What wine goes best with a Sunday roast?

What wine pairs best with a Sunday roast?

Sunday roasts come in all shapes and sizes, so there’s no one perfect wine pairing. The best wine to serve with your Sunday roast will depend on the meat, the accompaniments and your own personal tastes. If you’re in doubt, a safe bet is a lighter red, like a Pinot Noir or a Gamay, or a fuller-bodied white, like a Chardonnay or Chenin Blanc.

What wine pairs with roast beef?

Roast beef usually pairs best with structured red wines with moderate to high tannin levels. The richness of the meat and the savoury depth created by roasting allow wines with firmer tannins and more concentration to show at their best. The ideal wine pairing for roast beef will have enough body and substance to stand up to the meat while retaining freshness and balance.

The best wines for roast beef include:

• Red Bordeaux, particularly Pauillac, St Julien or Margaux
• Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines from the Napa Valley in California, South Africa or Chile
• Rioja Reserva
• Northern Rhône Syrah, such as Hermitage, Cornas or Côte-Rôtie
• Barolo, Barbaresco or other Nebbiolo-based wines

What wine goes with roast lamb?

Roast lamb and red wine are a natural fit. Look for a style of wine that has high acidity and firm tannins, which will stand up to the rich, full flavour and fatty nature of the lamb.

Seasoning matters, too. Lamb is often cooked with garlic, rosemary and thyme, which can work well with wines that have a savoury or herbal side to them, like Chianti Classico or Syrah from the Rhône Valley.

Spring lamb and Bordeaux is a popular pairing and with good reason, though you can also consider lighter styles like Pinot Noir and Gamay.

The best wines to pair with roast lamb include:

• Red Bordeaux, including Pauillac, St Julien or Margaux
• Rioja Reserva
• Sangiovese-based wines like Chianti Classico and Brunello di Montalcino
• Rhône Valley reds, including Northern Rhône Syrah and Southern Rhône blends like Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas

What’s the best wine for roast chicken?

Roast chicken is an especially versatile food when it comes to wine pairing. Depending on your preference, you can comfortably pair it with red or white wine, or both.

If you’re serving a classic roast chicken with gravy and all the trimmings, a good oak-aged Chardonnay will offer enough weight to match the dish without overpowering it. Look for a white Burgundy, be it a Bourgogne Blanc or something from Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault or Pouilly- Fuissé ; or try a California Chardonnay from Sonoma.

When it comes to red wine and roast chicken, consider something on the lighter side. You can’t go wrong with a Pinot Noir, be it from Burgundy – a Bourgogne Rouge, a Vosne-Romanée or Chambolle-Musigny – or further afield. You can find wonderful Pinot Noir from around the world, from California and New Zealand to Germany and even England.

The best wines for roast chicken include:

• White Burgundy or other oak-aged Chardonnay wines
• Chenin Blanc from South Africa
• Red Burgundy or other Pinot Noir wines
• Beaujolais

What should I serve with roast turkey?

Turkey is a staple at Christmas, but it can be tricky to pair wine with because the meat is really quite delicate. The best wines for roast turkey tend to be medium-bodied, so as not to overpower the meat. There should be enough flavour to match any stuffing, vegetables or other sides being served, but again not so much as to steal the show. Lighter red wines work well, as do richer styles of white wine.

The best wines for roast turkey include:

• Pinot Noir, including examples from Burgundy, New Zealand, California or South Africa
• Chardonnay, such as white Burgundy or examples from California, Oregon or New Zealand
• White Rhône blends featuring Roussanne, Marsanne and/or Viognier

Can you drink white wine with a Sunday roast?

You certainly can. We sometimes gravitate towards richer red wines with a hearty Sunday roast, but many of these dishes pair just as well with white wines. Roast chicken, pork and turkey are all wonderful options, but even lamb and beef can work well with a carefully chosen white. When it comes to selecting a white wine for your roast, look for something with enough body and complexity to match the food. It’s probably best to avoid particularly light or unoaked styles of white wine, like Pinot Grigio and Muscadet, which may simply be overwhelmed by the dish.

Great white wines to serve with your Sunday roast include white Burgundy and other top Chardonnay wines, rich white Rioja and aged Chenin Blanc.

Is red or white wine better for a Sunday roast?

There is no one answer here. It really depends on what you’re serving and, ultimately, what you enjoy.

For beef and lamb, red wine is the traditional choice. For chicken, turkey and pork, you can comfortably go either red or white.

It may be helpful to look beyond the colour of the wine, and instead to consider the intensity. The richer your dish is, the more you’ll benefit from a weighty, concentrated and fuller-bodied wine, be it red or white. It’s also worth remembering that your meat may be the centrepiece, but it’s not the only thing on the plate. The best wine pairing for a Sunday roast is one that works well with all the elements of the dish.

What is the safest wine to choose for a Sunday lunch?

If you’re catering to a large group with different preferences, or you’re not sure what they like, it’s hard to go too far wrong with Pinot Noir. Great examples include Bourgogne Rouge, New Zealand Pinot Noir and wines from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. These wines tend to be medium in body, with lively acidity and a savoury character that make them versatile with a wide range of meats, sauces and vegetables.