Pairing: Crisp gewurztraminer complements buttery fondue

Don’t drink our Wine of the Week, Husch 2015 Anderson Valley Dry Gewurztraminer ($15), when you have a cold or bad allergies, as you will miss one of its most beguiling aspects, its remarkably generous and beautiful bouquet.

On a cool night, you’ll feel as if you’ve fallen face down into a meadow of flowers, as scents of rose, citrus flowers, jasmine, wild ginger and grapefruit zest envelop you. These qualities remain as you sip the wine, especially if you pay attention and breath in slowly.

On the palate, the wine is lush and full, with a crispness on the finish that keeps you refreshed.

At the table, you’ll enjoy this wine with classic Quiche Lorraine, lobster with ginger butter and something as simple as a grilled cheese sandwich made with Munster cheese and maybe a dollop of apricot chutney.

It’s lovely with mild Indian dishes, especially chicken or vegetable biryani, and quite good with pastas with cream-based sauces. The wine is also outstanding with onions that have been cooked long enough to release their sweet flavors, as in an onion pie, tart or galette.

Today’s recipe is a classic pairing, with cheese and caramelized onions to engage the wine in this voluptuous fondue. It is adapted from a recipe in “Great Party Fondues” by Peggy Fallon (John Wiley & Sons, 2008).

If you don’t have a fondue pot, you can use a warmed clay pot, which tends to hold heat. Otherwise, leave the fondue in the saucepan and set it on a metal stand over a low candle flame. Fondue pots are fairly easy to find at thrift stores.

Gruyere Fondue ?with Caramelized Onions

Serves 4 to 6 as a main course, 10 to 12 as an appetizer

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced

3/4 teaspoon Herbes de Provence

- Kosher Salt

- Black pepper in a mill

11/2 pounds Gruyere de Comte, grated

11/2 tablespoon cornstarch

1 large garlic clove, crushed

11/2 cups dry white wine

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

- Dash of smoked paprika or ground cayenne

1 loaf rustic hearth bread of choice, torn or cut into bite-sized chunks

- Sliced fennel, sliced celery, oven-roasted mushrooms, broiled chicken drumettes and/or fried and sliced sausages, for dipping

Put the butter and olive oil in a large sauté pen set over medium-low heat. Add the onions, turn to coat with the fat, add Herbes de Provence, and season with salt and several turns of black pepper. Cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes.

Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soften and have taken on a bit of color, 35 to 45 minutes more.

Put the cheese and cornstarch into a large bowl and toss together.

Rub the inside of a medium saucepan with the crushed garlic and then discard it. Add the wine, vinegar and pinch of paprika or cayenne.

When the liquid almost boils, reduce the heat to low and stir in the cheese mixture, small handful by small handful.

Be certain each addition is melted before adding more. Set aside about 1/4 cup of the caramelized onions and stir the rest into the mixture. Taste and correct for salt and pepper.

Transfer to a ceramic or enameled cast iron fondue pot and set on its stand over a low flame. Scatter the reserved onions over the top.

Serve right away, with long forks for swirling bread and other ingredients in the fondue.

Michele Anna Jordan is author of the new “Good Cook’s” series. Email her at michele@micheleannajordan.com and visit her blog at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.