Pair it up! Pistachios? Yes, Pistachios!

What goes with pistachio dip you may ask??

If you're anything like me, you're probably asking, what the hell kind of wine pairs with pistachios?

Vermentino?

Impossible?

The revered San Francisco restaurant Bar Tartine launched their cookbook, Bar Tartine: Techniques & Recipes, late last year. It's a beautiful book and many of its pages are dedicated to techniques in the pantry: sprouting, curing, dehydrating, making powders, vinegars, pickles, and syrups. In a short time, this book has gained the admiration of professionals and home cooks alike. In the fall, Bon Appétit Magazine published one of the book's most talked about recipes, Pistachio Dip. It's a relatively easy and very delicious combination of pistachios, herbs, garlic, oil and citrus. This made me ask, what goes with pistachio dip? Is this an impossible pairing? I took up the challenge.

First of all, this is the kind of dish that is built for Sherry. The nuttiness of a dry oloroso, amontillado, or palo cortado sings with the pistachios and the acidity will match the citrus in the dish. The herbs and the garlic clashed with most of the red wines I tried. In fact, while many whites were okay as an accompaniment, none were truly worth recommending. The true hero came in the form of bubble, a glass of bright and refreshing Spanish sparkling Cava that dazzled.

Some dishes offer up pairings so easily and others make you work for it. In saying that, if you're looking for a local bubble to try, Tawse's Spark Blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay should easily do the trick.

Jake Skakun is a writer and sommelier from Vancouver, currently living in Toronto. He can be found most days pulling corks and twisting caps at the Black Hoof. He Tweets and Instagrams @jakeskakun.