Which wines to choose to pair with vegetarian dishes?

Continuity or contrast: the choice is yours!

With vegetarian dishes, you can go down one of two paths: continuity or contrast.

If you opt for the former, complement your vegetables’ plant notes with a wine that has floral notes, particularly in the case of green vegetables and crudités.

If you opt for the latter, make a bold choice. A mineral white wine will hold its own against an oily avocado.

New points of reference

Focussing on vegetables is a chance to reconnect with your palate and its sensations. The hazelnut taste of squash, the crunchiness of new potatoes or the candied texture of lemons in a tagine burst out with even greater intensity. Tastes are shaped by the seasons, spices and cooking styles.

Seasonal vegetables

In autumn, accompany pan-fried cep mushrooms, freshly picked from the forest, with a full-bodied wine. Mushroom flavours pair superbly with red wines that have a tannic structure, such as the Gigondas & Vacqueyras wines in our Laurus or Gabriel Meffre ranges.

Winter is the season when cucurbits arrive on our tables. Squash and coconut milk soup can warm the soul.

Valérie Vincent, Head of Marketing and Communication, offers the following tip:

“The creaminess of this dish goes wonderfully well with white wines. You can go for harmony with a Laurus Viognier (or even a Laurus Hermitage white for great celebrations!), whose fattiness and ampleness will support the soup’s structure. Alternatively, you can play on contrasts with a more mineral white wine, such as the Gabriel Meffre Saint-François organic Côtes du Rhône white.”

If you decide on a “gratin dauphinois”, we recommend a red, served cool (16-18°C), such as our Costières de Nîmes Château Grand Escalion “Safranée” or the Gabriel Meffre “Saint Pierre” Crozes-Hermitage.

Summer is the season for tomatoes.

“With a watermelon-tomato carpaccio or a Caprese salad, you can balance out the acidity with the roundness of our “Amoureuse” rosé from Château Grand Escalion.”

In the spring, invite “Romane”, our Costières de Nîmes white from Château Grand Escalion to share a “jardinière” or green vegetable bulgur dish. This wine will enhance the crunchiness of the broccoli and freshness of the peas.

Herbs and spices

With dishes such as vegetarian curry, lentil dal and chilli sin carne, vegetarian food is also about the spices. When it gets spicy, call on wines that can “stand the heat”!

Valérie’s recommendations:

“The Gabriel Meffre “Saint Ferréol” Tavel rosé, which is fresh, aromatic and structured all at once, is a fantastic pairing. For those who like rosés that are “light” but aromatic, the Gabriel Meffre “Saint Vincent” Côtes du Rhône rosé will also do very well.”

For further inspiration, (re)discover our article Which wines to choose to pair with spicy dishes?

Cooking methods

Vegetables offer different flavours depending on whether they are steamed, sautéed, braised or stewed.

Stewed vegetables, such as in a ratatouille, go very well with a Gabriel Meffre “Saint Etienne” Saint Joseph red or a Tavel rosé. These wines have sufficient tannic structure to envelop the acidity of the vegetables and the fattiness of the olive oil.

With bell peppers braised on the barbecue or griddle, go for red wines! “But reds that are not too tannic instead, choose fresh and light wines bursting with fruit, such as the sulphite-free cuvées from our Estates, including the 100% Merlot Première Nature or our Grenache/Syrah “Roques’N’Toque”, suggests Valérie.

Lastly, with steamed vegetables served with cereals, a Gabriel Meffre “Saint Etienne” Saint-Joseph white or Laurus Châteauneuf du Pape white will get along famously. Their structure and roundness will balance the lightness of the vegetables and the structure of the cereals.

You now have some new food and wine pairings to try! Also, in line with our commitments to sustainable and responsible viticulture, our wines are vegan friendly, which is another great reason to enjoy them (always with moderation)!