Best Wine Pairings for Dungeness Crab Fettuccine Alfredo: Expert Tips & Tasting Notes
winemaking style reflects her love of wild foods. Taking a minimalist, but detail-oriented
approach, Jessica strives to make balanced wines that express the unique character of
the vineyards she sources from.
Among other outdoor activities, Jessica enjoys foraging mushrooms and hunting upland
game and waterfowl, appreciating the deeper connection to the outdoors that these
pursuits bring. Dedicated to knowing the source of her food, Jessica is an avid cook
who loves pairing food and wine.
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By: Jessica Boone, Winemaker at Passalacqua Winery
Original Recipe By: Katie Wiley
I love it when crab season opens on the North Coast. One of my favorite winter evenings is spent cracking and eating crab with a glass of bubbles. My go-to is to eat it plain, maybe dipped in a little clarified butter, so I can really taste the fresh, sweet flavor of the meat. I recently found myself at the local market, which was showcasing fresh crab, and couldn’t resist buying a few. I had been wanting to try Harvesting Nature’s Crab Fettuccine Alfredo recipe by Field Staff Writer Katie Wiley, so I gave it a whirl.
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Recipe Notes
This is a solid recipe—creamy, cheesy, and easy to pull together. I used fresh pasta but dried is great too. If you do use fresh, I recommend cooking al dente as the pasta will keep cooking after adding it to the warm cream sauce. I also added a touch of pasta water to thin the sauce and prevent any clumping. Rather than adding all the crab to the pasta at once, I prefer to portion it out onto each plate (plus the crab looks so mouthwatering piled on top of the pasta). Since I did a tasting trial to see which wines pair best with this dish, I omitted the seasoning blends on top—just salt, fresh cracked pepper, parsley and more parm.
Pairing Notes
Overall, this dish is very versatile and will pair with a variety of white wines, and even some lighter reds like a Pinot, so don’t feel constrained by my recommendations.
I originally thought Sauvignon Blanc would be my favorite because I love to pair it with plain crab. It turns out the cream sauce made the acidity in the Sauvignon Blanc taste extra punchy and too sharp, which clashed with the garlic.
Next, I moved on to Chardonnay. Passalacqua makes three different Chardonnays, each with their own distinct style. Tasting the pasta alongside all three, I really loved our Rued Clone Chardonnay with the crab alfredo. This wine has a nice weight and richness on the palate which harmonizes beautifully with the sauce. This Chardonnay also has a citrusy brightness which complemented the crab and accentuated the sweetness of the meat.
Lastly, I tried one of our Pinot Noirs. The Quince Russian River Pinot Noir has a soft, fruit forward style which could work with this dish if you were really in the mood for a Pinot. However, I thought this wine overtook the flavor of the crab while the creaminess of the sauce accentuated its tannins.
Closing Notes
At the end of the day, we should drink wines we enjoy. We each have a different sense of taste and smell, along with our own preferences. My vote is for the Passalacqua Rued Clone Chardonnay to pair with Dungeness crab fettuccine alfredo. Every bite and sip enhanced the original flavors of the dish while the pairing yielded new ones.
