Serving something spicy and sweet? Reach for a Vidal Blanc.

The easy, super delicious hot honey chicken dish I made as part of the MO HIves episode is a perfect match with the dry Vidal Blanc from Edg-Clif Vineyard, Winery and Brewery in Potosi, Missouri. The wine is refreshing and crisp, dry yet fruity. It offers clean stone fruit, citrus and orange blossom notes, and is fresh and summery, a wonderful foil for the sweet heat of the hot honey chicken.

Vidal Blanc, (pronounced vee-dahl blahnk) is a French-American hybrid varietal that is known for its hardiness and ability to tolerate colder climates due to its thicker skin. Vidal Blanc was developed by a French grape breeder in the 1930s and has since found a home in Missouri wine country. This grape is often produced as a single varietal wine that varies from dry to semi-dry, and is sometimes used in blends and produced as a sweet, dessert-style wine.

Vidal Blanc is characterized by large grape clusters with small russet dots on the grapes themselves. Although the vines of this varietal are fairly winter hardy, they are susceptible to several fungus diseases. Vidal Blanc is harvested during the early fall, and this varietal's grape clusters are resistant to rot - they can stay on the vine for longer than other varietals, like Seyval Blanc. Vidal Blanc is processed as a white wine and not fermented on the skins.