1934 What Shall We Drink by Magnus Bredenbek

Chapter XII White Wines—How and When to Serve Them White wines, different from red wines, virtually suit themselvesto mostfoods which are taboo to theirrubycolored relatives. The"dry"types may be served,for instance, with oysters, clams, lobster, shell fish of all kiuds, fish (broiled, boiled or fried),eggs, white meats,cold cuts,shrimps,pate de foie gras, lobster, chicken, sweetbreads, and, sometimes, with the hors d'oeuvres as appetizers before meals. Personally,I prefer not to drink any wines with the hors d'oeuvres. Beer or ale, plebeian though it may sound,is far preferable,and,in fact, both are assmning a real social status. Tastes differ as to the appetizer, or aperitif. Some folks hke a cocktail, others a Sherry and others, Uke myown hum ble self, beer or ale. The Sherry drinkers deem cocktail drinking before meals horrible; the cocktail drinker scoffs at the Sherry aperitif;the beer or ale drinker grins amiably and finds his appetite and digestion keener and better. Of course, to observe the niceties, I'U drink whatever the hostess pro vides for the appetizer, but the wise hostess usually provides cocktails. Sherry and beer and ale,letting each guest select as he or she wiU. But here I am, straying from my subject of the white wines. It is one of the few rules you need to know,that white wines should never be permitted to usurp the functions of the red wines. Thisis quite contrary to the rules of the red wines, asI have pointed out in the previous chapter,for wines of the Claret type and red Burgundy and sparkling reds can invade the white wine domains. White wines may be served with turkey, because of its white meat,just as red wine is adaptable,too, because of the dark turkey meat. White wines also fit in with vegetables or vegetable meals, cheese dishes, such as souffles, rarebits (rabbits), stuffed celery, all kinds of sandwiches except those

134