How to Pair Wine With Seafood Gumbo

Seafood gumbo is a bold, rich stew that usually features shrimp, crawfish, okra, hot peppers, sausage and crab or fish. Choose a wine that compliments its balance of light seafood and heavy spices.

• 1

  Taste the gumbo and consider the ingredients in it, especially the spices. Pair it with a viognier, a type of white wine, to offset the gumbo's spices.

• 2

  If your gumbo contains shellfish such as shrimp or crab, avoid serving red wine; the iodine in the shellfish will make a red wine taste metallic, according to "Food and Wine" magazine.

• 3

  Base your wine pairing on the spiciness of the gumbo, rather than exclusively on the seafood.

• 4

  Look for a light, crisp, semisweet to less dry wine as a foil for the spicy gumbo.

• 5

  Taste several complimentary wines and serve the one you most prefer to drink. Try a dry Rose wine from Spain or France, a pinot blanc from Oregon, a sauvignon blanc from New Zealand or a white zinfandel from California.