Pairing Wine With Quiche Lorraine

Quiche is one of the most famous French dishes, and in this case we’ll enjoy one (or two) slices of the most-known version, the Quiche Lorraine. Its name derives from the historical French region of Lorraine in the North East of the country and is basically a revised version of the classic Quiche, with the addition of Bacon or Lardons. These fatty-pork ingredients, filled into a crust pastry together with eggs, thick cream, and custard, make this slice of Quiche quite heavy!

To find the best wine to pair with, and to elevate the bite to a higher experience, this time we should look into history. Quiche, and especially the Lorraine version, were usually enjoyed with a glass of Alsatian wines –red or whites, such as Pinot Noir, Riesling, Pinot Gris or Pinot Blanc. In fact, medium body intensity of fruit, high acidity and tannins, and dry aspects are what we need to combine this dish with in order to create a more sophisticated experience and to not overpower the dish.

Wine Characteristics to Pair with Quiche Lorraine

Characteristic	Detail
Sweetness	Dry
Acidity	High
Tannins	Medium – High
Body	Medium
Tasting Notes	Strawberry, Red Cherry, Red currant, Cranberry, Apricot, Peach, Honey, Apple

Best Red Wine To Drink With Quiche Lorraine

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir combines all the characteristics we need to enjoy a wonderful pairing for Quiche Lorraine. Its high acidity will help you to keep your mouth watering despite the pastry and the bacon. Additionally, they have a medium body with varying degrees of intensity of fruity flavours and aromas which range from strawberry to red currant passing through cranberries. All this creates great balance for the quiche. Fresh and young Pinot Noir are good examples of a delicious historical pairing!

Beaujolais

We move further south in France, towards Beaujolais. Here the wines have characteristics similar to the ones from Pinot Noir, but at a lower price point (typically)! In fact, here the main grape variety grown is called Gamay, which maintains the medium levels of tannins, although they are sometimes lower, but could have sweeter fruit than the Pinot Noir. Additionally, we don’t need a full-bodied wine with a lot of fruit concentration or wood in this case as this would overwhelm the dish.

Valpolicella Classico

Following the same line and style of the wines above we take the Valpolicella Classico. This former supper wine used by Italian peasants has now turned into a new modern classic red wine. It’s a blend of grape varieties from the North West of Italy and it’s very versatile, simple but not obvious. It works very well with the bacon and the eggs by enhancing their rich sensations but doesn’t overshadow them and is also easy-drinking!

Best White Wine to Drink With Quiche Lorraine

Riesling

The Alsace flagship and most grown grape variety will help us to do many things with the quiche Lorraine. First, it’s versatile and liked by everyone. From bone dry to sweet, Rieslings satisfy also the most demanding of palates. Third, its high acidity. Almost all the quiches have one thing in common, the flavour and fattiness of their preparations. In these cases, high acidity is always a good partner to stay with, keeping your mouth watering. Last but not least, it will maintain the Alsatian traditions alive!

Pinot Blanc

Pinot blanc is the second most-grown grape variety in Alsace. Flavours and aromas of pear, peach and lime zest coupled with a usually medium-high acidity. Reiterating how we can maintain the general theme of Alsace. In fact, it has a sharp body which is what we need with the quiche preparation and in general with cheeses and egg-based preparations.

Champagne

Champagne or any other denomination which includes bubbles are a good option for this dish. The fatty but delicate aromas of eggs and cream ask for bubbles, as they do not overwhelm or charge the dish too much. The traditional method sparkling wines, with their delicate aromas of apple and lime together with the brioche and pastry notes, remind us of the pastry parts of the dish. Let’s have some fun!