The best food pairings with white burgundy

White burgundy includes a multitude of wines from generic bourgogne blanc to the grandeur of a Bâtard-Montrachet or Corton-Charlemagne. But it’s the affordable wines that I’m focussing on in this post. What type of food do they pair with best?

White burgundy - and that includes Chablis - is of course chardonnay but ranges from the lean minerality of Chablis (which I’ve dealt with in a separate post on food and Chablis) to the sumptuous richness of a Meursault.

The two things that will affect your food pairing is whether the wine is oaked and the age of the wine. Oh, and the price. It’s safe to assume, barring some Chablis, that most of the more expensive wines will have received some oak ageing. Oak-aged wines like Meursault can carry richer sauces or deeply savoury dishes like roast chicken - and even turkey. But to sum it up in one word you’re on safe ground with dairy, especially cream and butter.

Anything buttery

Fish cooked in butter (like sole meunière), a buttery roast chicken, buttery sauces like hollandaise or béarnaise, potted shrimps (a British delicacy - small brown shrimps preserved in spiced (generally mace and a touch of cayenne) butter). The richer the dish the fuller-bodied wine it can take.

Creamy and even slightly cheesy sauces

So dishes like chicken pot pie, chicken with a creamy mushroom sauce or fish pie - or a cauliflower cheese (see below). Random discovery - bacon with a parsley sauce is magnificent with Meursault!

Simply cooked fish

Most fish pairs well with white burgundy but salmon - cooked simply rather than, say, given the teriyaki treatment is particularly good. That includes salmon fishcakes

Wine with salmon: 10 ways to serve salmon and the wines to pair with them

Seared scallops

Good - as you can see here - when you have a classy white burgundy such as a Puligny-Montrachet (or cheaper Saint-Aubin) to show off

Top wine pairings with scallops

Crab

Delicate white crabmeat is lovely with a young unoaked or subtly oaked white burgundy. Brown crabmeat, particularly served baked with cheese is better with a richer or more mature one

Which wines would you pair with crab?

Mushrooms

Think button or wild mushrooms such as chanterelles rather than dark, richly flavoured porcini or portobello ones which tend to be better with a red burgundy. White burgundy is great matched with a mushroom risotto (but that’s back to that creamy texture again) or even mushrooms on toast.

Which wines pair best with mushrooms?

Cauliflower purée or soup

Cooked cauliflower with a degree of caramelisation really shows off a good white burgundy. So it’s perfect for a dish that includes cauliflower purée, a cauliflower soup or on-trend cauliflower steaks.

The best wine pairings for cauliflower

Braised fennel

The ideal side to enhance the match with a good piece of fish. Fennel purée does the trick too

Chalky cheeses

Like Caerphilly and Chaource. White burgundy can be a great pairing with cheese provided it’s not too strong.

For more food pairing ideas see

Matching food and Chablis

The best food to match with chardonnay

The best pairings with red burgundy

What wine goes best with chicken - red or white?

When it comes to pairing wine with chicken, the good news is that you’re spoiled for choice.

Whether you lean toward red or white, the best pairing depends on how the chicken is prepared and your personal taste. That said, the versatility of chicken as a light meat means white wines often have the edge, with options like lightly oaked Chardonnay proving reliable across a wide range of dishes.

But don’t dismiss red wine out of hand. Certain recipes, such as coq au vin or are cooked with tomatoes and olives can happily take a red. 

I’ll also share surprising pairings for dishes like Moroccan tagine, chicken liver pâté, and fried chicken (spoiler: sparkling wine might be your new best friend). Read on for tips to elevate your next chicken dinner.

White wine pairings with chicken

Go for a lightly oaked Chardonnay or other smooth dry white like oaked Chenin Blanc or Viognier with:

• Chicken in a creamy sauce, such as chicken alfredo or creamy chicken pies
• Creamy or cheesy chicken pasta dishes like chicken tetrazzini
• Chicken caesar salad or other chicken salads with a creamy dressing
• Mild chicken curries like kormas

Aromatic white wines such as Riesling and Pinot Gris pair well with spicy chicken dishes such as

• Thai green chicken curry
• Stir-fries with chicken
• Sweet and sour chicken
• Chicken tikka masala
• Asian-style chicken noodle dishes

A crisp dry white like a Pinot Grigio, Picpoul or Sauvignon Blanc is good with

• Fried chicken dishes or Mexican-style dishes with guac, lime and coriander

Red wine pairings with chicken

• With tomato- and pepper-based sauces - try a medium-bodied southern French or Spanish red like a Côtes du Roussillon - or a Merlot
• Chicken with a barbeque sauce can take a more full-bodied red with a touch of sweetness like a Shiraz, Grenache or Zinfandel. (Not too big or oaky though. Chicken isn’t steak!)
• With chicken in a red wine sauce like coq au vin drink a similar wine to the one you use for the recipe. Burgundy is traditional but I’d probably go for a red from the Rhône or Languedoc
• dishes made from chicken livers like a chicken liver paté - light fruity reds work well with these
• And rich chicken dishes like chicken marsala can take a full-bodied red wine like an aglianico

Four favourite wine matches for coq au vin

When either red or white wine pairings would do

• Simply roast chicken. Either an oaked Chardonnay or a Pinot Noir will be great but if you’ve got a dark savoury gravy with it I’d go for a medium-bodied red like a Côtes du Rhône.
• Grilled chicken with herbs or lemon chicken. You could go for a crisp dry white as above or a light red such as a Beaujolais or other gamay
• With a Moroccan-style tagine with preserved lemon. You’d think white wine but an aged red like a rioja can work surprisingly well as you can see here

There are, of course, many other possibilities - fruity rosés also work well with spicy chicken dishes and Spanish-style chicken dishes with rice, sparkling wines with fried chicken and chicken kiev and cider is generally a great all-rounder but if you want to keep it simple, this is a start!

You may also find these posts useful:

• 8 great wine (and other) matches for roast chicken
  
  
• What to drink with chicken wings
  
  
• 6 of the best wine pairings with chicken pie
  
  
• What to drink with Coronation chicken

Photo credits: grilled chicken (top) ©gkrphoto, chicken curry ©voltan, coq au vin ©HLphoto, all at Fotolia.com

Some top food pairings for pear cider and perry

Pear cider - also known as perry - has a different taste from apple cider. It’s generally lighter, drier and more fragrant, a better match for delicate ingredients like fish.

You can treat drier styles like a dry white wine, sweeter ones almost like a dessert wine. And sparkling perries like champagne. But cheaper. Good news all round!

Here are some suggestions:

* The drier styles work particularly well with simply cooked fish or fish with a creamy sauce. Avoid strong flavours like tomato and garlic.

* Fried fish like goujons or even fish and chips

* Fishcakes and fish pie

* Fresh crab

* Seared scallops though you might want to go for a medium-dry style

* Mussels in a cream sauce marinière-style but cooked with a medium-dry perry

* Prawn or seafood cocktail or salads (medium dry styles)

* Delicate or gently spiced chicken dishes: roast chicken with tarragon. Creamy chicken pies like this chicken and leek pie. Chicken salads. Chicken terrines (but watch the chutney!)

* Pork dishes with apple or pears like this dish of pork chops with apple, fennel and onion I wrote about earlier this year. And pork sausages of course. But not with onion gravy (too strong)

* English-style cold cuts like ham sliced off the bone, cold roast pork, pork pies, Scotch eggs

* quiches

* Boxing Day leftovers

* Mild cheeses - young goats cheese, Delicate regional cheeses like Caerphilly and Cheshire. Medium sweet styles work well with mellow blue cheeses like Stilton

* Vegetable soups with a touch of sweetness like carrot, pea or leek soups, especially with a little cream

* Fresh-tasting salads with peas, broad beans or fennel

* Sweeter styles, which often have a touch of honey go well with salads with fruit and milder blue cheeses and with simple puddings like a simple apple or pear tart or pannacotta and raspberries as I suggest in the Guardian today.

* Sparkling perry will go with typical party nibbles (especially cheesy and fishy ones) and with midly spiced Indian snacks.

So mild is the word with perry. Treat it gently and stay clear of fierce flavours.

Image © Yevheniia - Fotolia.com