Seafood bouillabaisse

Fish soups French cuisine

New Zealand chef Gwithyen Thomas from Aroha in Los Angeles says that his favorite food-and-wine pairing is Cloudy Bay clams with sauvignon blanc. The clams, he says, “are from the cleanest area in the world—they have so much meat to them, with great ocean-fresh flavor”; the bivalves’ salinity is a complement to the brisk white. For the same reason, steamed mussels are frequent companions at table with sauvignon blanc. <br /> <br />Though adding fish and saffron to the mix might seem to complicate the wine pairing a bit, sauvignon blanc is still a terrific choice—if you choose the right sort of sauvignon. Some New Zealand sauvignon blancs have pungent, lively lime and gooseberry flavors; other bottlings are a little fleshier in the mouth, with flavors that are more tropical/white stone fruit. In this case, you’ll want the latter kind. (We paired <a href="http://www.villamariawine.com/wines/product-details/filter/wine-tiers/private-bin/vm-private-bin-marlborough-sauvignon-blanc">Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc</a> with it.)