How to Pair your Pumpkin dishes with Wine
It’s finally Fall! If you’re like me, you’re so excited for the changing of the leaves, the crisp, cool air, football season, and of course pumpkin everything! You got out your pumpkin candles and have your pumpkin creamer ready for your coffee. You went to the grocery store and got pumpkin spice and every pumpkin item possible to make sure you are fully emerged in pumpkin season! You start noticing that your meals are revolving around it too; you’re eating your pumpkin pancakes and oatmeal for breakfast, pumpkin risotto for lunch, pumpkin raviolis for dinner, and pumpkin pie for dessert! Now, you just need the proper wines to pair with it! YES, you can pair wine with your favorite pumpkin meals. This is your guide on how to pair pumpkin dishes with wine.
I was inspired to write this when I made a pumpkin pancake dessert with salted caramel ice cream and maple syrup drizzle. I was pairing wine with my dinner and decided I should also pair my wine with the pumpkin dessert that I just made. Here’s what I came up with.
You can be a little flexible, in my opinion, with your pairings and base it more on the type of wine you like within guidelines. There is no rule for pairing with pumpkin; the pairing is chosen more based on the preparation. I would pair the dessert above with a German Riesling wine. A medium bodied, dry riesling compliments the pumpkin spice flavor well. For affordable rieslings, I really enjoy the Schmitt Sohne Relax Riesling. It has a fruity flavoring and natural acidity. Here, you can also do a Chardonnay or Pinot Gris. Chardonnay, especially new world, is a great Fall pairing wine in general.
Moving away from the desserts, if you’re looking to have something along the lines of a pumpkin risotto that I mentioned above, a Prosecco is a great pairing there.If you read my previous champagne article, you will remember that Prosecco hails from the Veneto region. Proseccos have a light, refreshing, and crisp taste associated with them and would pair excellent with a pumpkin risotto.
Pumpkin ravioli? I would do something a little more full bodied and heavier to pair with the tomato sauce here. If you are a white wine person, choose an Alsace Pinot Gris. If you are a red wine person and really prefer not to choose a white wine (I personally like red wine better than Pinot Gris), you can get away with a Syrah. The Clarendon Hill 2009 Syrah is one of my favorites.
Pumpkin soup? I would choose here a white wine again with some acidity and body to it. A Napa Valley Chardonnay with notes of apple and pear or vanilla would do beautifully here. I recently enjoyed the Walt ‘La Brisa’ Chardonnay from Sonoma. For a more easily accessible and a little bit less expensive chardonnay, Beringer makes nice ones as well as Hess.
I think you get the idea! You can eat your pumpkin and have your wine too. Pairing wine with food is a great way to dine. If paired correctly, the wine accentuates the food and flavors, bringing the meal to a whole new level. There is no reason you can’t do it with your favorite Fall flavor, pumpkin, too. Enjoy pumpkin season!
