Best Wine Pairings for Port House® Crab Cakes
Looking for the best type of wine for your Port House® crab cakes? Let’s start by learning a little about crab cakes!
Crab cakes, one of Maryland’s culinary claims to fame, are popular year-round. Perfect for any occasion, they make an easy, elegant dining presentation for summer gatherings, holidays and special celebrations.
If you search for Maryland crab cake recipes, or order them in a restaurant, you will find that besides using crab meat, the recipes used to create them vary greatly, and so does their taste. Most use ingredients such as mayonnaise, eggs, milk, a bread crumb-based filler, and seasonings.
Port House® crab cakes, however, are made with a unique recipe that highlights the sweet taste and delicate nature of crab meat. Our homemade recipe uses all lump and jumbo lump crab meat, and contains no eggs or breadcrumbs—it is gluten-free and the foundation for a phenomenal gastronomic experience!
Fun Pair Ups for a Memorable Meal
With its crispy exterior and moist, savory interior with just the right amount of seasoning, Port House Grill crab cakes pair well with medium-bodied whites and sparkling wines. These wines will complement the delicate flavors in your crab cakes without overpowering them. Avoid wines described as buttery or oaky, and those that are sweet or sugary. Think light and crisp. For red wine lovers, there are also a few types of red wine that also pair well with our crab cakes.
Import Wine Buyer Joe Buchter from State Line Liquors, an iconic liquor store in Maryland known for its large selection of wines, beer, and spirits, was gracious and happy to share his expert recommendations for specific wines in each of the categories described below to help you find the perfect pairing for your Port House Grill crab cake dining experience. If you are local to the Delmarva area, you can pick up our crab cakes at State Line Liquors just off I-95 in Maryland as well as get great advice about all of their wines and other products from Joe and the rest of its well-trained staff.
White Wines
The classic wine pairing with crab cakes, you can’t go wrong with these medium-bodied whites and sparkling wines.
Champagne or Cava
Sparkling wines pair particularly well with crab cakes. Crisp and dry sparkling wines help to clear the palate with each bite making it a perfect fit for a crab cake meal.
Unoaked Chardonnay undergoes fermentation in stainless steel vats. It has more fruity and lean notes of green apple, lemon, and pineapple with a long and fresh finish. Oaked Chardonnay is fermented and aged in oak barrels, which imparts flavors into the wine that resemble sweet vanilla, caramel, and butter which may be a bit overwhelming for pairing with our Port House Grill crab cakes.
When shopping for a Chardonnay to pair with Port House Grill crab cakes, choose one that is unoaked, with a description of being “naked,” or characterized as crisp, floral, or fruity with fresh notes of green apple or lemon.
Joe’s recommendation:
Champagne (French sparkling wine):
Charles Orban, Carte Noire
Cava (Spanish sparkling wine)
Segura Viudas
Chardonnay
Chardonnay can be a perfect match with crab cakes, or it can a bit overwhelming. Depending on how it is fermented and aged (oaked or unoaked), Chardonnay imparts different flavors and may have an intensely buttery flavor.
Joe’s Recommendation:
Pouilly-Fuisse’ Courtelong / Claude Manciat (France)
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Pinot Blanc
Pinot Blanc are white wines that come from the Alsace region in France, California, or Oregon, and have flavors that range from apples to pears to peaches, and citrus notes. As a whole, they do not have an overly acidic taste. Their texture is smooth and soft. Pinot Blanc is a nice alternative to a Chardonnay.
Joe’s Recommendation:
Helioterra 2019 Pinot Blanc (Domestic, Oregon)
Pinot Grigio
Pinot Grigio is an excellent match for seafood, including crab cakes. This wine has a delicate aroma of citrus and apple, which will complement the crab cake’s taste and texture, and its crisp acidity will enhance the flavors in this dish.
Joe’s Recommendation:
Braide Grande Pinot Grigio Collio (Italy)
Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is also a great match to pair with Port House Grill crab cakes. The crisp, fruity flavor without too much sweetness complements the natural fresh crab flavor and seasonings used.
Joe’s Recommendations:
Mohua Sauvignon Blanc 2020 (New Zealand)
Wine Pairings for Red Lovers
It’s not often that you’ll find red wines paired with seafood. Usually, they have a bold palate that can overwhelm delicate flavors like seafood and chicken. But the wines below are perfect pairing with Port House Grill crab cakes for those who don’t want to switch wines at dinnertime!
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is light and fruity and pairs well with seafood in general, and our crab cakes in particular. It is less tannic or astringent than many other red wines and helps to balance out the rich flavor of your crab cakes. It’s also a great pairing for those who prefer sweeter wines.
Joe’s Recommendation:
Planet Oregon 2021 / Willamette Valley Pinot Noir (Domestic, Oregon)
Red Blend
The phrase “red blend” refers to red wines that are made from different types of grapes blended together, rather than a wine made from just one single type of grape. Red blends can be made anywhere from very dry, to very sweet depending on who’s making them.”
Joe’s Recommendation:
Valpolicella Classico Ca’La Bionda (Italy)
Ready to create an exceptional culinary experience? Our Port House® crab cakes come ready to pop in the oven—all you need to do is choose the perfect wine to pair them with—based on your personal favorite wine type and some of the tips in this post. Ship our crab cakes now for nationwide delivery or pick them up at a local retailer, Bon Appetite’!