Pairing Wine With Shrimp & Grits

Shrimp and Grits are served all throughout America but known in the low country South. Shrimp being shrimp and Grits being a type of porridge made from boiled cornmeal. Some are often dressed with rich sauces; there being three distinct styles of the dish which are prepared today! They are:

No sauce; which is simply shrimp and grits with bacon, dripping and some garlic and sliced onions.
Tomato based sauce is popular these days adding acid from the tomates.

Lastly Shrimp & Grits with smoked sausage which includes a light gravy which carries a smoky flavor from the sausage.

Wine Characteristics To Pair With Shrimp & Grits

Characteristic	Detail
Sweetness	Dry
Acidity	High
Tannins	Low – High
Body	Low – Bold
Notes	Crisp Citrus, Oak, Herbaceous, Savory

Best White Wine To Pair With Shrimp & Grits

Shrimp and Grits pairs wonderfully with the white wines of the world; especially an oaked white to highlight the buttery aspect of the dish! Also a white with nice clean high acidity works well to freshed the palate between bites.

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is a super fine choice for shrimp and grits, because buttery dishes with minimal spice just beg to be paired with it! This wine has medium acidity making it perfect with the rich and creamy shrimp and grits, Chardonnay will always work well with richer tastes and mild spices!

Pinot Gris

Pinot Gris is a white wine with flavors of lime, lemon, pear, white nectarine and apple with a saline like minerality to it. Now, if you’re having shrimp and grits with a smoky and rich flavor from the sausage, you’ll have to pair well to balance between the umami flavors and fragrant essence. Pinot Gris works super well with smoky flavors of sausages and also rich gravy, as it creates a lighter palate cleanse with its crisp notes of citrus and stone fruit.

Best Red Wine To Pair With Shrimp & Grits

When shrimp and grits are cooked with a tomato based sauce, it’s best to reach for the red wine, or something with high acidity and tannins will pair well and help cut through the richness of the dish. Here are the reds which pair wonderfully with Shrimp & Grits!

Chianti

Chianti is a red blend from Tuscany, Italy made primarily with Sangiovese grapes with notes of red fruits, dried herbs, balsamic vinegar, smoke and game! This wine goes super well with a tomato based shrimp and grits; it also goes really well with any other tomato based stews!

Rose

A rose’s flavors are lean on the fruity side, except flavors of strawberry, citrus, melon, raspberry, cherry and fresh flowers with a crunching green flavor on the finish similar to celery or rhubarb. A rose pairs super well with tomato based shrimp and grits and provides good acid to pair it with. The acidity of the tomatoes in the shrimp and grits mellows down the acid of the wine, heightening our senses to notice the fruity notes of it rather than the acid, also perfectly balances the richness of the shrimp and the creaminess of the grits.

Best Wine to Pair with Shrimp & Grits

Because of the many variations of Shrimp and Grits there are many possible pairings for it! If you are going traditional with no sauce think New World Chardonnay or Rose; tomato based sauce, think Sangiovese or Grenache; and with smoked sausage think herbaceous like Cabernet Sauvignon or even Sauvignon Blanc! So many possible pairings for such a versatile dish!