Pairing Wine With Cassoulet

Cassoulet is a dish that originated in France and it got its name from the traditional round cooking pot that it was made in. It is a stew which is slow cooked, usually containing meat, beans and sausages. It is quite rich and for this reason we will look for rich full-bodied wines to complement it and enhance your dining experience. We would need a medium bodied wine, with nice firm tannins, long finish and a good texture.

Wine Characteristics To Pair With Cassoulet

Characteristic	Detail
Sweetness	Dry
Acidity	Medium to High
Tannins	Medium to High
Body	Full bodied white, Medium bodied reds
Tasting Notes	White – Citrus, green fruit, tropical fruitRed – Black fruit, leather, earthy, savory

Sweetness– We will look for a dry wine to drink with Cassoulet.

Acidity – Medium to high acidity is something we will definitely need in our wine since Cassoulet is a dish that is rich, with several types of meat which we need the acidity to cut through.

Tannins – Medium to high tannins are necessary to help us break down the meat and enhance the texture of the dish.

Body– For the red wines we would suggest having a medium bodied red so that it doesn’t overpower the dish. For the whites however we would need as much body as we can get as the dish is quite a rich one.

Tasting Notes – Tropical, citrus and green fruit aromas should be present in our white wines, with a hint of oak and vanilla. For our red wines, black fruit, leather, savory and gamey flavors should be present, with a touch of earthiness and forest floor.

Best Red Wine To Drink With Cassoulet

Red wines should be your first choice when having Cassoulet as your main course. Ample tannins, firm structure, medium to high acidity to cut through the dish and lots of complexity to make this dining experience quite sophisticated.

Malbec from France

Malbec from Cahors would be the top choice here. Lots of black fruit aromas with high, firm tannins, good structure and a deep color. This wine will get better with age and it will develop leather, meat, game aromas complemented with hints of tobacco, earth and forest floor. We would recommend getting yourself a nice aged Cahors to drink with your Cassoulet, as it will make just the perfect pairing with your main course.

Shiraz from Australia

Coming from the land down under, this Shiraz (Syrah) will be a rich, structured wine. If you are looking for a specific region to get it from, Barossa Valley is a safe bet. Ample tannins, good structure, full body and lots of black fruit aromas. These wines also improve with age and develop complexity, with chocolate and tobacco aromas.

Bordeaux blend from Chile

Going for a right bank Bordeaux style blend won’t be a miss, with good structure coming from Cabernet Sauvignon, velvety tannins from Merlot and a good spiciness and richness from Petit Verdot. These wines are always a good main course accompaniment and they definitely will make your night.

Best White Wine To Drink With Cassoulet

Red wines make a natural pairing for this dish but as we do understand that you might not be a red wine lover, we will get a couple of white wine styles that will stand up to this rich dish.

Since your Cassoulet will have white beans and will be packed with protein we will need a wine that will have a good acidity, a full body and definitely oak aging.

White blend from Rioja

Rioja whites are most often blended with predominantly Viura, Malvasia Riojana, Garnacha blanca and Verdejo. These wines are intentionally submitted to oxidation before fermentation and are fermented and aged in oak. This gives wine a fuller body, oxidative notes, and a nutty character. They have medium to high acidity, full body, creamy texture and oak aromas. They will be able to stand up to a rich dish such as Cassoulet.

Southern Rhone White blends

This is a blanket term used to describe the white wines produced in the Southern Rhone valley. These wines are most often made from Grenache blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier and many more. They are made in a fuller bodied style with oak influence and although being a fresher style than the Rioja blend we mentioned previously, they will have enough strength to put up a fight to the Cassoulet.

Merwah and Obeidi from Lebanon

This might be an out of the box pairing but the Lebanese wines made from these grape varieties can have enough body to work with the Cassoulet. They are usually blended together and made in an oxidative style, similar to white Rioja blends. Oak aging with a good, firm structure and intensity of flavor will make these wines a good pairing for the Cassoulet.

Best Wine To Drink With Cassoulet

Below you will find wines that will work the best with Cassoulet. Rich wines, with lots of intensity of flavor, will take your dining experience to another level.