson, consultant at Dove Mountain Grill in Marana, Ariz., selects a bargain and premium wine to go with seafood dishes.
Premium wine: 2010 Sigalas Santorini Assyrtiko, Santorini, Greece
Grape variety: Assyrtiko
Taste profile: Reverberating palate presence of roasted Meyer lemon, kumquat oil, passion fruit nectar, guava paste and kaffir lime intertwined with volcanic ash and sea foam make for complex flavor in this unctuous wine.
Pairings: Briny seafood, lemon-capered poultry, herb-crusted pork and fowl, as well as cured meats and hard cheeses.
Average wholesale case price: $192
Bargain wine: 2010 Burgans Albariño, Rias Baixas, Spain
Grape variety: Albariño
Taste profile: Tropical, plush intensity coats the palate through layers of dried peach, fresh mango, ripe pineapple, clementine juice and rain-kissed chervil before giving way to perfume of lemon verbena and wet rock.
Pairings: This wine holds up to weighty salmon, tuna and swordfish, but also melds flawlessly with savory poultry, pork and fowl.
Average wholesale case price: $90
Editor's note: This story updates Williamson's title.
