Vouvray pairs best with Pork Tenderloin, Salmon, Lobster, Spicy Chicken, Sushi, Trout and Veal. Vouvray is a French white wine made with the Chenin Blanc grape and has a wide variety of styles, including sweet, off-dry, dry, still, and sparkling. In my wine pairing database, if you see Vouvray, you can assume it is a dry(sec) tendre(tender-dry) to off-dry (demi-sec) style made in a still fashion (not bubbly). If the Vouvray pairing is sparkling or sweet, I will specify.
Vouvray is incredibly aromatic with notes of apple, apricot, honey, lemon, mineral, peach and pear. Expect a wine that is fresh, rich and soft.
Dry Vouvray pairs well with Kani (or Crab) Sushi as this white wine features lovely mineral flavours, which are faint, but also mirror the sea-kissed flavours of the crab meat. Meanwhile, the crisp acidity of a dry Vouvray can easily cut through any sauce or sticky rice that accompanies your Sushi.
Fresh with flavours of apple, apricot, lemon, pear and peach, dry Vouvray (which will be labelled ‘Sec‘) will mingle nicely with the delicate crab flavours without overwhelming your meal. Sec Vouvray will also go great with other shellfish and seafood sushi, such as scallops, lobster, and salmon.
Tendre Vouvray & Hot Dog Pairing
Tendre Vouvray means a ‘tender dry Vouvray,’ meaning it has too much sugar to be classified as ‘dry’ but not enough sugar to be marketed as ‘off-dry.’
I love a Tendre Vouvray with a Hot Dog loaded with the works, as I feel condiments can add a lot of sweetness to the hot dog flavours, but the slight sweetness of the wine delivers a bit more refreshment than what I would find in a bone-dry Vouvray. I also enjoy the wine’s complementary sweetness to condiments such as chopped sweet onions or a sweet pepper relish.
In addition, with its bright acidity, Tendre Vouvray has no issue blending in with the vinegar components of many Hot Dog condiments, such as ketchup, pickles, sauerkraut, and relish. The acidity of Vouvray is excellent at cleansing your mouth of all the proteins, fats and carbohydrates, so you get those tremendous hot dog flavours up until the last bite.
Of all the Vouvray wine styles, Tendre is my favourite, as it has a touch of fruitiness but still maintains a dry quality. Tendre Vouvray will go great with lobster, scallops, mussels, halibut, trout, pike, and cod. It’s also lovely with pork, veal chops, Hawaiian Pizza, Chicken Kiev, and turkey.
An off-dry Vouvray will be appreciated with Spicy Fried Chicken with a fiery kick. Vouvray is a touch too high in alcohol for any blistering hot spices like ghost peppers, however, for something a touch milder, the touch of sweetness a Demi Sec Vouvray delivers will be pleasantly refreshing.
In addition, The crisp acidity of a Demi Sec Vouvray matches the weight of a crispy-fried piece of spicy chicken. On top of that, the crisp flavours of pear, peach, apple, apricot and lemon will cut through any breading and elevate the tender chicken flavours within.
For similar reasons, an off-dry Vouvray will also be excellent with pork tenderloin featuring an apple or apricot stuffing.
Moelleux Vouvray & Vanilla Cupcake Pairing
Moelleux Vouvray is rich and concentrated with sweet apple and pear notes and candied ginger flavours, which are divine with vanilla cupcakes. While full of sugar, this sweet wine still has a bit of acidity to cut through the rich cupcake icing and body, so you taste the wine and the cupcake on the finish.
If you are serving Vanilla Cupcakes at a bridal shower or a similar event, choose a sparkling Moelleux Vouvray to pair with your cupcakes. The bubbles add a lot of fun and elegance to the party as well as providing some scrubbing action to wash away the cupcakes sugars.
Moelleux Vouvray, either still or sparkling, will pair well with a wide range of desserts, including carrot cake, apple pie, crepes, strawberry shortcake, and cheesecake. You’ll also find Moelleux Vouvray will go great with Foie Gras and blue cheese.
