Pairing Wine with Local Cuisine

Now is the time for all good men to be reduced by pollen to sneezy, stuffy, runny-eyed allergics...women, too. This time of year is usually a challenge for me--I'd even carry around nasal spray.
Then I heard some folk wisdom. It might be the "placebo effect" but it's scientifically sound. Eat locally produced honey. Honey's made from nectar that comes from flowers just like our culprit, pollen. Honey builds immunities to the pollen by desensitizing you with large doses.
This isn't meant to supplant a visit to your physician, but it runs parallel to the philosophy of the great American chef Alice Waters of Chez Panisse, who says, "Eat Fresh, Eat Seasonal, Eat Local." You can't argue with the woman who single-handedly banished iceberg lettuce from most restaurant salads. And as Americans eat healthier, the emphasis in dining is on regional and local cuisine. Goodbye rich sauces, processed food, and weird Siberian/Malawian fusions. Local food is all the rage.
Connecticut abounds with delicious local delicacies. Many are ethnic, many are old standards. You'll want a nice wine that compliments our regional fare.
Like clockwork, Spring brings the shad run, along with the elevated pollen count. The most prized part of the fish is the egg sac, or roe. The shad is a bony fish and most thoracic surgeons would have a hard time filleting one. The original shad recipes call for nailing the fish to a cedar board and smoking it. The roe tastes like a cross between slightly undercooked whole-belly clams and caviar. Roe can be served with shallot butter, fried in breadcrumbs, or served with a tomato sauce.
Shad is usually paired with Muscadet de Serve-et-Maine, a soft white wine made from the melon de Bourgogne grape. But I like it with a Vouvray that, like the better shad, comes from further up the river, the Loire, not the Connecticut.

2002 Domaine de Vaufuget Vouvray - No oak, a touch of sugar, and the crisp fresh taste of 100 percent Chenin Blanc. $15.99

In France certain regions are synonymous with food. Gascony's famous for Pate de Foie Gras; Vichy for its water and cold potato soup, Vichyssoise. In the Northeast, debates rage over which clam chowder--Manhattan, Rhode Island, or New England--is king. I like them all, so here's what I'd serve with each one.

New England Clam Chowder - A nice Pinot Grigio like (IT) Barone Fini, with its touch of lemon and watercress flavors, $8.99 or a fruitier version of the same grape from Alsace. The (bold) 2001 Maison Trimbach "Reserve" presents the same crispness and counter balance to the cream, but adds a hint of peach nectar for extra richness, $16.

Manhattan Clam Chowder - Rosemount Diamond Chardonnay, oak and butter. Doesn't fight with the oregano, $11.99.

Rhode Island Clam Chowder - A good fino sherry like (IT) Tio Pepe, served chilled. Light and dry with olive and almond flavors, $15.99.

Other regional food traditions are:
Steamers- These sweet littleneck clams are best purged of sand and boiled in water, white wine, and butter. Reduce the broth and serve along side cups of melted butter for dipping. Wine: (IT) Osprey's Dominion 2000 Chardonnay from Long Island, $14.49.
Baccala - A Mediterranean staple. There are hundreds of recipes for this versatile salted cod. Serve with (IT) Ruffino 2002 Orvieto Classico, a dry white with enough grape and pear flavors to compliment any residual saltiness, $10.99.
Boston Baked Beans - Serve Pinotage, a Pinot Noir/Cinsault hybrid known for its hardiness and depth. Not real subtle, but real tasty.(IT) Clos Malverne Pinotage, from the Stellenbosch region of South Africa. Cuts right through the molasses and brings out those subtle baked bean flavors, $14.59.
Maple Sorbet, Vermont Sugarhouse Style - Crush enough ice to fill a 5 x 9 pan. Put in freezer. Heat pure maple syrup, the light grade, until boiling. Spoon one tablespoon at a time onto ice so it congeals. Use snow if available. Serve with (IT) Westford Hill Distillers Pear William, eau de vie from Ashford, or (IT) Jelinek Slivovitz, a Serbian plum brandy that may have been responsible for starting World War I.