Food

Pairing Wine with Soup

Hungry for some heart-warming tucker to tuck into with a glass of wine? Get pumped for pumpkin soup and misty-eyed for minestrone with our picks for the best soup recipes to enjoy with wine!

The cooler months are upon us and we all know what that means – it’s time for soup, soup and more soup.

Fragrant, comforting and delicious, soup is a welcome and popular choice as the days get cooler and we head towards winter. The fantastic range of flavours in our favourite soups also happen to pair well with many great Aussie wines.

“But which wines go well with soup?”, you might ask. And in these cooler months, does red wine go with soup? We’ve made it simple for you and have the lowdown to ensure you find your perfect match – here’s our easy-to-follow guide.

Pumpkin Soup and Wine Pairing

Lyndey Milan’s pumpkin laksa would be nicely balanced with an Aged Riesling, while her roasted pumpkin soup with cheese crostini would pair well with Viognier.

Why? Uniquely Australian, pumpkin soup is surely king of all winter soups! Whether you make yours extra creamy, with a touch of ginger and lemon, add some heat, or top it with a sprinkling of crispy lardons, you can find the perfect wine pairing. Think aromatic whites like Fiano and Riesling, and medium-bodied Viognier and Chardonnay which have a rich, velvety texture like pumpkin soup.

Vegetable Soup and Wine Pairing

We’ve picked Roussanne as a lovely match for our chestnut soup with parsnip and parmesan crisps, and Aged Riesling as a great pairing for our sweet potato and parsnip soup with red curry coconut cream.

For Danielle Alvarez’s Green Soup, our pick would be a vibrant Chenin Blanc.

Why? Vegetable soup is so wonderfully versatile. With so many different and delicious iterations possible, there are a multitude of great wine pairings. The warm, comforting qualities of chestnut soup pair perfectly with the full-bodied, rich and textural elements of Roussanne, a great white wine in winter. For a vegetable soup with Asian flavours, our pick, an Aged Riesling, would be a great match due to its bright, aromatic profile, while Chenin Blanc, an underrated variety which is tight and minerally, yet full of fruit, would be a delight with Danielle Alvarez’s Green Soup as its complexity matches this dish.

Chicken Soup and Wine Pairing

Australian Sauvignon Blanc is a great match with chicken-based soups like Lyndey Milan’s Stracciatella Soup with Greens.

Why? The fresh and lightly herbaceous characters of Sauvignon Blanc complement the flavours and greens in the Stracciatella Soup. Meanwhile, a chicken noodle soup calls for aromatic, textured whites with delicious natural acidity like Grüner Veltliner, Gewürztraminer or Verdelho.

Mushroom Soup and Wine pairing

A rich and creamy mushroom soup has delicious earthy qualities which makes it a perfect match with Pinot Noir. Both comforting and luxurious, it’s a wonderful choice for the cooler months.

Why? Hearty mushroom dishes and Pinot Noir share earthy and delicate qualities, making them complement each other perfectly. So, when one asks “does red wine go well with soup?”, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’, as demonstrated in this classic combination.

Minestrone Soup and Wine Pairing

Our pick for minestrone soup, like Stefano Manfredi’s Minestrone, is a light to medium-bodied red wine like Sangiovese, Grenache or Pinot Noir. For white wine lovers, try a Vermentino.

Why? An ideal soup for autumn and winter, minestrone is the perfect balance of beans, bacon, winter vegetables, tomatoes and pasta. This delicious combination of hearty flavours and textures makes it a great match for light to medium-bodied red wines that won’t overpower the soup, such as Sangiovese, and Pinot Noir, due to its softer tannins. The refreshing acidity and fresh, textural characters of Vermentino work well with rich, tomato-based dishes with texture, which is why it’s also a great pairing with minestrone.

Seafood Soup and Wine Pairing

Seafood soups come in many forms, from light, zesty broths to hearty, textural chowders. We’ve put together some of our favourite seafood soup recipes and matched them with delicious wine choices.

David Thompson’s minced prawn and pork soup with Asian greens works well with a Riesling or Grüner Veltliner, while Gewürztraminer is a great pairing with Lyndey Milan’s fish poached in Thai-flavoured broth.

Why? These dishes are aromatic and flavoursome, making both a great match with aromatic white wines like Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Grüner Veltliner. The dry, citrussy characters of Australian Riesling and delicate layers and zesty acidity of Grüner Veltliner complement the flavours of the seafood and pork soup beautifully, while the natural acidity and more lifted and intense aromatics of Gewürztraminer are well suited to the aromatic and flavoursome Thai broth.

Our pick for a chilled soup containing seafood, like our chilled gazpacho and prawns, is Australian Sauvignon Blanc.

Why? Sauvignon Blanc’s herbal notes and aromatic fruit flavours mean it is great with seafood dishes. With this particular soup, it’s not only a great match with the prawns, but will also complement the tomato-based flavours of the gazpacho.

GENERAL RULE OF THUMB

Here are a few simple points to consider when choosing a wine to match your next bowl of soup.

Texture: Soups can have different textures – there are all kinds of soups from clear soups and broths, to smooth and creamy soups, and chunky soups and chowders. As well as texture, of course you need to consider the ingredients and flavours.

Weight: Pair the wine with the weight of the soup – hearty soups and chowders can handle more full-bodied, robust wines than a delicate soup.

Tomatoes: Avoid tannic red wines. Tomatoes are naturally high in acid, so go for red wines with lower acid and not too much tannin.

Creamy: Creamy soups are best paired with white wines with medium to high acidity. Also, think about the garnish and its flavours when making your choice.

Protein: For protein-based soups containing fish, meat or pulses, it’s best to apply similar considerations as when pairing wine with any protein dish. Also, think about the texture, spices and other ingredients.

For more great food and wine combinations, be sure to check out our dedicated Food and Wine Pairing pages.