Pairing wine with Bottarga || Nat Davis
If it grows together it goes together. This one of my favorite age-old truisms, and it's immensely helpful when considering what wine to pair with challenging delicacies like bottarga, "The caviar of the South".
Traditional Sardinian Spaghetti alla Bottarga with a glass of the island’s (understandably) lauded Vermentino is one of the most rewarding food and wine combinations on the planet. The grape has, along with citrus and honeydew melon characteristics, a decidedly marine quality to it, which is a beautiful counter to bottarga’s punchy brine. No Vermentino at your neighborhood wine shop? Look for other southern Italian whites, like Fiano di Avellino, or the more widely available Albariño from Spain’s coastal Galicia region.
For a Sunday brunch at home, I love to grate bottarga over fluffy scrambled eggs and serve it with a glass of slightly chilled Amontillado sherry. Also simple and decadent: shave it over a piece of toasted, buttered brioche for a snack that calls for a perfect gin martini or an ice-cold pilsner.
Sommelier Nat Davis