The Absolute Best Wine To Pair With Classic Chicken Soup
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Most of us think of wine pairings and automatically start picturing juicy steaks next to glistening glasses of red wine. Or, perhaps we're conjuring up images of wine and cheese spreads on an hors-d'oeuvres table. However, sometimes you want something simple, comforting, and light but don't want to forgo your favorite glass of wine. If that's the case, a simple chicken soup can actually work pretty well with your alcohol.
Catherine Fallis, master sommelier and author of "Ten Grapes to Know: The Ten and Done Wine Guide," spoke with Daily Meal and provided a few exclusive insights into how to bring this pairing to life. She explains that when it comes to the ideal wine, "a chilled, medium-bodied lightly or unoaked dry white wine, such as a Pinot Blanc, Albarino, or Chablis" are all good picks. These wines create a perfect balance that works against the temperature and taste of the soup.
Why these white wines work so well
Catherine Fallis explains that the reason medium-bodied, dry white wines are such a good pick for chicken noodle soup is that they "both soothe and cleanse the palate while lifting the delicate flavors and textures of the hot soup."
Each of these wines also has its own tasting notes that work well with your soup. For its part, Pinot Blanc has herbal notes that can work against the parsley, oregano, and other seasonings you'll often find in chicken soup. If it's Albarino you're dealing with, this wine has salty and bitter notes. These can work well against the richer flavors of a creamy chicken soup and, as Fallis notes, help cleanse the palate. Chablis has similar mineral and salty notes to Albarino that can help enhance the vegetables and herbs in the soup.
And if you're a fan of chicken noodle soup with pasta or matzoh in it, don't worry about needing to mix up your wine pairings. Fallis says you can still drink the same wines with the soup as the noodles and matzoh "are both very mild in flavor or texture."