This post is sponsored by Cavit. Inspire your pairings and recipes with new wine ideas.
While many wine drinkers turn to big red wines with notes of warm baking spices as the temperatures cool, we implore you to think outside of this box every once in awhile. We’ve rounded up some delicious white wine and hearty food pairings to refresh your palate. Take a bite of warm, cozy food, and when things get to be a bit too heavy, take a sip of cool white wine and your tastebuds will be ready for another bite. They’re the perfect fall pairings that won’t leave you feeling like you’ve overdone it on the comfort food.
No-Oak Chardonnay
Making a big batch of steaming shrimp and grits, roasting your favorite fish, digging into a wheel of baked brie wrapped in puff pastry or whipping some homemade mac and cheese? Any of these dishes would only be enhanced by the crisp Oak Zero Chardonnay. With delicate fruity notes compelemented by crispness, this is a wine that won’t overpower or hide the flavors of what you’re serving, like a big red wine might.
Moscato
We love spicy food year round, but there’s something extra delicious about digging into spicy pad Thai or a pan of baked enchiladas with a spicy salsa verde while a frigid wind blows outside. And for all those over 21, a glass of milk is no longer the perfect spicy food pairing. The next time you dig into a dish with plenty of heat, pop open a chilled bottle of Moscato. This particular bottle is refreshingly sweet and together with its stone fruit notes, will give your tongue a brief reprieve from the spice.
Riesling
This particular bottle of off-dry is about as food-friendly as they come. Pair it with a fatty roast pork, rich duck breasts, potato gratins or even a cheese and charcuterie board. Our favorite food to enjoy with this wine? Pork belly buns with kimchi. This wine is prime to pair with the fattiest foods of the season. We all know how rich dishes can send us into a food coma before we’re ready, well a cool Riesling can revive your tastebuds before that happens.
Pinot Grigio
Yes, Pinot Grigio is the white wine we sip on the patio all summer long and serve with cool ceviche, but it can also be your go-to fall or winter white. Creamy pasta dishes, roast chicken or a white pizza are the warm comfort foods we crave on brisk days and this wine is loaded with all the cool, citrus notes to make your mouth water for the next bite. If you’re hosting a big dinner party, this wine is perfect to serve to your guests as they first arrive. It will get their palates ready for the rich foods to come.