The Best Wine To Serve With Buttery Lobster Tails

There's something deliciously decadent about eating lobster tails, and it's a missed opportunity if you aren't pairing the perfect wine with the meal. I was a bartender for seven years, including a short stint at an Italian wine bar where I became passionate about pairing wine with food. If you want to get good at pairing wine, you have to truly notice the flavors you are experiencing. If eating dinner has become a rote habit, pairing wine can breathe new life into your routine.

Buttery lobster tails are rich, somewhat sweet, and have that bright saltiness you get with good seafood. We could go with a classic buttery chardonnay, as many people do since it'll emphasize the richness of the dish. There's also an argument to be made for a riesling with its acidic mineral notes. But, the best wine to serve with lobster tails has to be a chenin blanc.

A crisp chenin blanc's bright acidity is going to cut through the butter and pull the fresh lobster flavors out front and center like a squeeze of lemon over the dish. Chenin blancs are also delicately sweet, as good lobster tends to be, so the wine will be able to emphasize the lobster meat without outperforming it, which is what we want. While the wine may be delicate, bright, and sweet, that doesn't mean it's weak. A medium-bodied wine, chenin blanc is like a good dinner guest — eloquent and present without sucking up all the air in the room.

Of course, chenin blanc is capable of producing a wide range of flavor profiles; don't assume that every chenin blanc will taste exactly the same. This means that some bottles will work better with lobster than others. If you're looking for some of the best chenin blanc wines available, the Loire Valley in France is considered to be the global headquarters of the grape. Domaine Guiberteau produces some beautiful bottles in the valley, and its bottle Les Moulins is a good place to start with, though the vineyard has more than one chenin blanc on offer. Domaine Arnaud Lambert's Clos de Midi is another excellent option that's easier on the wallet but still bursting with flavor.

France may enjoy the brand name recognition of the Loire Valley, but there are other locations worth looking into. Although New Zealand has become most famous for its sauvignon blancs, Millton Vineyard is laying the groundwork for a New Zealand chenin blanc renaissance with its bottle of Te Arai Vineyard. South Africa is no stranger to chenin blanc, either. There are more chenin blanc grapes grown there than anywhere else in the world, and the talented vineyards coming out of the region are sparring with the best. Stellenbosch Vineyards is a great place to start, as is Quest's Old Vine Chenin Blanc. Remember to serve white wine chilled for best results.