Pairings | Macaroni cheese

The best wine - and other drinks - to pair with macaroni cheese

Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on November 16 2023 at 06:41

The best wine to pair with macaroni cheese, or mac'n'cheese as our friends across the pond have it, depends how fancy - and how cheesy - your mac and cheese is.

With a homely old-fashioned recipe you might just want a simple glass of white (in general I prefer white to red) whereas with one made with a fine strong artisan cheddar or with lashings of cream and lobster you might go for something more extravagant.

Here are my top seven picks.

Chardonnay
Probably the safest bet whichever recipe you’re looking at. A light unoaked chardonnay for a simple creamy macaroni cheese, a posh white burgundy if you’re eating a more extravagant one with lobster or crab. Smooth dry Chenin Blanc works on a similar basis.

Dry riesling
Counter-intuitive but good - like crunching into a refreshing apple with your cheese. Here's why.

St Emilion or one of the St Emilion satellites
Merlot works surprisingly well with macaroni cheese, I’ve found, especially if it contains bacon. It needn’t be Bordeaux, obviously but a young(ish) St Emilion does work well

Dry cider
Particularly good with macaroni cheese and leeks

Beer
A classic English ale like Timothy Taylor Landlord or an American-style brown ale is perfect with a very cheesy macaroni cheese.

Champagne
Really? Yes, especially if there’s truffle involved. (I tried it the other day with Heston Blumenthal’s cauliflower and macaroni cheese with truffle and it was spot on.)

Sancerre or a similar Loire Sauvignon Blanc

Not my usual go-to but great with this crab macaroni cheese from my friend Fiona Sims Boat cookbook.

Macaroni cheese is also often served as a side in a steakhouse but I'd still match the steak rather than the mac'n'cheese

photo ©Stephanie Frey @fotolia.com

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Comments: 3 (Add)

AI spammer on November 16 2023 at 19:35

Really in choosing cheese, and seafood, it is for me altruistic and somewhat superannuation that blah blah blah.

Another wine that isn't the subject of the post, is perfect, for another dish - lets call it scrambled eggs - which leave me tingling for another zing for spam post. I am not a robot.

Martha on November 6 2018 at 17:48

I'm not usually much of a beer drinker, but I do like a nice dry cider with Mac'n cheese, especially if there's some good ham and a bit of mustard - preferably Dijon - in the mix

Domic Sands on October 24 2017 at 15:44

Really in choosing wine and meat, poultry, it is for me beneficial and for some others that mostly white wine is present with the meal. Of course because the blended quality of the grapes is easily absorbed and tastes relish on the palate.

Burgundy for me is another which is perfect for curry and noodles, with sometimes chicken and beef dishes which leaves a panging for taste buds .

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