What Wine is the Best for Pairing with Chili?

Kristin Watts

It's that time of year where we pull out the good old chili ingredients and stir up a fresh, comforting pot of deliciousness.

With the mild spiciness, I am thinking a lighter red or heavy white might do, but I can also see a heady cab that picks up the heat on this classic Fall/Winter dish.

Any thoughts?

Answers

Have you ever tried using red wine in the chili? I don't have much chili making experience, but I know some recipes call for red wine, and I wonder if that addition would go well with the wine itself. Some recipes call for about 2 cups of red wine, which is about 2/3 the bottle. Maybe you can drink the remaining 1/3 and it would pair perfectly!

answered by

Kyle Graynor

4557977,397

Oct 6, 2011 at 12:48pm
- 854949Kristin Watts A genius idea, Kyle - thank you! I also have not tried adding the red wine component but it will be an interesting experiment indeed! And of course I will pick one that I like so I can enjoy sipping the rest of that bottle clean :)
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I had Huntington Petite Sirah with chili and it was excellent. The spices in the wine matched well. I would also think Zinfandel would work.

answered by

nancig

3322570

Oct 6, 2011 at 1:34pm
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I love chili. I make it all the time at the request of my children and husband. My chili is spicy and a little smoky. I like to pair it with Syrah, Rhone red, and recently, had it with Donnaluna Aglianico and it was fantastic.

answered by

ScottLauraH

602268369

Oct 6, 2011 at 2:49pm
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Beer, because sometimes pairing food is not always the best with wine.....Corona will do the trick.

And just for the record, you can do beer tasting just as well as wine tasting. Same senses, same differences...

answered by

Gavilan Vineyards

51732040

Oct 6, 2011 at 3:20pm
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I would advise a blend with a decent amount of Grenache. The grenache grape will stand up to the heat of the chilli and can complement the richness of the meat with some peppery notes. A classic GSM (grenache, shiraz, merlot) would be big enough to take on such a powerful dish.

answered by

falexed

8347378

Oct 6, 2011 at 7:59pm
- 834737falexed sorry - merlot should have read mouvedre in the GSM blend.
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I find people know a lot more about wine than they do chili. There is such a wide variety in what people call chili and it's level of spice and ingredients, it's hard to be too specific--almost all of these wine varietals sound OK with chili, none sound great, and beer sounds best (or maybe sangria?).

answered by

homestar

51216183

Oct 7, 2011 at 6:16am
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What about a zinfandel? the fruitiness to cut the spice. Kyle has a good point to drink the wine you've used in the recipe. It brings the flavor profiles together.

Nate @ www.localvinacular.com

answered by

Nathan Ophardt

905326324

Oct 7, 2011 at 6:55pm
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