What Is the Best Wine to Pair with Pesto?
When it comes to pairing wine with pesto, we favour dry, crisp, and acidic white wines such as Pinot Grigio, Vermentino, or Sauvignon Blanc. If you prefer red wine, then we’d recommend something light-bodied like Beaujolais, Dolcetto, or Pinot Noir.
We're not going to pretend to be the world's biggest wine buffs but we have watched Sideways an unnecessary number of times and have been too embarrassed to order Merlot ever since.
Our favourite white wine pairing for pesto
Our go-to wine pairing for classic basil pesto is a dry, crisp white wine, and this also happens to be a popular choice among sommeliers when tasked with pairing wine with all kinds of pesto-pasta dishes. Whatever your preference, the wine needs to be able to stand up to the strong flavour of the sauce. Here are a few of our favourites:
Pinot Grigio
The light, refreshing character of Pinot, with its subtle fruit flavours, makes it the wine we reach for more often than any other. It offers a wonderful contrast to the boldness of basil pesto.
Vermentino
This white wine is crisp and refreshing, with citrus and floral notes. It's an excellent match for pesto due to its acidity, mineral finish, and ability to balance the sauce's flavours.
Sauvignon Blanc
The herbal, citrusy notes of this classic French wine, combined with its good acidity and a crisp finish, makes it a cracking pairing for pesto.
What red wine goes best with pesto?
When it comes to making a ragù, or bolognese, we favour red wine every time. Full-bodied wines like Malbec, Chianti, and Shiraz complement the hearty sauce brilliantly. However, that's completely the opposite of what we look for when pairing red wine with pesto. Here, we favour light-bodied wines with low tannin levels to avoid overpowering the sauce. Here are a few of our favourites:
Beaujolais
This light-bodied, delicate wine with bright acidity and fruity character works wonderfully with the herbal and nutty flavours of pesto. In the winter months, we recommend hunting down a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau. This young, red wine is intended to be drunk as soon as possible after its annual release at the end of November.
Dolcetto
Hailing from Piedmont, this versatile, fruity red wine enhances the flavours of pesto without overwhelming the sauce. Just like Beaujolais Nouveau, you should drink Dolcetto as soon as possible after its production, as it is not intended to be aged.
Pinot Noir
With moderate acidity and hints of cherries and raspberries, Pinot Noir offers bright fruit flavours and a light mouthfeel that complements the herbal and garlicky notes of pesto.
Our favourite rosé pesto-wine pairing
If rosé wine is more your thing, the safest bet is to stick to Italian grape varieties such as Sangiovese or Montepulciano, which offer a refreshing and balanced contrast to the richness of the sauce. Failing that, you can do a lot worse than opt for the crisp, dry rosés from Provence or the Rhône Valley, which boast bright, vibrant characters and delicate herbal notes.