Turkish food is a broad category, but whatever you order, it has a magical way of making your stomach happy. The only thing that can make a feast of pitta, lamb kebabs, hummus, falafels, halloumi and baklava any better is pairing it all with the perfect wine. It all comes down to your personal taste of course, but in this article, we’ll take a look at some of the most likely suspects.
Wine Characteristics To Pair With Turkish Food
The world of Turkish food covers a wide variety of flavours and textures – but many of its dishes are generously spiced. To stand up to this, look for a wine with an aromatic character or some spicy flavours of its own.
Characteristic
Detail
Sweetness
Dry to Sweet
Acidity
High
Tannins
Smooth to Tannic
Body
Bold
Tasting Notes
Ripe dark berries, refreshing citrus flavours, and layers of spice.
Best Red Wine To Drink With Turkish Food
Turkish food can be a great match for full-bodied red wines with bold flavours, particularly when you’re enjoying a tender piece of lamb, doner kebab, or a plate of warm kofte. Here are a few specific red wine varietals that can pair well with Turkish food.
Shiraz
This full-bodied red wine has flavours of dark fruit, spice, and sometimes a hint of pepper, making it a good match for Turkish dishes with bold flavours. Shiraz really comes into its own when paired with lamb, which is often the centerpiece of a Turkish feast. Turkish food can be quite filling, particularly when you have a plate of pitta bread and lamb chops in front of you. You can also think about expanding to a slightly leaner Syrah from the Rhone Valley, which will cleanse your palate and help you make room for more.
Cabernet Sauvignon
This full-bodied red wine has flavours of black fruit, tannins, and hints of oak, making it another excellent match for Turkish dishes with an abundance of meat. We all know the benefits of pairing Cabernet Sauvignon with steak, and it usually has more than enough body and acid to stand up to a richly spiced piece of lamb too. For a more regional pairing, you can also look for a Cabernet Sauvignon from Israel or Lebanon – this invincible red varietal has also become one of the most planted grapes in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea!
Saperavi
Saperavi is a red wine grape variety that is grown in Georgia and is known for producing full-bodied red wines with flavours of dark fruit, such as black cherry and blackberry, as well as hints of spice. Georgian cuisine bears a lot of similarities to Turkish cuisine, so Saperavi is a natural regional pairing for a lot of Turkish dishes. It’s also known for having high levels of acidity, making it a good match for rich dishes. It can stand up to spicy koftas, red bean and lentil dishes, as well as plenty of spiced lamb.
Best White Wine To Drink With Turkish Food
Turkish food isn’t all about meat. It’s actually one of the most vegetarian (and even vegan!) friendly national cuisines that you can find. Lentils, halloumi cheese and chickpeas (used to make falafels and hummus) are ever present, so if you’re sticking to vegetarian food, it’s helpful to have a white wine to match it. Spices are still everywhere, so you may want to look in the direction of strongly aromatic whites.
Sauvignon Blanc
With its punchy flavours of citrus, grass, and herbaceousness, Sauvignon Blanc is a great match for spicy Turkish dishes with rich flavours. It goes particularly well with falafels and is vibrant enough to cut through any of the side dishes or hummus plates that you serve with them. With Sauvignon Blanc, you can go for a rounder, fruitier example from New Zealand (experts recommend rounder wines with falafel), or an elegant, mineral-rich wine from Sancerre, for example. It all comes down to what you prefer.
Assyrtiko
Hailing from the mythical island of Santorini in the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey, Assyrtiko is a beautiful choice for pairing with Turkish food. It has flavours of citrus, green apple, and sometimes a hint of minerality, which can help to refresh the palate and balance the boisterous, spicy flavours of Turkish dishes. It’s also a brilliant wine to enjoy with halloumi. The crispness of the wine brings out the saltiness of the cheese, and vice versa.
Gewürztraminer
Gewurztraminer has flavours of stone fruit, tropical fruit, and hints of spice. It is also strongly aromatic, which gives an impression of sweetness (even when the wine is dry), so its perfect for pairing with spicy and salty foods. Gewurztraminer is a very versatile choice, with a juicy, viscous feel that can make the driest The hint of sweetness makes it a delicious option for the honey-soaked pistachio dessert, baklava.
Best Wine To Drink With Turkish Food
In short, whatever your personal taste in wine is, you can find a bottle that matches Turkish food. Things can get particularly magical and harmonious when you look at more Mediterranean pairings, such as wines from Greece, Lebanon, Israel or even Georgia. These are your best varietals to look out for when you’re enjoying some Turkish food:
