Wine and Truffle
In order to pair wine with truffle-based dishes, we must follow the classic rules: we will begin with a champagne or sparkling wine, white wine will follow (to introduce the lunch or dinner, or to accompany a fish in sauce….), then red wine, and we will finish with dessert wine. We also need to follow the lead wire in terms of quality, refinement and intensity of the wine.
A classic pairing for truffles is red wine.
White truffle marries nicely with an outstanding vintage white wine.
Champagne, with its sophistication and spirit, matches beautifully with truffles, especially the oldest vintage champagnes, whose wood notes make them the ideal partners for a sublime alliance.
For an exceptional meal, an exceptional wine!
The subtlety of truffle should be enhanced by the wine that accompanies the dish, it must not be too faded or too present to steal its prominence.
It is advised to select wines with similar aromas: underwood notes, humus, humid plants, tobacco, mushroom, earthy notes (humid soil, earth, mycellium)… We find this sort of aromas in most mature red wines from grape varieties as pinot noir, syrah, malbec, monastrell, tannat, nebbiolo, sangiovese, cabernet-sauvignon or merlot, among others.
Those wines reflect the savoury character of truffles while still being able to complement and exalt the main element of the dish.
We have to take into account that the bouquet of a mature wine is complex but delicate, and that truffle aromas are not very sharing. We have to dose the truffle accordingly.
Concerning white truffle, it matches perfectly with an exceptional white wine, a fine Burgundy as a Meursault or Puligny- Montrachet, a Chablis Premier Cru, or a Hermitage. It also pairs beautifully with a fine old Riesling from Alsace.
Grape Varieties:
In fact, Merlot wines’ noses have particularly the notoriety « to truffle » after ten years (or more) of aging: Pomerol; Saint-Emilion or Fronsac are classic recommendations, as well as other fine Bordeaux with a dominance of merlot, from less known appellations.
Prodigious Vintage Syrah from the Rhône Valley, remarkable Pinots Noirs from the Côte de Nuits region, always mature, are also beautiful choices.
With more accessible prices, an old Chinon, Bourgueil, Saumur-Champigny, Cahors, Madiran, Crus from Beaujolais (Morgon, Saint-Amour, Fleury) are also amazing.
Remarkable Italian varieties are also a fascinating match: eminent nebbiolos (Barolo, Barbaresco) or sangioveses (Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile de Montepulciano), are a delightful pairing.
These are some of the recommended appellations:
Mature Red Wines: Médoc, Haut-Médoc, Saint-Julien, Margaux, Moulis, Listrac, Saint-Estèphe, Pauillac, Graves, Pessac-Léognan, St. Emilion, Pomerol, Fronsac, Côtes de Bourg, Bergerac, Saint-Joseph, Hermitage, Côte-Rôtie, Cornas, Chinon, Bourgueil, Saumur-Champigny, Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-Saint-Denis, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Pommard, Aloxe-Corton, Beaune, Morgon, Saint-Amour, Fleury, Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile de Montepulciano, Barolo, Barbaresco…
White Wines, that accompany white meat, fish, or truffle creamy dishes : Riesling from Alsace, Hermitage (Côtes du Rhône), Châteauneuf du Pape (White) (Rhône Valley), remarkable Burgundies: Meursault Premier Cru, Puligny-Montrachet, Chablis Premier Cru, Pouilly-Fuissé…