By: Liz Miller, Hop City Wine Manager
404 Day is upon us, and what better way to celebrate than with lemon pepper [insert food of choice here]. Recently The Infatuation wrote an article about how ATLiens will lemon pepper anything - including Avize’s own lemon pepper frog legs. While I’m not here to tell you where to get your lemon peeper fix, I would love to share a handful of wines that I think would pair well with the holiest of Atlanta seasonings.
$30.99 Família Pujol-Busquets “Aus” pét-nat
Light and refreshing on the palate with notes of sweet alyssum, pear and fennel - with a subtle background of green almond. As a tribute to all those who sing their melodies in the vineyard, this wine along with their others are named after the birds that live in the Serralada de Marina’s Natural Park. These electrifying bubbles will pair beautifully with our own state bird, the lemon pepper chicken.
$22.99 Borgo Paglianetto “Petrara” Verdicchio
This Verdicchio is harvested later and riper than is typical, so it has a bit more color and texture - but without sacrificing its ephemeral mineral quality. There’s an irresistible frangipani and green almond aspect to it with a presence of salinity on the back palate. This wine would pair well with just about anything, but we suggest pairing it Phew Pies’ lemon pepper wet pizza.
$30.99 Bow & Arrow Chenin Blanc
As the label suggests, this wine may as well have been placed here by the hand of God. Chenin Blanc is considered an “unviable” varietal in the Willamette Valley, and therefore was a holy grail grape for Bow & Arrow’s Scott Frank to grow - at that point, all of the Chenin in the Willamette Valley had been pulled out decades before. The grapes for this wine were left to hang until they were fully ripe and speckled - this adds a beautiful texture and tinge of sweetness to the wine’s bright acidity. Pair this bottle with J.R. Cricket’s lemon pepper wet wings - originally called “Fester” wings, and changed after Donald Glover’s character Earnest “Earns” Marks asked for the mythical menu option in the hit television series Atlanta.
$19.99 Voštinić Klasnić “Škrlet”
This wine is a spring day packed into a bottle - a bright beam of sunshine whenever you may find the need. With higher acidity and low alcohol - this wine is light, playful, refreshing, and easy to drink. Pair this sucker with a How Crispy Express lemon pepper wet chicken sandwich.
Wine and lemon pepper have a history in Atlanta - and it's a little known fact amongst Atlanta wine professionals that Lopez de Heredia’s “Gravonia” blanco is the perfect pairing for J.R. Cricket’s lemon pepper dry wings. I took a bottle myself when I passed my WSET II exam, and can personally attest to such a scrumptious pairing.
All proceeds from this sticker will go to supporting the future education of someone in the Atlanta wine community.
