Quick Guide To Vegetarian Wine Pairings

Guys, I’ve been keeping something from you. For the past two months or so, I’ve been eating a strictly vegetarian diet. This is a HUGE change for me, and not something that I expected! I didn’t intentionally become a vegetarian… it sort of just… happened! I started noticing that whenever I would eat meat, I’d feel not-so-great about it. It didn’t sit right in my stomach, and I couldn’t really enjoy eating meat because even as I was chewing, all I could think was “animal.” I’m obviously spending too much time alone with my cats, but that’s an entirely other intervention conversation. I guess I just feel better not eating meat. For now. No long term commitments here, but be prepared for lots more healthy and plant-based recipes here on the blog 🙂 Since I started experimenting with a meat-free diet, I have been surprised to learn that some foods which should be inherently vegetarian in fact are not! Take wine, for example. From what I understand, part of the “fining” process (which is done to increase the clarity of the wine) is done through use of additives such as gelatin (an animal protein) and isinglass (fish bladder protein). Others are finished through use of casein (milk protein) and albumin (egg whites). I imagine that this process is similar to the French method of preparing a consomme, which uses egg white to remove sediment from broth. You can read more about the various wine “fining” processes in this article from The Kitchn. There’s about a bazillion varieties of wine out there, but I decided to focus on my favorite four whites (Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Riesling, and Gewurztraminer) and my favorite four reds (Chianti, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir). For each type of wine, I’ve listed out a few cuisines and dishes that are perfect for pairing, and linked to a recipe or two to get you started. Enjoy!