How To Pair Wine with Vegetarian Food, with The Bottle Store

When pairing food with wine, much of the focus tends to be on the protein source. However, the real key to a successful pairing lies in complementing the flavors. With their diverse tastes and textures, vegetables provide an incredible opportunity for creative wine pairings that elevate vegetarian dining to new heights, too.

When building a great pairing, it’s essential to consider the dish’s dominant flavours. With vegetarian cuisine, grouping vegetables by similar flavour profiles—such as greens, mushrooms, and sweet vegetables—can guide you toward the perfect wine pairing. In this article, we’ll explore key principles for pairing wine with vegetarian dishes and suggest some excellent wines from The Bottle Store in Al Ghadeer to try with them.

Pairing Greens with Pascal Jolivet Blanc Fumé, Pouilly-Fumé, France

Pouilly-Fumé is a French wine region that specializes in Sauvignon Blanc wines. This grape has an aroma compound called pyrazine. The same aroma compound is also found in many green vegetables, such as green peppers, asparagus, beans, kohlrabi, tomatoes, and snap peas. Pairing these foods with Sauvignon Blanc is an easy and harmonious choice as the wine mirros the qualities of green vegetables.

We chose the Pascal Jolivet Blanc Fumé from The Bottle Store in Al Ghadeer, as it comes from Pouilly-Fumé as the wines from this region have a flinty, smoky characteristic thanks to its unique soil composition. Elevate your pairing further by grilling or charred green vegetables to add another layer of mirrored flavours to your dishes.

Pairing Mushrooms with Mercel Wines Red Velvet, Lebanon

Mushrooms, with their earthy, umami-rich flavour, can be challenging to pair with wine. You’ll want to look for wines that are more earthy than fruity. There are two directions you can go. Look for an aged wine; the older the wine, the earthier it will be. Or, get on board with the natural wine movement, which we did when we paired it with Marcel Wines Red Velvet from Deir El Ahmar & Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, available from The Bottle Store in Al Ghadeer.

This natural wine, made from organically farmed Cinsault grapes, offers a unique pairing experience. Natural wines, produced with minimal intervention, often exhibit funky and earthier characteristics, perfect for mushrooms’ robust flavours. The Mercel Red Velvet has floral notes, tangy red cherry, and an earthy undertone. Its light body and gentle tannins ensure it doesn’t overwhelm the savoury, umami flavours of mushrooms, avoiding unpleasant bitterness.

Remember, when we suggest pairing it with mushrooms, this includes dishes that contain mushrooms as a main flavour course even if they are not the main ingredient in the dish, such as creamy mushroom pasta, risotto, or a dish served with a mushroom-based sauce.

Naturally Sweet Vegetables with Newton Skyside Chardonnay, Sonoma, California

Vegetables like corn, squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots present their pairing challenges due to their natural sweetness. Sugar in food can make dry wines taste overly sour, so the key is to pair these vegetables with a wine that has a slight hint of sweetness.

The Newton Skyside Chardonnay from Sonoma County, California, available at The Bottle Store in Al Ghadeer, is a perfect match; this full-bodied wine offers flavours of butterscotch, peach, and toasted marshmallow with just a hint of sweetness. Grown in the warm climate of Sonoma, the grapes reach high sugar levels, which results in a wine that balances richness with sweetness, complementing the sugar in these vegetables.

The wine’s toasty notes from oak ageing work particularly well when the vegetables are roasted or grilled, enhancing the caramelization and creating a harmonious blend of flavours.

Vegetarian cuisine is anything but one-dimensional, and with the right wine, it can shine just as brightly as any meat-based dish. By focusing on the flavours of the vegetables and choosing wines that complement or enhance those flavours, you can create memorable pairings that elevate your vegetarian dining experience. Whether serving grilled greens, earthy mushrooms, or sweet roasted vegetables, these wine pairings from The Bottle Store will ensure your next vegetarian meal is a true feast for the senses.