The Wine to Drink with Tomatoes, Corn, and Zucchini
Pairings for the seasonal harvest.
by Erin Henderson
It's August. Of course, corn, tomatoes, and zucchini are everywhere you look. These prolific crops are pushing out mountains of vegetables, leaving home gardeners and seasonal cooks desperately searching for new and inventive ways to prepare them.
From pasta to soups to breads to salads, few of us will be left unscathed from the onslaught of August’s harvest’s headliners. And most of us are very, very happy to be.
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As always, maximizing the wine pairing is a considered task. First and foremost, the tastes of the people around the table; and, after that, the flavours, textures, and temperatures of the dish. What you drink with corn and crab curry will differ from what your drink with corn and basil risotto.
With that in mind, the pairings below are a wide brush. General enough to work with most dishes, but not so broad they lack integrity. To reach as many interests as possible, I offer a compliment pairing, something that will mirror the flavours of the food, as well as a contrast pairing, the black to the dish’s white, if you will.
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Tomatoes
Some might consider the Lycopersicon esculentum the Queen of all summer produce – it’s not called Eggplant Girl Summer, now is it? Whether you want to rate the popularity of vegetables, is up to you, but, there’s no denying, tomatoes are what most chefs are swooning over right now. From simple pastas to caprese salads and the chic tomato tatin (or more homey tomato pie), there’s no shortage of tomato offerings.
Compliment: Don’t forget tomatoes are a relatively sweet fruit and very high in acid. To compliment this flavour and structure go with a wine that is also fruity and bright with lip-smacking acid. Rosé, with its berry-forward flavours and freshness work very well, especially with raw tomatoes.
Contrast: To offer a bit of gravitas, especially with cooked tomato dishes, Barbera, a low-tannin, but brightly acidic red wine from Piedmont offers a nice pairing.
Recipe to Try: Caprese Salad
Corn
There are very few vegetables I get as excited about as when corn season hits. I grew up in a farm-adjacent community, and fresh cobs were only a bike ride away. I’ll have corn everyday while it’s in season, and never (unless frozen) outside of the late-summer harvest.
Compliment: Corn’s naturally sweet, buttery flavours are a no-brainer for creamy Chardonnay. Especially when mixed into creamy risottos and silky soups, it’s a banger of a pairing.
Contrast: To loan some brightness to the rich, sweet corn, go for a wine that has a good backbone of acid to mop up some of that sugar. A brut Champagne or sparkling wine make for a luxe pairing, popping bubbles with popping kernels.
Recipe to Try: Mexican Corn Salad
Zucchini
Love it or hate it, zucchini abounds these days. No matter how you feel about it, it’s definitely making its presence known on menus around the city.
Compliment: Zucchini, of course, has a green, vegetal note, with firm flesh that’s of medium weight. To match that verdant flavour and partner with the weight, Sancerre, a Sauvignon Blanc from Loire matches for both flavour and body.
Contrast: Believe it or not, you can enjoy red wines with vegetables. Stick to low-tannin wines since the food lacks the protein required to help smooth wine's bold tannins, and aim for a wine that does have some herbal elements. Montepulciano, with its earthy flavours of black olive and bay leaf with moderate acidity works very well, especially when the zucchini is served with tomatoes or charred over a fire.
Recipe to Try: Pitelle di Zucchine
