Pinot Blanc and Food Pairings
Ingredients and Styles
Most Pinot Blanc we have access to comes from one of the following: Alsace, the U.S.A. (Oregon and California), and Italy, although you can find other global examples if you look hard. Because the first three are the most prevalent, they're the ones I discuss here.
More than 90 percent of these wines are clean and unoaked. Any oak-scented Chardonnay wannabes should be treated exactly that way, i.e., akin to barrel-aged, oaky Chardonnays. However, a good Pinot Blanc is actually a far more flexible food wine. It loves good, clean flavors that match its own personality, and it shines when highlighting the simple. A plate of oysters or a mild crawfish boil is a great match, so is grilled trout with lemon butter or a dish of deep-fried popcorn shrimp. In the words of those corporate consultants: KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid).
Richer examples (from Alsace, Oregon, and California) can handle slightly richer but still straightforward recipes. A moderately rich Pinot Blanc shines with a simple white pâté (made with chicken or a mix of chicken and pork), savory mousse (made with fish or scallops, say), or basic crab cakes with a little aioli. It's also one of the most flexible wines with respect to cooking methods. Lighter-style and brighter examples from Italy are great with sashimi or a whole steamed fish with ginger, while richer versions can handle dishes that are sautéed (such as a filet of sole amandine), deep-fried (tempura), grilled (brochettes of chicken or prawns), and even smoked (salmon, trout, and the like).
I love Pinot Blanc with sophisticated takes on otherwise homey dishes. A BLT with seafood added (such as shrimp or lobster), fish tacos made with a nice cut of fish, and even macaroni and cheese are all good pairings. Lastly, don't overlook the agility and flexibility of Crémant d'Alsace (often predominantly made from Pinot Blanc), which is one of the great underrated sparkling wines, along with Cava and top-end Prosecco.
| Wine Style Sugar Level |
Ingredients | Cuisines + Cooking methods |
|---|---|---|
| Unoaked, lighter, high acid, lemony, more austere Italian or East European style | Oily fish Oysters Picnic foods Chicken Salad greens Cream, butter, eggs |
Think of foods and dishes that do well with a spritz of lemon Seafood that is raw, or lightly preserved with vinegar or oil: raw mackerel, anchovies, sardines, oysters, sashimi Lightly smoked seafood: smoked salmon, smoked oysters Grilled trout Picnic foods: sandwiches, crudités, fresh fruit, cold roast chicken and pork, prosciutto Frying or batter-coating: deep-fried calamari, deep-fried popcorn shrimp, panko-crusted or batter-coated fish, fried chicken, savory prawn fritters Cream-based risotto or pasta, as the wine’s acidity will cut through the richness Light, wine-friendly composed salads that match the wine's acidity Salads that stress seafood (deep-fried soft-shell crabs on greens) or chicken |
| Sparkling | See above | See above |
| Unoaked, slightly rounder, spicier, fruitier Alsatian style | Sweet fish (black cod, halibut, sole) Chicken |
Keep it simple with good, clean flavors: mild crawfish boil, a whole steamed fish with ginger, simply baked snapper Sautéing, e.g. filet of sole amandine Grilled brochettes of chicken or prawns |
| Oaked, richer, fuller-bodied style | Fish (especially richer swordfish, Chilean sea bass, monkfish) Chicken Cream and butter Eggs |
Hearty seafood and fish dishes, such as New England clam chowder Pâtés, mousses, terrines: A simple white pâté made with chicken (or a mix of chicken and pork), savory mousse of fish or scallops) Crab cakes with aioli Cream-based risotto or pasta to pair with the wine’s richness Egg-based dishes Onion tart Blanquette de veau |
Pairing Pointers
Pinot Blanc works well:
- Salads: Pinot Blanc has excellent structure, and because of that brightness it pairs well with light, wine-friendly composed salads (using ingredients and dressing that match the wine's acidity) and salads that stress seafood (deep-fried soft-shell crabs on greens) or chicken.
- Picnic foods: I always pull out a Pinot Blanc for a good al fresco dining experience. With everything from sandwiches to crudités, fresh fruit to cold roast chicken and pork, this wine sings. Although I prefer the Italian Pinot Bianco style here, others work well, too.
- Deep-fried foods: these work best with more austere examples of Pinot Blanc. Deep-fried calamari, panko-crusted or batter-coated fish, fried chicken, and savory prawn fritters are all good with both the bubbly Crémant d'Alsace and a lemony, zippy version from Italy.
- White pastas and risottos: A cream-based risotto or pasta is quite good with most Pinot Blanc. The rich wines pair well with rich textures; light, more refreshing examples cut through the richness.
- Most fish: I struggled to think of a fish that does not go with Pinot Blanc. The wine's clean flavor profile plays a wonderful supporting role for most sweet fish (black cod, halibut, sole) and the texture of fuller-bodied wines works well with others (swordfish, Chilean sea bass, monkfish). The sharper eastern European and Italian styles provide an acidic foil for mackerel, anchovies, and sardines.
- Dishes made with a variety of cooking methods: Some grapes' personalities limit the cooking styles they can pair with. Pinot Blanc's personality allows it to work well with dishes that range from raw (sashimi) to grilled (chicken, fish, or vegetables).
Pinot Blanc doesn't work:
- When you choose the wrong style. Despite the wine's general affinity with most recipes, it's possible to go wrong. A light, less flavorful wine will get lost behind a bowl of hearty New England clam chowder, while a rich example from California or Oregon, especially one that's spent time in oak, might trample over a simply baked snapper.
- With red meat. Although I once had a rich Alsace Pinot Blanc served with smoked beef tenderloin that made a very nice pairing, generally this is not the wine for lamb, venison, beef, or richer offal (calves' liver or steak and kidney pie).
- With strong spices. Recipes that are defined by bold spices (cumin, curry masala, turmeric, and smoked paprika) can easily overwhelm the delicate nature of Pinot Blanc.
- With spicy-hot dishes. Though Pinot Blanc's bright acidity can work as a foil to some dishes with very mild heat, most hot dishes just knock it out, and you're left with a mere ghost of a wine. This doesn't mean you can't have a Pinot Blanc with a bowl of Texas chili or andouille-studded Creole gumbo if you really want to; but you can expect that the wine will bring little to the party and get lost behind the dish. I'd prefer a wine that adds something to the pairing or at least has a reason to be there.