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Whether you’re living a meat-free lifestyle yourself, or having vegan or vegetarian friends round for dinner, it can be tricky to find really great food and wine pairings. But don’t worry – we’ve been there too. Here are our top recommendations for matching wine with vegan and vegetarian dishes.
You don’t need to be vegan to enjoy meat-free food
A quick disclaimer. I’m not actually vegan myself – or even vegetarian. But, like many people these days, I eat several meat-free dishes a week. It’s good for me and my family – and better for the environment too. What’s more, we often have vegan friends round for dinner, so my recommendations are based on real, tried-and-tested wine and vegan and vegetarian food matches. Enjoy!
What even is vegan or vegetarian wine?
You might be wondering why all wine isn’t vegan. After all, it’s just fermented grape juice, isn’t it? And for the most part that’s true. But there are parts of the winemaking process that sometimes involve animal-based products. To find out more, skip over to our Vegan Wines page and check the FAQ section.
Karma-free dining – our top 5 vegan and veggie wine and food matches
1. Pairing vegan and veggie food with crisp whites: The Gooseberry Bush
It just so happens that our No.1 bestselling white, The Gooseberry Bush, is vegan. Happy days! A mouth-wateringly fresh white from South Africa, it’s bursting with zingy gooseberry fruit (hence the name). It’s a great value alternative to New Zealand Sauvignon – which would also work well with the following suggestions.
Midweek treat: A hearty salad is a great option for a midweek treat – quick to produce yet filling and full of flavour. The roasted squash, olive, avocado and rocket salad in Deliciously Ella (Ella Woodward) is a such a great match for The Gooseberry Bush, it feels like they could have been made for each other.
Entertaining: The crisp fruity flavours of The Gooseberry Bush make it a great partner to spicy dishes. One of my favourites is the aubergine and green bean curry featured in Veg Every Day by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall (HFW). The pure fruit flavours of The Gooseberry Bush will complement the rich tomato sauce roasted aubergine flavours.
2. Pairing vegan and veggie food with young, fruity reds: Il Papavero
Il Papavero is our No.1 bestselling Italian red, full of easy-going, ripe cherry fruit. It’s a classic Italian table wine and goes with just about anything. I’d recommend always having a couple of bottles on hand! Here are my top suggestions for matching vegan and vegetarian dishes with this juicy Italian star:
Midweek treat: For a quick and tasty midweek meal, it’s hard to beat a simple dish of pasta with tomato and basil sauce. Or switch it up and have veggie sausages with a homemade tomato sauce – either will down a treat with a glass or two of Il Papavero.
Entertaining: Stuffed vegetables can make a really impressive dish and aren’t too tricky. One of my favourites is the stuffed courgettes with pine nut salsa recipe from Ottolenghi Simple. The recipe calls for Parmesan – but you can substitute with yeast flakes to get that umami flavour for a vegan version. (Just don’t tell Ottolenghi I said that!)
3. Pairing vegan and veggie food with mature reds: Bujanda Rioja Reserva
Mature oak aged reds tend to have more complex flavours. Try to match them with ingredients that have umami flavours, like mushrooms or potatoes. Here I’ve picked the Bujanda Rioja Reserva, but these matches would work just as well with a mature Bordeaux or other mellow, oak-aged reds. Here are my top suggestions:
Midweek treat: Baked potatoes are an easy and healthy midweek option that will go well with a mellow oak aged red. I like mine with cheese and baked beans, but hummus and red peppers makes a great vegan version.
Entertaining: Mushroom risotto is the obvious choice here and for good reason. The rich, smoky flavours of the mushrooms will go perfectly with the toast oak and saddle-leather notes of a mature red. You’ll need to use a rennet-free hard cheese – or if you’re vegan, try the roasted mushroom risotto from River Cottage Light and Easy (HFW).
4. Pairing vegan and veggie food with rosé wine: Opi Malbec Rosé
Rosé is arguably the most versatile wine style for food matching – combining the crispness of a white with the ripe fruit flavours of a red. I’ve gone with the Opi Malbec Rosé here because it’s a deeper coloured rosé so makes for more interesting matches (a paler rosé would partner similar dishes to a crisp white). Here are some ideas:
Midweek treat: For maximum flavour-for effort, I’d recommend matching Opi Malbec Rosé with spaghetti with rose harissa and roasted cherry tomatoes. You don’t need a recipe – just roast the tomatoes with garlic and olive oil then stir through some spaghetti with a spoonful of harissa. The wine’s juicy red fruit will offset the spice perfectly.
Entertaining: Got a full house? Dish up a big tray of roasted butternut squash and red onions, from River Cottage Light and Easy (a go-to for me as you can tell). It’s easy to make a big quantity, and you can serve it with rocket salad and couscous to complete the meal. The redcurrant and strawberry fruit of Opi Malbec Rosé will set it off to a tee.
5. Pairing vegan and veggie food with sparkling wine: ¡H! Barcelona Organic Cava
Cava is my go-to sparkling wine these days. For me it simply offers the best quality-to-price ratio of any bubbly. And ¡H! Barcelona Organic Cava is a current favourite – organic and vegan, with an abundance of bright Granny Smith apple, citrus and floral flavours.
Midweek treat: With its limey, citrussy flavours, Cava goes well with spicy dishes. For an easy veggie kedgeree, simply mix up some leftover rice with pre-cooked lentils from a sachet and fry up with a little curry powder or whatever spices you have to hand. Chuck in that bit of parsley that’s wilting in the back of the fringe and add a few cherry tomatoes if you have them. Add some almost-hard boiled eggs for a veggie version.
Entertaining: The crisp acidity of Cava makes it a good match with pesto dishes. Deliciously Ella’s Brazil nut and rocket pesto pasta is a great option – tasty and easy to scale up. If you’re up for a bit more effort, go traditional and serve up a selection of Good Food’s vegan and vegetarian tapas recipes.
Make your own matches …
Looking to come up with wine matches for your own favourite vegan and vegetarian dishes? No problem. Simply check our Beginners Guide to food and wine pairing and follow the general guidelines.
And now it's up to you. Shop all vegetarian and vegan wines.
About the author
Chris Larkin
A seasoned copywriter with over two decades experience, Chris has been part of the team since 2021. At Laithwaites HQ, you’ll find him either working on our latest catalogue or creating informative content for our website. Qualified to WSET Level 3 Wine, Chris is as geeky about wine as he is about copywriting. But when it comes to choosing a special bottle, he is a traditionalist, and loves a good Bordeaux or Mâcon Chardonnay.
