Squeeze the Day: The Best Wines to Pair with Citrus

In theory, pairing wine with citrus seems easy: lemons have a crisp bite and so does sauvignon blanc, so we’re off to the races. Unfortunately, such is not the case—wines with high acidity will fight with the acidity of the citrus, creating a problem much like the Civil War, but with fewer muskets. Instead, we want to find a wine that’s uber balanced—meaning it has some acidity, some sweetness and some fruit—to disperse the aggressiveness of the citrus in several different directions.

Quails’ Gate Chenin Blanc ($25)

Holy heck, why can’t we get more Okanagan producers to grow chenin? This one has some citrus to mirror these recipes but it also has some ripe stone fruits, along with a jumpy, slightly spicy finish that pitches in to counter the acidity. And it’s $25! (Note to Quails’ Gate—if you start charging $35, this wine will still be worth it and maybe more people will plant chenin.)

Terravista Fandango ($33)

Two grapes that are also up to the citrus challenge are the Iberian stalwarts of albarino and verdejo, but the Spaniards almost never blend them together. Terravista does. This blend is as esoteric as it gets for the Okanagan, but it’s tailor made for these recipes: it has its own grapefruit-y notes but there are no sharp edges here—instead, there’s a roundness that mutes any edges the acidity might provide. It’s a wonderful wine for seriously sipping, but for these recipes it’s a no brainer.

Black Hills Roussanne ($35)

When I first started thinking of good pairings for these recipes, my mind immediately went to Black Hills’ famed Alibi white blend—and then I remembered that 2022 was the final vintage of that icon. But, when life gives you lemons…  you take their Roussanne, which I realized is, actually, an even better partner. This is a  textured, lush wine, lightly honeyed, and it just absorbs the acid of the recipes with a welcoming smile on its nonexistent face.