Maine lobster tails. Thick, creamy chowder. Lobster ravioli. Lobster rolls. LobsterAnywhere knows seafood and delivers perfect lobster dinners. So what’s the best wine to serve with lobster?.
Knowing how to pair food and wine can sometimes be daunting. However, don’t worry! When choosing what to drink with your dinner, red wine goes best with red meat and white wine goes best with white meat. White wines that are light and airy go well with delicate foods, while big, bold meat dishes go great with big, bold wines. Photo of wine and lobster pairing by CMS Certified Sommelier
Lobster is one of the most decadent and delicious seafood treats out there. With its sweet, briny meat and indulgent, butter-soaked flavor, it’s no wonder why lobster is a favorite special occasion meal. But what wine should you drink with lobster? I did some digging to find the perfect pairings.
As a seafood aficionado and wine enthusiast, I’ve learned a lot over the years about what wines work well with different types of shellfish. Lobster can be prepared in many ways – boiled, grilled, baked – and the preparation makes a difference when it comes to choosing a wine. Here’s what I discovered in my quest to determine the best wines to drink with lobster.
Chardonnay: The Classic Pairing
Buttery, oaky Chardonnay is by far the most traditional pairing with lobster. The buttery, creamy notes in an oaked Chardonnay mirror the butter that is so often served melted over lobster. Additionally, Chardonnay tends to have a full body and higher alcohol content that allows it to stand up to lobster’s richness. The acidity in Chardonnay also cuts through the butter to prevent an overly heavy feeling on the palate.
I polled some of my foodie friends about their go-to lobster wines and almost everyone mentioned Chardonnay first. As Beth R. told me “I almost always go for a nice oaky California Chardonnay with lobster. I like that it complements the sweetness of the lobster meat.”
While classic oaked styles like a White Burgundy or California Chardonnay are perfect pairings, even an unoaked Chardonnay works beautifully. The fruitiness balances out the richness of the butter, and it tends to be more affordable too
Sauvignon Blanc: Lighter and Brighter
For those who find Chardonnay too heavy or butter-forward with their lobster, a bright and zesty Sauvignon Blanc is a great alternative. With its grassy, citrusy notes and crisp acidity, Sauvignon Blanc cuts through the richness of lobster like a knife. The tart lime and grapefruit flavors contrast sublimely with sweet lobster meat.
Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé from the Loire Valley offer benchmark Sauvignon Blanc examples But Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand and California also pair deliciously with lobster thanks to their bracing acidity.
As my friend James W. recommends, “I prefer Sauvignon Blanc with lobster, especially grilled. The citrus and herbal notes just sing with the sweet smokiness of the grilled lobster.”
Sparkling Wine: Elegant Bubbles
What’s more celebratory than a bottle of sparkling wine? Popping some bubbly is the perfect way to elevate any special seafood dinner. Sparkling wines like Champagne and Cava provide lively effervescence that scrubs the palate clean after each butter-laden bite. Their crisp acidity also balances the richness.
Emily S. told me that sparkling wine is her preferred match with lobster. As she explains, “I love how the bubbles cut through the buttery sauce and highlight the sweetness of the meat.”
Opt for bubblies with a yeasty, biscuity quality rather than fruit-forward styles when pairing with lobster. Blanc de blancs or brut styles have the perfect amount of acidity to complement the shellfish.
Rosé: Light, Bright, and Festive
Nothing says summer quite like lobster and rosé. The dry, acidic nature of rosé wines make them a fantastic foil for rich foods. Rosés made from grapes like Pinot Noir, Grenache, and Syrah have flavors of ripe strawberry, peach, and melon that flatter sweeter seafood like lobster.
Compared to fuller-bodied reds, dry rosés feel lighter on the palate and won’t overpower the delicately flavored meat. Their vibrant pink hues also lend a sense of celebration to the table.
“Rosé and lobster just scream summer luxury to me,” says my friend Anna C. “I love sitting down to a big plate of lobster rolls or lobster salad with a chilled glass of Provence rosé when the weather’s hot.”
Riesling: Off-Dry and Fruity
For lobster preparations with a touch of sweetness – say, a lemon butter sauce – off-dry Rieslings are hard to beat. Riesling is an incredibly food-friendly wine, with zippy acidity to balance the sweetness. German Rieslings, labeled as Spätlese or Auslese, offer the perfect amount of residual sugar to complement the lobster. Their flavors of peach, apricot, and honey intermingle deliciously with the crustacean.
Alsace Rieslings from France are another good option. They tend to be drier than German versions, but still have enough ripe tree and stone fruit notes to flatter rich seafood.
My friend Steven G. remarked, “Riesling is my favorite with lobster Newburg or really any cream-based lobster dish. The touch of sweetness just enhances all the flavors.”
Additional Tips for Picking the Perfect Lobster Wine
-
Consider texture. Lobster is delicate and lean, so avoid heavy, tannic reds that will overpower it. Stick to light-bodied white wines and rosés.
-
Match richness levels. Drawn butter and creamy sauces call for fuller-bodied whites with oak and butter notes. Lighter preparations can handle brighter, crisper wines.
-
Think about preparation. Grilled lobster pairs best with clean, bright wines like Sauvignon Blanc. Boiled or steamed lobster can handle wines with more oak due to the richness.
-
Don’t forget bubbles! Sparkling wines are always appropriate with celebratory seafood like lobster.
-
Tame spice with sweetness. Spicy lobster dishes (like lobster fra diavolo) cool off nicely when paired with subtly sweet Riesling.
-
Consider occasion. Fine Champagne or white Burgundy elevate a special meal, while rosé adds festivity to beachy lobster bakes.
Whatever wine you choose, the most important thing is drinking one that you enjoy. Part of the magic of lobster is that it tastes best when drenched in butter and shared with loved ones. The wine should complement, not overshadow, lobster’s sweet brininess. When in doubt, let your tastebuds be the judge. Sláinte to the perfect wine for your next lobster feast!
/GettyImages-451384089-58817f635f9b58bdb38035bc.jpg)
The Best Wines to Pair with Lobster
Lobster, with its white meat and delicate flavor, needs a light, fresh companion.
Acidity is key in pairing wine with lobster. Think about how good it is to squeeze some lemon juice on fish. A light, crisp wine with lots of acidity can do the same thing. Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio can be great in this regard, but so can Riesling and Chardonnay.
Each of these wines has its strong point:
- Riesling is a grape that people don’t understand. It has a lot of acidity and can be sweet or very dry. A dry riesling from Alsace, France, or the Eden Valley, Australia, goes well with lobster.
- Sauvignon Blanc: A dry and crisp Sauvignon Blanc goes well with a lobster dinner in the summer.
- Chardonnay: There is no grape variety as versatile as Chardonnay. So, there is always a style of Chardonnay that goes with any lobster dish, from lobster tail to lobster claws and even lobster bisque. It ranges from light to full-bodied.
- This is the lightest of these four wines, and it goes well with lobster and most shellfish, as well as crab, oysters, scallops, and most other seafood you can think of. Even though it doesn’t smell as much like herbs as Sauvignon Blanc, it still has that great citrus flavor that goes so well with fish.
As with any dish, the seafood itself, as well as the flavors and sides that it comes with, determine the best way to pair it. If you cook lobster in its shell, cover it in butter, and serve it over buttery polenta, the old rule still works: a big, buttery Chardonnay from California or Australia goes great with it.
For lobster in a lighter sauce (or even better, just straight from the shell), you need a light, firm, and slightly crisp wine to balance out the flavors. A fresh, light Sauvignon Blanc or a dry, fresh Pinot Grigio would be a perfect match.
Remember that lobster is a premium dish, so it needs a premium wine to go with it. Don’t skimp on the price!.
Wines Not to Pair with Lobster
Not many seafood dishes go well with wine, but lobster does. It goes with everything from light, acidic wines to heavier wines with oak.
Pairing with the Masters, a book by famous chef Ken Arnone and Master of Wine Jennifer Simonetti-Brown, says that when serving lobster for dinner, you should be careful with a few wines. For example, lobster goes well with champagne. The picture shows Jack Arnold making hot buttered lobster rolls.
- Chardonnay with a lot of oak: If the wine is too rich, it can drown out the lobster’s sweetness.
- No. NV Brut Champagne: If the champagne is too dry, it can make the lobster taste bad. Avoid wines with no added sugar or alcohol, and look for Champagnes with a lighter style, such as Pol Roger or Laurent Perrier.
- Roero Arneis: Wines that taste like lemon can sometimes go badly with lobster that has been served with lemon.
When you eat lobster, you should drink white wine. Red wine doesn’t go with lobster nearly as well. Because lobster is salty, it tends to bring out the bitterness in red wine. On the other hand, the tannins in red wine will bring out the salty iodine notes in lobster.