8 Pumpkin Wine Pairings

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It’s that time of year again–pumpkin flavored items are reappearing on Starbucks menus and your local grocery store. Even if you aren’t affectionate towards the seasonal gourde, chances are you will find a dish on your dinner table that includes pumpkin or someone will request such a dish. Depending how the pumpkin is prepared can make it tricky when it comes to selecting a wine to go along side of it.

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Pumpkin can be somewhat of a challenge when it comes to pairing wine. Like wine, not all pumpkin varietals are created equally and it would be remiss to assume that they’re all the same. The same can be said for the way the pumpkin is prepared. To take some of the hassle out of the guesswork involved with pairing your favorite pumpkin dishes with delicious wines that won’t be too overpowering or simply incorrectly matched.

There’s lots more to pumpkin than good old pumpkin pie or pumpkin bread. Think main dish! Think side dish! Think warming you from the inside on a cool fall evening! 

When preparing a creamy pumpkin dish, such as a pumpkin soup or pumpkin risotto, think “dry” or “creamy” on the palate when it comes to wine. Here’s the place for your Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, a dry Prosecco or an Albariño. 

Yes, there is such a thing as pumpkin ravioli or pumpkin lasagna! It all depends on the color of sauce and spice profiles you are using. For a while sauce, grab a Viognier, a gruner veltliner, or a nice pinot gris. Prefer the flavors in a red sauce? You can’t go wrong with a Sangiovese or a nice Rhone blend.

Pumpkin stew, you may wonder. Does such a thing exist? Yes it does, and it will warm you from the inside on one of those getting-longer evenings. There’s room for your chardonnay here, if you must, but why not be as bold as your pumpkin stew and choose a Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot?  

Are you still not convinced that pumpkin isn’t only for desserts? There’s still a wine for that! Alongside your pumpkin pie, pumpkin-spiced cake or cupcakes or pumpkin pots de creme, look for a Riesling, Madiera, sherry, ice wine or a sparkling wine. There’s certainly a wine that will please the fussiest palate at your dinner table.

Great Pumpkin Recipes & Wine Pairings

Pumpkin Risotto

A rich dish in itself, select a rich and creamy white wine such as Chardonnay (like La Crema which is widely available) or Viognier. 

Pumpkin Risotto recipe via A Nerd Cooks.

Slow Cooker Mole Chicken

Pairing this chocolate based sauce can be as simple as pairing it with a regional wine (temprantillo) or a wine with a bit of spice to it (petite syrah).

Recipe via Food Done Light.

Kale Mushroom Pumpkin Alfredo Pasta

With a white sauce, you might be thinking wine is the obvious choice but a nice Barbera from Italy is robust enough to handle the creaminess of the Alfredo but it's not so overpowering that your hard work will be masked by a wine.

Recipe via Two Purple Figs.

Pumpkin Lasagna

This white based sauce will be balanced by a white wine, such as a Gruner Veltliner.

Recipe via Goodie Godmother.

Pumpkin White Bean Chili

Combat the subtle spiciness of this chili with a dry riesling. It's important you do not select a sweet riesling for this recipe!

Recipe via Family Food On The Table.

Pumpkin Ravioli With Browned Butter, Sage And Walnuts

The light butter sauce would be overpowered by a buttery Chardonnay, instead choose a zesty white such as a Pinot Gris. It'll highlight the earthy flavors of the sage and pumpkin!

Recipe via What A Girl Eats.

What is your favorite pumpkin recipe?

Pork and Tomatillo Stew

Pork and Tomatillo Stew

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If you’ve been hanging around for a while, then you already know that I love a good glass of a Rhone varietal. I’m not picky, a glass of Grenache, Syrah, Viognier, Roussane, or Mourvedére will do. Heck, I’ve got six or seven bottles of various GSMs (Grenache-Syrah-Mourvedére) begging for someone to rescue them from the bottle right now. Today is not their day. Tomorrow probably won’t work out for them, either. 

Despite the hot temperatures outside, at the end of the day I’m craving something substantial that hugs me, theoretically speaking. Whether it’s 100º or 44º outside, it’s nice to have a tried and tested dish that works time after time. This is a very forgiving recipe: if you don’t have all of the vegetables, don’t sweat it. In the past, I’ve tossed in bell peppers and star anise (don't ask how that happened).

For this pork and tomatillo stew, I’m reaching for a Syrah. If you have a blend of Syrah and Viognier, that will work as well. Or if you prefer a white wine, Viognier is the obvious choice. The sweet tobacco and smoke aromas and flavors typically found in a Syrah compliment this dish so well that I won’t serve this dish with anything but a peppery-Syrah or Syrah blend. A GSM may not have the body or tannin structure to tame the fattiness of the pork, so unless you’re familiar with a certain GSM blend, stick to a straight Syrah such as this one from Wrath. 

If you’re unfamiliar with Syrah, consider it a spicier alternative to Cabernet Sauvignon. Like Cabernet Sauvignon, it can be aged for upwards of ten years and goes fantastically with more expensive cuts of meat, which can sometimes be a bit fattier. Though Syrah can sometimes be lighter on the tannin scale and therefore can be enjoyed alongside leaner cuts of meat. Quality Syrah tends to be slightly cheaper than Cabernet Sauvignon.

This spicy dish is overflowing with vegetables and it’s the perfect conclusion to a long week at the office or after a long, hot day working outside in the sun doing yard work. With tender meat that flakes off your fork, serve it with crunchy tortilla chips for the ultimate comfort food. You can brown the meat the night before and toss everything into the slow cooker in the morning, or cook it in a Dutch oven, which I feel produces more flavors and tender meat and vegetables.

If you are looking to reheat this dish, slow and steady wins the race. Simply put the Dutch oven back into the oven to reheat. Speaking of leftovers, cook some white rice and grab some tortillas from your local bakery because this stew makes outstanding burritos!

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 2 pounds boneless pork loin, cut into 3 inch chunks and generously seasoned with sat and pepper

• 2 large celery ribs, diced

• 1 small red onion, diced

• 2 Anaheim chiles, seeded and diced

• 2 teaspoons mild chili powder

• 1 tablespoon ground cumin

• pinch of dried oregano

• 2 cups chicken stock

• 1 cup diced carrots

• two 6-ounce russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice

• one 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

• 1 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed and cut into 1-inch dice

• hot sauce

• chipped cilantro, for garlic

• corn tortilla chips or broken hard taco shells, for serving

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven. Once the oil is hot and smoking, add the pork and cook over high heat until lightly browned on both sides. Add the celery and onion and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the diced chiles, garlic, cumin, oregano, and chile powder, stirring frequently until fragrant.

2. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.

3. Add the potatoes, tomatillos, tomatoes and carrots. Cover and summer over low heat until the pork is cooked, about 25 minutes.

4. Remove the pork from the pot and shred with two forks or an immersion blender.

5. Simmer the stew over medium-high heat until the mixture has thickened, about 12 minutes.

6. Return the pork to the pot and season with hot sauce more salt and pepper.

7. Ladle into bowls, garnish with cilantro and serve with a handful of tortilla chips or broken hard taco shells.

What’s your idea of the ultimate comfort food (and wine pairing)?