Pairing Wine With Raclette

Raclette is such a fun, social dinner idea to have a few of your friends and family gather together to relax while cooking your meal in front of you whilst enjoying some great wine to pair with it. The options are endless with what you want to put on the raclette, but for the purposes of this article we will discuss wine and food pairings with the traditional Swiss items that are served – raclette cheese (which tastes similar to Swiss cheese), thinly sliced ham, boiled potatoes, pickled pearl onions and gherkins. The main star of the show is the raclette cheese that is melted and poured on top of everything. To have a complete meal, there are some great wine options to pair with it to make it even more of a special night! 

Wine Characteristics To Pair With Raclette

Best Red Wine To Pair With Raclette

Raclette cheese has a medium intensity flavor, and is rich and easily meltable that coats your mouth. It would benefit from a wine that will cleanse the palate of the delicious richness associated with raclette. Additionally, since the accompaniments of traditional raclette are neutral (such as potatoes), or items that are pickled, the high acid wines will be the perfect choice for everything on your plate. Since raclette cheese is not extremely bold, it would be best to serve it with a red wine of low to medium tannin and light to medium body as to now overpower the delicacies of the cheese and what it is being served with.

South African Cinsault

This wine will pair very well with raclette due to its low to medium body and light to medium tannins that will not overwhelm the raclette cheese and its accompaniments. Its bright red fruits and light spice (if oaked) brings out the savory aromatics of the main course, which will enhance the dining experience for you and your guest. Not all are high acid, so it is best to go to your private wine store to ask for a higher acid example.

Lambrusco

This is a rather unique red wine in the fact that it is sparkling! There is a sea of sweet Lambrusco that are made in high volumes that are often enjoyed in sangria – however, the kind we are after in this case is  more higher end. This is because they tend to be dry, more concentrated in aromatics that highlight the grape’s potential to produce notes of italian herbs. This will bring the complexity we are aiming for that will do your raclette dinner justice. Not only does the acid prepare the palate for the next bite, but so do the bubbles! Also, this rarity will also be a conversion piece as there will be some who have never heard of a sparkling red wine!

Pinot Noir

You will find this grape mentioned often with wine and food pairings, and this is for good reason. It is such a finicky grape to grow, and always requires expertise in the vineyard and winery, but it is always worth it as it is so popular. This grape provides the grape with low to medium tannins, which will not overpower the raclette, and is also of high acid that will rinse the mouth from the raclette cheese’s mouth coating creaminess. The high acid of the wine also complements the similar high acid additions, such as the pickled onions and gherkins. If you pick an aged Pinot Noir, you will find notes of mushroom and fresh earth that will highlight these same faint notes in the cheese.

Blaufränkisch

If you are serving ham or any type of sausage or meat with your raclette, consider trying this grape. It is native to Austria and rarely found outside of it, and is also prized for being food friendly with its high acid that pairs well with creamy foods (such as cheese and potatoes), or items that are also high in acid (such as the pickles and pearl onions). It is also a more unique choice compared to the above as it is composed more of black fruit flavors, such as blackberry and black cherry, which also serve to bring out the savory earthiness of the main course to provide a perfect wine pairing. There are many examples of ones that are oaked, which will provide the meal with complexity with notes of black pepper, baking spices, and mocha.

Bordeaux AOC

The wine we are looking for to pair with raclette needs to be light to medium body, therefore an appropriate choice in wine is the Bordeaux AOC. When many of us think of Bordeaux wines, we think of the heavily tannic, rich and full bodied examples. These tend to be from more specific appellations such as Margaux AOC or Pauillac AOC, but the simple yet delicious wines from the appellation of Bordeaux AOC are perfect here. The higher acid levels pair well with the creamy and sour aspects of the raclette dinner, while the medium tannins will provide some structure but not overwhelming the delicacies of the main course. It will have a mix of both black and red fruits, and thus will provide interesting complexity to the dish. 

Best White Wine To Pair With Raclette

Since traditional raclette is always served with cheese and potatoes (very traditional raclette was cheese melting over a fire that is topped on potatoes!), your wine choices would require high acid levels to contrast with the luscious mouthfeel of the cheese, yet will complement the other components of the dish. Again, a dry option is best as not to detract from the flavors of the main course. Here are some options to try!

Chasselas

It is always fun to pair local cuisine with local wine! This is a grape varietal native to Switzerland that is fairly neutral, which works well as a wine pairing with food because it will help to highlight the delicious aspects of the dish while its high acid levels will cleanse the palate to be ready for the next bite! This wine is always a safe bet since it is always dry with high acid levels. The pear and apple notes will pair well with the raclette cheese, which explains why a common snack is cheese with apple slices! This will be a fun option as it is not often found outside of Switzerland, and if you can get your hands on one from a local wine shop, it will surely impress your guests.

Vinho Verde

This northern Portuguese wine is a blend made up of Alvarinho, Arinto, Avesso, Loureiro, Trajadura, and many others. It is a wine that is loved for its slight spritz that would make a fun addition to the raclette dinner, and the addition of the bubbles will have a small effect in cutting through the richness of the raclette main course. It is also prized for its high acid that will do the exact same thing! This wine is a crowd pleaser as it has floral notes as well as fruity, and will complement the many flavors that the raclette provides.   

Rias Baixas

This wine made of Albariño in northern Spain is a delicious idea for a wine and food pairing with your raclette dinner. Not only is it not a commonly chosen wine, which is always fun, but it has all the structural components that are necessary to create a successful pairing. Its high acid content is necessary to prime the palate from the relatively heaviness of the cheese and potatoes, yet complements the pickled items such as the gherkins and onions. The vineyards are planted very close to the ocean, and thus these wines are admired for the briney notes that  still show through in the wine. This slight saltiness complements the similar notes in the food, and the perfumed floral, peach and apricot flavors and aromas give the pairing personality, complexity and a way to bring out the savory and earthy food components.

Muscadet Sèvre et Maine

This northern French wine is found in the Loire Valley close to the Atlantic ocean. The grape lends a more neutral character to the wine, such as pear, lime and apple, however with these wines there are a lot of other aspects that lend flavor to the wine that will create a great food pairing with all the elements in a raclette dinner. First of all, these wines are aged on its lees for an extended period of time with frequent “battanage” (stirring with a long stick), and this provides the wine with a toasty brioche character that not only provides complexity, but will also complement “basal” notes in the potatoes and any bread that is served. These wines are often undergone with malolactic conversion, which converts malic acid to lactic acid, giving it cheesy notes that parallel the similar characteristics in the cheese! Additionally, the high acidity in the wine cleanses the palate of the luscious richness of the cheese, making it a perfect option!

Petite Arvine

This wine is one that is rarely mentioned and will surely impress your guests if you can get your hands on one. It is always very special when you can pair a local wine with local cuisine. It is from the Valais region of Switzerland, and is highly complex with a beautiful aromatic bouquet. It is bursting with lemon, lime, grapefruit, wet stone, and a slight saline character. It is always found bone dry, making it a great food wine. The high acid level in the wine is desirable as a palate cleanser, and the slight salty nuances in the wine will highlight the similar notes in the raclette, thus enhancing your dining experience. 

Best Wines To Pair With Raclette

• South African Cinsault
• Lambrusco
• Bordeaux
• Pinot Noir
• Muscadet Sèvre et Maine
• Vinho Verde