Muscadet: as at home with the yardbird as with the oyster
Let’s talk about fried chicken. It is a perfect food (when made correctly, of course): the tender, moist interior and the crunchy, salty, skin do that magic contrast act that gets our tastebuds out of bed in the morning. And cooking the bird in breaded pieces rather than whole improves upon nature with respect to the crunch/meat ratio.
You can add a third axis to this contrast by introducing Domaine de la Pepiere Muscadet Clos des Briords to the mix. The lean, mineral-laden core (it is from 80-year-old vines planted in schist) offsets the fried richness, while the wine’s saline component cozies up to the food’s own saltiness. Clos des Briords is conveniently also appropriate for biscuits, mac and cheese, hush puppies, and the green salad you need afterwards to tell yourself you had a balanced meal. This single-vineyard Muscadet isn’t single-minded when it comes to food.
If you don’t have the time to marinate your chicken several hours ahead of time, or can’t make up your mind on whether you’re in the buttermilk or no-buttermilk camp, or have never quite mastered the dry-hand/wet-hand/dry-hand battering technique (who has three hands, anyway?), or simply don’t want to spatter your kitchen with hot frying oil, you are still in luck. Pies ‘n’ Thighs in Williamsburg does a beautiful job making classic, simple, perfectly-seasoned, moist and crispy fried chicken - check them out! They have pie, too.