Skip to content

Top Navigation

Cooking Light Cooking Light
  • Recipes
  • Holidays
  • Cooking 101
  • Healthy Living
  • Shop
  • News
  • Good.Food.Fast
  • CL Diet

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Register/Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Logout
Pin FB

Explore Cooking Light

Cooking Light Cooking Light
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 31-Day Healthy Meal Plan

      Our 31-day calendar of meals and tips shows you how to cook more and love it with fun, family-friendly meals that come together quickly and deliciously. Read More Next
    • Dinner Tonight: Quick and Healthy Menus in 45 Minutes (or Less)

      Hundreds of delicious recipes, paired with simple sides, that can be on your table in 45 minutes or less. Read More Next
    • Our Favorite Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

      Who ever said that chicken wings, doughnuts, and pizza couldn't be healthy? Read More Next
  • Recipes

    Recipes

    See All Recipes
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Drinks
    • Recipe Makeovers
    • Quick & Healthy
    • Diabetic
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegetarian
    • Cooking Light Live
  • Holidays

    Holidays

    See All Holidays
    • New Year, New You
    • Super Bowl
    • Valentines
    • Easter
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
  • Cooking 101

    Cooking 101

    See All Cooking 101
    • Essential Ingredients
    • Cooking Techniques
    • Meet the Chef
    • Cooking Resources
    • Budget Friendly
    • Smart Choices
  • Healthy Living

    Healthy Living

    See All Healthy Living
    • Weight-Loss
    • Health
    • Fitness
    • Home
    • Travel
    • Nutrition 101
  • Shop
  • News
  • Good.Food.Fast
  • CL Diet

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Register/Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Logout
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

CookingLight diet CookingLight diet
  1. Home Chevron Right
  2. entertaining Chevron Right
  3. 10-Minute Wine Pairing: Seared Scallops and Herb Butter Sauce

10-Minute Wine Pairing: Seared Scallops and Herb Butter Sauce

By By: Scott Jones
May 10, 2012
Skip gallery slides
Pin
Credit: Photo: Johnny Autry
This month's matchmaking finds three wine strategies for seared scallops and buttery herb sauce.
Start Slideshow

1 of 5

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

The Best Wine for Seared Scallops and Herb Butter Sauce

Credit: Photo: Johnny Autry
We have three different wine strategies to suit seared scallops and buttery herb sauce perfectly, no matter what you're looking for.

1 of 5

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 5

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Match #1: A Crisp, Fruity White

Credit: Photo: Johnny Autry
A midweight white with bright acidity plays off the tangy butter sauce and briny scallops.

ZEROING IN: Mollusks have long matched well with sauvignon blanc, but with its rich, herb-infused sauce, this dish works best with a heftier version of the varietal. Instead of a classic French sauvignon blanc, look past the Loire Valley and try one from New Zealand's Marlborough region. Vibrant citrus and fresh herbal aromas help tie a flavorful bow around each bite.

Giesen Estate, Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand, 2010 ($12)

Yealands, Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand, 2010 ($11)

2 of 5

3 of 5

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Match #2: A Fruity But Gutsy Rosé

Credit: Photo: Johnny Autry
A dry blush, with hints of white and red, is versatile enough to navigate the recipe's mix of textures and flavors.

ZEROING IN: Packed with berry aromas and refreshing acidity, rosés from France's Rhône Valley are custom built for the dish's herbs and garlicky beans. These dry wines have a wet-stone mineral quality that echoes the delicate sea saltiness in the scallops. Or, try a Spanish rosé made from tempranillo grapes in the same style.

Mas Carlot, Rosé, France, 2010 ($12)

Marqués de Cáceres, Rosado, Spain, 2010 ($10)

3 of 5

Advertisement

4 of 5

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Match #3: A Dry, Sparkling Wine

Credit: Photo: Johnny Autry
A brut sparkler delivers palate-cleansing bubbles and a touch of tartness to liven up the scallops.

ZEROING IN: When it comes to sparkling wine, nonvintage (NV) brut is the most food-friendly, and there are plenty of terrific values made in the traditional Champagne method coming out of California. Look for bruts using all or mostly chardonnay grapes, which deliver zippy acidity and just enough richness to handle both the buttery sauce and the robust roasted beans.

Barefoot Bubbly, Brut Cuvée Champagne, NV, California ($10)

Korbel, Chardonnay Champagne, NV, California ($11)

4 of 5

5 of 5

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Oops! Mismatch

Credit: Photo: Johnny Autry
Tongue-drying tannins are like kryptonite to the demure scallops, so avoid even midweight reds like merlot and Spanish Rioja. In fact, most reds, with their dark fruit and spice, overpower most seafood (except oily-rich tuna or salmon).

5 of 5

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By By: Scott Jones

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 5 The Best Wine for Seared Scallops and Herb Butter Sauce
2 of 5 Match #1: A Crisp, Fruity White
3 of 5 Match #2: A Fruity But Gutsy Rosé
4 of 5 Match #3: A Dry, Sparkling Wine
5 of 5 Oops! Mismatch

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
Cooking Light

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • Cooking Light Diet this link opens in a new tab
  • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
  • Advertise
  • Content Licensing
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Cooking Light is part of the Allrecipes Food Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Cooking Light may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Statementthis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.cookinglight.com

View image

10-Minute Wine Pairing: Seared Scallops and Herb Butter Sauce
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.