Pairing Wine With Burgers

When one thinks of wine pairings with burgers, the automatic thought will likely be of bold reds. While these do work well with red meat burgers, did you know that a variety of white wines also can pair nicely with burgers to elevate your dining experience? There are many kinds of burgers to delve into, which makes it a fun experiment to keep changing the burger and wine pairings.

Best Red Wines to Pair with Burgers

When selecting a red wine to pair with burgers, it is best to select a fuller bodied wine to match the burger’s intensity of flavour so the two of them do not overpower each other. Balance is always the key with wine and food pairings. Additionally, burgers tend to be rich not just in flavour, but in texture. Who doesn’t love a juicy burger? Thus, a high acid wine would be best to pair. Also, a high acid wine would be best due to the higher acid content in the condiments and vegetables typically added to the burger (tomato, ketchup, mustard, etc.)

The red and black fruit characteristics of red wine would create a harmonious pairing with the deeper and richer flavours of the burger patty. Dry wines are best, but off dry would work nicely as well because the sauces used on burgers also can be sweet, such as ketchup, barbecue sauce and relish. Tannins are great with meat since they bind to protein to result in a smooth and polished mouthfeel and will not overpower your palate with any bitter or mouth drying sensation.

Here are some great choices to consider:

Oregon Pinot Noir
Chilean Syrah

Californian Zinfandel
Barossa Valley GSM
Coonawarra Grenache

Best White Wines to Pair with Burgers

Although it is typical for red wines to be paired with burgers, there are many whites that can be great choices as well. To elevate your dining experience, it is important to consider the type of burger patty and the intensity of flavour to choose a white wine that will not be overpowered by the burger.

As is often the case, choose a high acid wine that will freshy cleanse the palate to optimally experience the flavours of the burger. Like the red wines mentioned above, dry and off-dry wines could both work if sweeter condiments are used such as ketchup, barbecue sauce and relish.

Orange wines also work perfectly with burgers since they have the intensity to not be overpowered by the strong flavours of this dish, but also have tannins in it due to the prolonged skin contact in the fermenting grape juice. Orange wine is a wine category that is quickly gaining appreciation around the world and is seen as a cross between red and white wine, so it will be worth giving it a try with this main course!

These white wines will enhance your dining experience:

Napa Valley Chardonnay
Jura White

South Rhône White
Sauvignon Blanc Orange

Best Wine to Pair with Beef Burgers

Beef burger patties are classic and can go well with many tannic and full-bodied reds. A great choice would be Californian Zinfandel. These wines are known to be tannic, often oak aged, full bodied and bursting with ripe red and black fruits. Zinfandel is a grape that easily accumulates a high sugar content when ripening, and thus is often high in alcohol.

Since beef patties are quite robust and flavourful, it is easy to see why Californian Zinfandel would be a great match since it is equally flavourful and robust in structure as well. These wines are either dry or off-dry, and both would pair beautifully with beef patties since many condiments on burgers tend to be sweet. The higher tannin content in California Zinfandels will match the intensity of the burger, making it a good choice.

Best Wine to Pair with Lamb Burgers

If someone is looking for a red meat burger but also prefers a change from the classic beef burger patty, lamb is a popular choice. A great choice for lamb burgers is a Chilean Syrah. These wines are often full bodied, highly tannic, and have medium-plus to high acidity.

Lamb burger patties have herbs and spices added and will pair well with the herbaceous notes that Chilean wines bring. Syrah is a great choice because with age, savory olive notes come through that will complement the savory notes in the burger. These wines tend to be oak aged, thus giving the wines extra roundness and complexity that will match that of the lamb burgers.

Its high acidity washes away the delicious richness of lamb burgers and will prime the palate for the next bite. Syrah naturally has black pepper notes even in youth, and since lamb burgers often have black pepper as an ingredient, it is no surprise that this main course and Chilean Syrah go hand in hand. Choose one that has some age to it for the savory olive notes, such as 3-5 years from the vintage.

Best Wine To Pair with Chicken Or Turkey Burgers

This is an increasingly popular burger type as the world becomes increasingly health conscious with efforts to reduce their red meat consumption. This lean yet flavourful burger also has great choices of wines for pairings. Try a Napa Valley Chardonnay with it. These wines are known to be highly fruit forward of citrus, stone fruit, and often notes of tropical fruit. They are usually oak aged and have undergone malolactic conversion to have dairy notes for added complexity and creaminess.

The pronounced and varied fruit character of the wine will be paralleled by the intensity and varied spice flavours in the chicken patty. Napa Valley Chardonnays are known for its oak aging, and this extra complexity will pair well with the spices in the patty and condiments. If cheese is being used, the malolactic conversion will have complementary flavours, making it a fantastic food and wine pairing.

Best Wine to Pair with Vegetarian Burgers

Burgers are such a great option for a main course all year round, especially since there is a patty for everyone! Oregon Pinot Noir is known to be of exceptional quality, high acid, bold red fruit favours, and polished medium tannins. The high acid of these wines will be great for clearing the palate of the richness of texture of the burger patty, especially if dairy or vegan cheese is being used.

Pinot Noir’s red fruit is ideal for vegetarian burgers since its flavour intensity is not as high as red meat burgers and will not be overshadowed by the wine. Pinot Noir is known to be quite earthy which is perfect for what is typically used in vegetarian burgers – mushrooms, black beans, and barley. There is no better wine pairing than Pinot Noir with vegetarian patties. Opt for one with some age to get the more pronounced earthy notes that Pinot Noir tends to gain.

Best Wine to Pair with Burgers

Although the classic burger type is quite common, there are many types of burger patty alternatives such as lamb, chicken, turkey, and vegetarian. When selecting a wine, you can select one that can be dry or off dry if sweeter condiments are being used. Tannic wines are great with red meat. For chicken and turkey burgers, a full-bodied white wine would be a great choice to not overpower the more delicate flavours of the meat. And vegetarian burgers are becoming increasingly popular, and thus a red wine with earthy notes such as Pinot Noir is a crowd-pleasing choice. Try these ones out for your next burger meal, and they will certainly impress: