How The Ingredients In Chicken Soup Can Impact Your Wine Pairing

It's common knowledge that pairing the right wine with the right food in such a way that they complement each other is one of the most important parts of choosing the right adult grape beverage. While there's tons of info on what wine to pair with steak or fish, how about something a little homier? What's the right wine to pair, for example, with a nice chicken soup?

As it happens, this is a subject on which sommeliers have put in some thought. Catherine Fallis, master sommelier and author of "Ten Grapes to Know: The Ten and Done Wine Guide," shared her thoughts with Daily Meal. According to Fallis, the ingredients that determine which wines work best go well beyond the chicken itself, and different chicken-based soups have their own perfect pairings. A hearty chicken noodle, a creamy chicken soup, or a rich Tom Kha Gai all have different wines to recommend alongside them.

When it comes to creamy chicken soups, it's less about their constituent ingredient than what pairs with the cream itself, as the cream forms the backbone of the soup's taste and consistency. As Fallis tells Daily Meal, "Cream adds richness and a smooth texture so a slightly fruitier dry white would pair nicely."

She recommends something like a classic California chardonnay, known for possessing both a dry bite and fruity undertones. Which type of cream matters, too, as a coconut milk-based soup like Tom Kha Gai would lend itself far better to a sweet than a dry wine. "I recommend a low-alcohol, lightly sweet and very fruity wine to balance that boldness and soothe the palate," says Fallis.

To this end, her pick is some variety of semi-dry Riesling — those that start sweet but finish dry — like a German or Washington state variety. Just don't buy light-canned coconut milk if you're making the soup at home.

Herbs and seasonings are just as important as the broth, protein, or any other ingredient when it comes to pairing wine with chicken soup. A classic chicken noodle soup isn't going to have any of the rich cream that would necessitate a fruitier wine, so the flavors you want to look for with those are herbs and spices. "Herbs give the ability to bring in a lightly herbaceous wine," says Fallis, who recommends Italian Vermentino, Austrian Gruner Veltliner, or Spanish Rueda wines as good choices for herb-forward picks.

However, a different approach is required if the soup leans into heat. As Fallis notes, "Any type of pepper will add heat," and peppers are a pretty classic soup ingredient. If that's what you're working with, her pick is something light and sweet to act as a counterbalance to that heat, preferably with a low ABV. Such wines would include both traditional lighter whites or even rosés. Like any other pairing of wine and food, you're free to use whatever wines you'd like — just be aware some will give you a more balanced overall experience than others.