Let’s get this straight: wine is not just for meat, cheese, and other rich dishes. You can pair wine with plant-based dishes, but preparation is key. Raw vegetables have green, grassy flavors that can make wines taste bitter — especially full-bodied reds. But when vegetables are roasted and caramelized, the astringent flavors that clash with wine are all but eliminated. Here’s our easy guide on how to pair roast vegetables with wine.
Why it Works
When vegetables roast, their sugars caramelize. This reveals new aromatics as water evaporates, including nutty, toasty, and sweet flavors. Coating the vegetables in olive oil aids in this process, creating crisper exteriors, preventing the vegetables from drying out, and adding flavor. The in-your-face vegetal notes mellow out, leaving softer, richer flavors behind. This makes roast vegetables compatible with a wider array of wines, including those with some tannin or oak aging.
How to Pair Roast Vegetables with Wine
For this pairing, I tested a Lynmar Estate Russian River Valley Chardonnay, Rosé, and Pinot Noir alongside a platter of ten roasted vegetables simply seasoned with salt and pepper. At The Wine Daily, I taste test every wine pairing that I recommend. Oftentimes, I will try multiple wines side by side to confirm the pairing is truly the best. Here are the winning pairings:
Chardonnay with Roasted Corn, Butternut Squash, Acorn Squash, Potatoes, or Shallots
Chardonnay type: New World-style, with light oak influence
Why it works: Chardonnay from California and Australia typically offers aromatics of ripe tree and/or tropical fruit. When it has a light influence from oak aging, it will also take on lovely flavors of cream, brioche, and toasted nuts. When roasted, gourds take on a mellow sweetness that matches this profile. The combination is rich, nutty, and lightly sweet. Avoid heavily-oaked, buttery styles of California Chardonnay, as this can come off strongly against the light vegetables.
Rosé with Roasted Zucchini Squash, Tomatoes, Carrots, or Kalamata Olives
Rosé type: Grenache- or Pinot Noir-Based
Why it works: Rosé’s light, crisp, fresh profile helps it match wide range of raw or cooked vegetables. It has the tangy acidity to match the concentrated juices of roast tomatoes. And with its barely-present tannins, it doesn’t clash with the grassy flavors of zucchini. If you prefer crisp, lean, mineral-driven wines, opt for a Grenache-based Provence rosé. If you prefer more strawberry, melon, and stone fruit flavors, select a Sonoma Pinot Noir-based rosé. Avoid Syrah, Merlot or Zinfandel-based rosés, as these will most likely be too sweet for the vegetables.
Pinot Noir with Roasted Mushrooms, Beets, or Shallots
Pinot Noir region: Burgundy for mushrooms, Sonoma Pinot Noir for beets
Why it works: When roasted, mushrooms reveal earthy umami notes that marry perfectly with the forest floor and mushroom notes of Pinot Noir, particularly from the Burgundy region. Meanwhile, roasted beets have a mild sweet and savory flavor that nicely compliments Sonoma Pinot Noir’s red fruit and spice flavors. Shallots are a flex player here, pairing nicely with both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. When roasted and caramelized, shallots lose their sharpness and take on greater depth of flavor.
Tips to Roasting Vegetables
Roasting vegetables is such a simple process, I won’t include a recipe here. That said, here are a few quick tips to help:
- Add about 1 tablespoon of oil for every cup of vegetables. Without oil, you’ll end up with hard, dry vegetables. Olive oil adds a great flavor, but you can also use any other oils with a smoke point of at least 400 degrees, like canola oil or vegetable oil.
- Roast at 400 degrees for light char and thorough softening. Personally, I find higher temperatures don’t allow for enough time for the vegetable interior to soften properly before the outside chars.
- Separate thinly sliced or delicate vegetables onto their own tray for earlier removal. For example, thinly sliced bell peppers and mushrooms will roast faster than thick cuts of squash or whole carrots. You’ll want to remove them sooner before they dry out.
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