The best wine pairings for ravioli and other filled pasta

Just as pasta pairings are all about the sauce, stuffed pasta such as ravioli are all about the filling so you need to take account of what that’s based on and any accompanying sauce. 

Seafood is obviously going to need a different style of wine from a meaty filling like ox cheek.

That said Italian wines are generally pretty flexible - and well priced so they’re always a safe bet to fall back on.

Seafood-based ravioli

Ravioli are often filled with delicate seafood like lobster and crab in fine dining restaurants - and paired with white burgundy or other cool climate chardonnay like this match of langoustine ravioli with a top Chilean chardonnay

Oaked white Bordeaux would be a good choice too as it was with this prawn raviolo

Another good option would be blanc de blancs champagne or champagne-style sparkling wine

Meat-based ravioli

There’s quite a range of fillings here from mild savoury-tasting ham and cheese to robust wintry ox cheek. With the sort of ready-made cheese and ham tortelloni you find at the supermarket I’d drink a glass of Italian white wine like a Soave or a Gavi. If it was a more sophisticated restaurant dish like this veal ravioli you could go for a serious red like a barolo

Again, the kind of beef ravioli with red wine you find in the supermarket isn’t that intense. I’d probably go for a medium-bodied Italian red with that - Chianti would work or even a merlot or malbec. But if it’s a rich ox cheek filling think something more robust - a barbera, a modern Tuscan red, a nero d’avola or a zinfandel.

And if it’s the good old fashioned tinned ravioli with tomato sauce? A cheap and cheerful Sicilian red or a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo!

Veg-based ravioli

Butternut squash and pumpkin are really popular as a filling for ravioli, often served with brown butter and sage. There’s a sweetness and richness in both which calls for a rich white like a chardonnay, old vine chenin blanc or, as I discovered a while back, an oak-aged Douro white. I also really like a good Soave especially with a bit of bottle age.

Spinach and ricotta is another popular filling with which I’d pair a white wine but a lighter, crisper style than for pumpkin. Italian gavi or verdicchio for example or, outside Italy, an albarino would work well.

And with mushroom ravioli - as with everything else mushroomy - pinot noir goes really well. Or a creamy chardonnay

Photo by IriGri at shutterstock.com

The best wine pairings with cheese fondue, raclette and tartiflette

Even if you’re not currently on the slopes you might want to take your chance to make one of the great ski-food classics, fondue, raclette or tartiflette. 

This post dives into my choice wine pairings - and favourite recipes - for these indulgent Alpine dishes. 

All, of course, involve melted cheese which isn’t the easiest thing to pair with wine, especially reds. In general (but not always) I’d go for crisp or aromatic white wines of the kind that are popular in the regions from which these dishes originate and avoid full-bodied, tannic reds.

Here are a few wine suggestions that I think work best with fondue, raclette and tartiflette:

Cheese fondue

The best wine I’ve found for fondue is a crisp dry white such as Swiss Chasselas or a Chignin or Roussette from Savoie. These wines are relatively hard to come by, however, but other crisp dry whites can work.

Muscadet, Chablis, dry Alsace or Austrian riesling or a young grüner veltliner would all be fine. If you fancy a red make it a fresh, light-bodied one like a young red burgundy, gamay or Dole. Or a poulsard from the Jura.

And here’s my favourite fondue recipe!

Raclette

Here potatoes and sometimes cold meats are involved which mitigates the intense cheesiness. I’d still go for a similar crisp white as the above but it could take a slightly more robust red like a gamay from the Auvergne or even an inexpensive Côtes du Rhône.

Tartiflette

Image by AS Foodstudio at shutterstock.com

Tartiflette is like a super-charged gratin dauphinoise, with added bacon and Reblochon cheese. It originally comes from Savoie so again those wines I recommend with cheese fondue will work well. You could also try a savagnin or a Coteaux du Jura. (There’s a good recipe here in Felicity Cloake’s excellent ‘The Perfect’ series for the Guardian. Or try my slightly less time consuming après-work tartiflette. 

Top image © stockcreations at shutterstock.com

Vegan Food and Wine Pairing: How to Pair Wine with Vegan Food

With media interest in vegan food and vegan-friendly wine at an unprecedented high, you might wonder what sort of wines pair with vegan food best. Is it even OK to drink wine with vegan food? How do I know if my wine is vegan? And how do I craft plant-based wine pairings as good as their carnivorous counterparts? So here’s the lowdown.

What makes vegan wine vegan?

Vegans are only slightly more restricted than vegetarians when it comes to wine drinking. The issue is in the fining process which removes any solid particles from the wine. Some wines are fined with animal products like gelatin and isinglass (fish bladder) which rules them out for both vegetarians and vegans. Other producers, particularly of fine wines, use egg whites which would obviously be unacceptable to vegans. Some wines, however, are unfined for extra flavour and texture so those wouldn’t cause any problems.

How do I know if wine is vegan?

Fortunately most supermarket own label wines specify whether they’re suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Many online retailers give this information on branded wines too though in the absence of this it makes sense to check with the producer for reassurance. Retailers are also increasingly making it easy to find vegan wines online.

Vegan wine beyond just the drinking

That said veganism carries with it a whole approach to food which may affect your attitude to wine. You may well want to avoid wines made from vines that are treated with pesticides or to which products like enzymes are added. Organic and biodynamic wines are likely to appeal.

You may also be attracted by wines that are made from indigenous or wild yeasts or which use a minimum of or no added sulphur in which case you should look out for so-called ‘natural’ wines, a somewhat controversial description which basically refers to wines that are made with what is referred to as ‘minimal intervention’.

Vegan Wine Pairing Fundamentals

The style of food you’re eating will always have implications for the type of wine you drink. If your diet is largely plant-based you may find white wines are a better match though pulses like lentils and beans and richly flavoured ingredients such as aubergines (eggplant) and mushrooms can easily handle the tannins of a medium to full-bodied red. Raw dishes like salads tend to work well with crisp whites and rosés.

But as with meat, fish and dairy it’s more about the way you cook a dish than the base ingredient. Tofu, for example, has no significant flavour of its own - it depends what you put with it.

Five-spiced tofu nuggets by Elly Curshen; the pairing is more about the sauce than the tofu!

Spicy foods pair with wines with a touch of sweetness like a pinot gris or riesling while umami-rich Japanese dishes generally go with wines that are aged on their lees like white burgundy, muscadet and champagne, as well, of course, as sake.

Read on for more wine pairing ideas for various types of vegan cuisines and vegetables.

Vegan Wine with Vegan Food: The Plant-Based Pairings are Endless

Pairing wine with vegan food follows the same fundamentals as any dish; it’s all about pairing complimentary flavors and textures to create a harmonious balance that elevates both the food and the wine. To find the perfect vegan wine for your meal, start with the ingredients. To give you a head start, here are my wine pairing suggestions for popular vegan ingredients (and the dishes that are made from them):

Mushroom Wine Pairings - the king of umami, with wine pairing options as diverse as Champagne, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon, depending on the dish.

Cauliflower Wine Pairings - Especially grilled or roasted cauliflower, in which case go for a white Rhône or similar blend or an oaked white rioja.

Eggplant/Aubergine Wine Pairings - Usually a hearty dry red! But for cold eggplant dishes, go for a dry rosé.

Zucchini / Courgette Wine Pairings - It’s more about the flavours you put with them than the ingredient itself, but typically we’re talking a crisp unoaked white wine more than a red.

Red and Green Pepper Wine Pairings - Again, it all depends on how they are cooked. Red pepper soup pairs well with a dry white like a picpoul or albarino, while rich and sweet grilled peppers goes better with a young rioja. You’ll find more wine suggestions for specific pepper dishes in the post.

Squash and Pumpkin Wine Pairings - An autumn favourite. Roast squash tends to favour rich white wines like oak-aged chardonnay whereas pumpkin or butternut squash soup would generally work better with an unoaked one. Similarly for squash salads.

Kale Wine Pairings - A slightly bitter vegetable which can make wines taste sweeter so you may want to choose a slightly drier fresher style

Brussels Sprouts Wine Pairings - Yes, sprouts! Particularly vegan recipes for sprouts that include citrus, where a white wine with tropical fruit goes well (think a sauvignon-semillon blend or a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc)

Vegan Wine and Popular Cuisines

Veganism is not limited to any particular cuisine, and neither should be the wines that accompany plant-based dishes. That said, there are several cuisines from around the world that lend themselves particularly well to vegan dining, and thus should influence your wine match:

1. Asian Cuisine: and I don’t just mean stir-fry. The flavors of Asian cuisine can vary greatly depending on the part of the continent you’re in. For aromatic vegan Thai or Vietnamese dishes, think aromatic or fruity whites like Gewurztraminer or Alsace Pinot Gris (see more wine pairings for Thai food). As for Chinese food, be guided by the most intensely flavoured dish - see my extensive list of Chinese wine pairings to guide you.

2. Middle Eastern Cuisine: a classic vegan option with its myriad fresh ingredients and vibrant flavors. Where a classic mezze involves such dishes from falafel to fattoush to vine leaves to hummus, my friend Sally Prosser suggests reaching for rosé (see more about what to drink with Middle Eastern food).

3. Mexican Cuisine: Mexican cuisine is full of bold flavors and vibrant spices. Of course, you could be tempted by a margarita or even a beer - both superb vegan drink options that go with Mexican food. But wine can work, too, particularly sauvignon blanc or a dry rosé. See my wine, beer and other pairings for Mexican food and six of the best drinks to pair with tacos.

4. Indian Cuisine: India has a long-standing tradition of vegetarianism with a cuisine rich in plant-based ingredients including pulses, grains, vegetables, and spice. It’s also one of the more challenging cuisines to pair as the dishes vary so wildly in both flavour, texture, and of course heat. Read my guide on what to pair with curry for some ideas.

Vegan recipes with wine pairings 

Here’s a round-up of favourite vegan recipes I’ve collected which are really so good they deserve a suitable wine pairing. Click through the links for the recipe and wine pairing suggestions to match.

Roast Pumpkin with Savoury Sage & Pumpkin Seed Granola from Daniel Acevedo

Baingan Bharta - Indian Roasted Smoky Eggplant from Romy Gill

Parsnip, Miso, Oat and Shallot Boulangere from Gizzi Erskine

Burmese Mango Salad with Peanut and Lime from Meera Sodha

More vegan food and wine inspiration:

See all of my posts on wine pairings for vegetable and salad dishes

Which wines to pick with vegetarian food

6 vegan recipes that meat eaters will love

Top image ©shellygraphy at shutterstock.com

Which wine to drink with a galette des rois?

Although Christmas might feel firmly over many people will be celebrating Twelfth Night on January 6th or even a couple of days before. 

In France they mark the occasion with a Galette des Rois - a round cake filled with frangipane (almond paste) and topped with a golden paper crown.

As with Christmas pudding, a hidden trinket is baked inside the cake, in this case a bean or ‘feve’ or little china figurine. Whoever gets the bean becomes queen or king for the day and can choose their consort. And the rest of the family has to do what they say. Or so the theory goes . . .

What to pair with a galette des rois?

Being a celebratory occasion the French would be inclined to crack open a bottle of bubbly. Not necessarily champagne - that’s more for New Year’s Eve - but a local sparkling wine like Crémant d’Alsace, Crémant de Bourgogne or Crémant de Limoux.

You could also serve a slightly sweeter wine like a demi-sec sparkling Vouvray or Montlouis, a Clairette de Die or, crossing the border into Italy, a Moscato d’Asti or a prosecco.

A light dessert wine such as Coteaux du Layon or a sweet Gaillac would also be delicious and I have enjoyed a Muscat de St Jean de Minervois locally in the Languedoc

There’s a recipe here if you want to make one yourself or you can watch the delightful Raymond Blanc making one on YouTube.

If you read French here’s some more detailed advice on wine pairing for galettes from top sommelier Enrico Bernado.

Since posting this I’ve discovered - thanks to Twitter - there are Spanish and Portuguese equivalents to the galette des rois: the Rosca de Reyes and Bolo Rei respectively. Coincidentally Nigel Slater has also given a recipe for one in the Observer.

According to blogger Joan Gómez Pallarès and wine writer Luis Gutierrez there seems to be some divergence about when you eat it in Spain - probably depending which part of the country you’re in. Luis says it’s usually served at breakfast the morning of January 6th, the day of Reyes Magos (the 3 wise men) or for afternoon tea with moscatel, mistela, PX, off-dry cava or other sweet wines. Or, again, tea or coffee. @carlosleira suggested hot chocolate

Joan however says “No coffee with a roscón, at least in Catalonia: we eat it at lunch time, as dessert. VND, VDN or sweet cava” He suggests the méthode ancestral from Garraf Massif, the Malvasia dulce from Freixenet, a vin doux naturel from la Axarquía or a muscat of Alexandria.

In Portugal the obvious pairing would be a tawny or colheita port according to @niepoortwines. Who, of course, make port . . . ;-)