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 indulgent seafood dishes you can enjoy. With its sweet, succulent meat contrasted by its delicate briny flavor, finding the right wine to enhance lobster can seem like a daunting task. Thankfully, there are a few foolproof options that are sure to perfectly complement the taste and texture of lobster In this article, we’ll explore the best wine varieties to pair with lobster so your next surf and turf dinner is a success
Why Pairing Wine and Lobster Matters
Pairing the right wine with lobster is important for a few reasons First, it enhances and brings out the flavor of the dish and the wine. The flavors in the wine complement and intensify the sweetness of the lobster meat. Second, the right wine pairing provides balance. Lobster on its own can be rich and heavy The acidity in wine helps cut through the richness. Finally, wine and lobster is a classic pair. Finding the ideal match honors the delicious combination and makes your meal feel special and luxurious.
The Best White Wines for Lobster
White wines tend to work best with lobster thanks to their high acidity and lighter body. The leading white choice is Chardonnay. The body and oak flavors pair nicely with lobster’s richness. Unoaked styles work as well. The green apple and citrus notes in Sauvignon Blanc are also fantastic with lobster. For a sweeter pairing, Riesling’s bright fruit and sweetness complements lobster’s natural sweetness. Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Albariño, Chenin Blanc, and Vinho Verde are other good options. Sparkling wines like Champagne and Prosecco make excellent pairings too.
Red Wines to Try with Lobster
While white wines are traditional, don’t overlook red wines with lobster. Leaner reds like Pinot Noir and Grenache work well. Their red fruit flavors, acidity, and light tannins act as an interesting counterpoint to the lobster. Beaujolais, with its juicy cherry and slight earthiness, is another recommended red. Don’t be afraid to try bolder reds too. The sweetness of lobster can handle the dry tannins in Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah.
Tips for Picking the Best Lobster Wine Pairing
Use these tips to hone in on the optimal wine for your lobster:
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Consider preparation method: Broiled, grilled, or steamed lobster pairs best with light, crisp whites. Heavy sauces call for more oaked Chardonnay or full-bodied reds.
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Take sides into account: Lemon wedges or salty sides like fries suggest a higher acid wine like Sauvignon Blanc. Creamed corn or risotto need a heavy white like oaked Chardonnay.
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Don’t overlook rosé: Dry rosés offer a refreshing choice with their red berry flavors and zippy acidity.
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Focus on acidity: High acid is key to cutting through lobster’s richness. Prioritize tart whites like Riesling or reds like Pinot Noir.
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Compare sweetness levels: Sweeter lobster preparations require equally sweet wines like Riesling. Dry rosé works with simpler preparations.
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Consider regional pairings: Clam-filled New England lobster rolls need higher acid wines like Chablis. European-style lobster demands a white Burgundy.
Recommended Bottles to Try
Some excellent wine options to try with your next lobster dinner include:
- Sea Smoke Pinot Gris
- Pascal Jolivet Sancerre
- Ravines Dry Riesling
- Gerard Boulay Chablis
- Tablas Creek Patelin de Tablas Rosé
- DeLoach Vineyards Chardonnay
- Mer Soleil Silver Unoaked Chardonnay
- Laurenz V. Singing Grüner Veltliner
- Conundrum White Blend
- Movia Pinot Grigio
- Guigal Côtes du Rhône Rosé
- Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages
- King Estate Signature Pinot Noir
- Domaine Chandon Brut Classic
With this guide to lobster’s best wine pairings, you can confidently choose a bottle that will perfectly enhance the sweet succulence of lobster. Keep acidity and weight top of mind, and experiment with an array of whites, reds, rosés, and sparkling wines. Soon you’ll discover new favorite pairings that make lobster extra delicious.
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But what About Red Wine and Seafood?
Remember what we said about seafood not going with red wine? Well, rules are meant to be broken!
If you choose the right food to go with it, lighter reds made from thin-skinned grapes like Pinot Noir or Gamay can go well with your favorite seafood.
Lighter red wines go well with seafood dishes like octopus, swordfish, tuna steaks, octopus and clam sauce, and salmon. These wines are also great chilled for an al fresco summer clambake.
You should learn how to cook with lobster and wine before you try to pair them with other foods. It’s important to note that “cooking with wine” does not mean drinking a glass of wine while you cook (though that is totally fine too!).
Pairing Seafood and Wine
Lobster and wine is a real treat, but there are plenty more fish in the sea…
Every seafood dish deserves a wine pairing that truly emphasizes the meal’s flavor. That’s why we made this short list to help you choose the right wine for any seafood you’re eating:
Fried seafood like tempura prawns and fish that has been dipped in beer go great with sparkling wine! There’s always room for bubbly with this dish! With this kind of food, a Toso Brut from Argentina or a Cava from Spain is a great wine to pair because it will cut through the fat and leave you with a light apple and lemon taste in your mouth.
Red wines that aren’t too sweet go well with spicy seafood. Marsanne, Roussanne, Riesling, Muscat, and Gewürztraminer are some examples.
Red wine and spicy food don’t go well together because the tannins and spice can be too much for your taste buds. You can drink a lighter red wine with spicy seafood if you really want to. Pinot Noir, Gamay, Cinsault, or a lighter style of Zinfandel are all good choices. These wines are flavorful without being too high in tannin or alcohol content.
If you’ve ever watched Hell’s Kitchen, you know that scallops are a really popular seafood dish that can really steal the show. They deserve a wine to really complement the dish. The acidity of a minerally Loire Sauvignon Blanc is a great contrast to the softness of the scallop. Learn how to select the best scallops for the best wine.
Olive oil and Albariño wines from Spain and Portugal (and more and more often, California) go great with seafood like lobster, scallops, and shellfish.
Try pairing a tuna steak with something light and fruity. While tuna can handle some strong flavors, a bottle of rosé or a light Pinot Noir would go very well with it.
Dry Fino Sherry from southern Spain goes great with grilled, sautéed, steamed, or mixed drink shrimp dishes.
There is a lot of flavor in halibut, so you should drink a Chardonnay that has the same creamy, full taste.
All romance movies tell us that there is nothing that goes together as well as oysters and bubbly. Be sure to go for a dry, Brut Champagne, or a methode traditionnelle. Anything sweet won’t work quite as well.
But if you don’t like champagne, you can drink your oysters with any bone-dry white wine, like Muscadet or Sauvignon Blanc.
Salmon, as most people have probably noted, is not a white-fleshed fish. This should help you figure out that the wine you should pair with it doesn’t have to be white. Stick to the lighter reds – such as Zinfandel and Pinot Noir. You’ll need a slightly fuller wine with a fuller fish.
How to pair wine with Lobster || Perfect Wine Pairing With Lobster || Wine Pairing With Seafood
What wine goes with lobster?
Lobster poached in butter with spices has a solid backbone to pair with the textural white wine. Grilled lobster seasoned with spices would be nicely rounded out with a Rhône white as well. Although Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the most prestigious appellation of the Southern Rhône, other regional white blends would make a delicious pairing too.
What wine goes with lobster risotto?
In lobster risotto, the lobster’s sweetness and risotto’s creaminess call for a fruity, medium-bodied Pinot Gris like King Estate Pinot Gris. The wine’s subtle citrus and pear flavors echo the dish’s richness and provide balance. 9. Lobster Fra Diavolo: Nero d’Avola
How to choose a good wine for lobster?
In simple words, this is how you can choose good wine for lobster: Lobsters served with a creamy sauce: You can pair your dish with either an oaked or unoaked Chardonnay, as well as a white Burgundy or Chablis. Lobsters with spicy seasonings: A dry or off-dry Riesling is a good option. You can also opt for a Gewurztraminer or Pinot Gris.
What wine goes with lobster tail & claw meat?
We are also partial to chunks of tail and claw meat tossed with pasta in a light cream sauce. Either way, we like to pair a white or sparkling wine that has a full texture to hold up to firm lobster and bold acidity to cut through butter or cream. Here are a few of our picks.