5 tips on pairing Pumpkin with Wine:
as recommended by Karen Bonarrigo & Merrill Bonarrigo
- Pumpkin naturally has a sweet/savory neutral flavor characteristic, so the spices and other flavors you add will determine the flavor weight of the dish and therefore what wines go best.
- Their semi-sweet flavors balance rich dishes and heavy ingredients which makes them complement red wines nicely. Pumpkin soup on a chilly winter day can be a lovely pairing with a nice Pinot Noir or Malbec.
- It also has simple sweetness in preparation and in flavor weight that makes it a complement for delicate white wines. Light additions of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg or even curry make for a lovely pairing with Orange Muscat, Riesling, or Sparkling Almond.
- When I think of pumpkin, I think of holidays, pumpkin pie spice and pie or cheesecake. Gewurztraminer is my favorite wine with pumpkin pie spices and the Messina Hof pumpkin cheesecake recipe.
- Messina Hof Malbec (non-traditional options but dynamic dry red options that can match baking spices)
- Messina Hof Angel (heavenly sweet late harvest Riesling)
- Messina Hof Orange Muscat Mistella (zingy dessert wine to match sweetness levels)
- Messina Hof Gewurztraminer (semi-sweet white wine with spicy undertones)
Merrill and Karen Bonarrigo, Wine and Food Pairing experts at Messina Hof Wine Cellars, Inc.