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Narsai David Wine Review: 2012 Pacific Coast Oyster Wine Competition

Louisiana Oysters
Louisiana Oysters (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

 
Narsai David is the KCBS Food and Wine Editor. He has been a successful restaurateur, chef, TV host, and columnist in the Bay Area spanning four decades. You can hear him Saturdays at 10:53am, 12:53pm and 4:53pm, and at 2:53am Sunday on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

SEATTLE, WA (KCBS) - Few wines go well with raw oysters because of the combination of minerals, sweetness and the flavor of the sea. That's what makes the Pacific Coast Oyster Wine Competition such a fun contest to judge.

Many wines from California, Oregon and Washington were entered for the 18th annual event put on by Taylor Shellfish Farms, which first asks one set of judges to narrow the selection down to 20. Those are then tasted by a separate group of judges in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.

Finally a composite score was put together to determine the top ten, announced at the end of April.

KCBS Food and Wine Editor Narsai David:

You just can't help but enjoy yourself with this one. The rules for deciding which wine best accompanies an oyster require that you first pop the oyster into your mouth, chew, then sip the wine.

Otherwise you might decide in advance how much you like the wine if you swirl it, smell and sip first.

Taste the oyster first, and you'll be looking for something light and clean with a crisp finish. Things like pinot grigio, pinot blanc and sauvignon blanc are consistently the top winners.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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