Pairing Pinot Noir With Food

Food-friendly Pinot Noir Pairs With Plenty of Foodie Favorites

Written by
Stacy Slinkard
Freelance writer and wine expert, author of ""Idiots Guides: Wine""; as well as several magazine and online articles.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Stacy Slinkard
Updated 06/08/20
Beef tenderloin red wine
Manny Rodriguez / Getty Images

As one of the wine world's most versatile, food-friendly red wines, pinot noir brings the rich fruit flavors of strawberry, cherry, and raspberry to the glass often in a mix of warm spice and earthy undertones.

Pinot noir is often described as having a red-wine palate profile and a white-wine style, making it popular with both red-wine and white-wine enthusiasts. Without a doubt, pinot noir tends to be lighter bodied than many of its red-wine counterparts (although significant, delicious exceptions do occur) and enjoys a more subtle tannin structure due to the thinner skin of the pinot noir grape itself. However, it's the combination of great acidity, silky tannins, and distinct body that makes it so successful for pairing with a tremendous variety of foodie favorites.

We've rounded up recipes to showcase the exceptional food-pairing qualities that pinot noir offers to everything from cheese and chocolate to Peking duck and roasted beef tenderloin.

  • 01 of 08

    Bacon-Stuffed Mushrooms

    Bacon stuffed mushrooms
    Jane Charlesworth / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

    This is a popular food pairing to showcase the significant versatility of pinot noir. It combines pinot's affinity for both the smoky flavors of bacon and earth-bound melodies of mushrooms to produce a delicious (and easy) appetizer. The often lighter-style, subtle tannins and awesome acidity give pinot noir a leg up when pairing with the likes of mushrooms, bacon, and even onions. This appetizer is always a hit with the host and guests alike. It's a snap to make, downright delicious and offers a great introduction to the basics of food and wine pairing when served alongside a slightly chilled glass of pinot noir.

  • 02 of 08

    Peking Duck

    Peking Duck
    Lisa Romerein / Getty Images

    Roasted duck is a classic pairing for pinot noir. This Peking duck (perhaps Beijing's most popular dish) offers a sweet, Asian twist on the traditional pairing. The slice of ginger only adds to the pairing profile by bringing a warm flavor spice that joins with the wine's frequent aromatic favorites of cinnamon and clove. To raise the wine pairing bar just a bit, you might consider adding an additional tablespoon of your pairing pinot (in place of or in addition to the sherry) to the savory combination of ginger, scallion, honey, vinegar, and sherry used to baste the duck.

  • 03 of 08

    Roasted Beef Tenderloin

    Roast beef tenderloin

    The Spruce Eats/Victoria Heydt

    Perhaps nothing evokes a red-wine pairing quite like a roasted beef tenderloin and for good reason—the fat and protein beg for a wine that can handle them with elegance and symbiotic synergy. This roasted beef tenderloin is a classic beef recipe with simple, fool-proof instructions and a knock-your-socks-off pairing with a fuller-bodied pinot noir (look toward California for the bigger-bodied pinots).

  • 04 of 08

    Plank-Grilled Salmon Steaks

    Salmon and tuna are two fresh fish favorites for pairing with pinot noir. While many people think of white wines first with fish, the rich taste and full-flavor profile of salmon require a wine with decent acidity and more tannin structure to handle the distinct flavor, texture, and fat of the fish. This plank-grilled salmon steak recipe finds elegance in its simplicity. The rich flavors of the fish are well supported by the smoky flavors from the plank, making a pinot that has seen a bit of oak itself the perfect complement.

    Continue to 5 of 8 below.
  • 05 of 08

    Roast Pork Loin and Potatoes and Herbs

    Roasted pork loin
    LauriPatterson / Getty Images

    Hands-down, pinot noir is one of the very best wines to handle earthy herbs (fresh or dried) and even the full-flavor component of onion. This roast pork loin combines garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, and chives that demand a wine that can stand up to the savory flavors while complementing the fat and protein elements of the pork. A medium-bodied, cooler climate pinot will typically have a bit more earth in the palate profile and will lend itself well to the herbal undertones of this enticing dish.

  • 06 of 08

    Easy Mushroom Sauce

    Mushroom Sauce
    Martin Jacobs / Getty Images

    Pinot noir and mushrooms are a perfect pairing combination and this super-simple mushroom sauce gives pinot noir fans an excuse to pair even more with this versatile red wine. The earth-driven profile of many of today's pinot noir wines makes it a natural for partnering with various mushroom dishes, be they mushroom risotto or a beautiful cut of beef topped with a mushroom sauce. This particular recipe calls for a half-cup of red wine, so be sure to utilize the pinot you're pouring in the sauce to amp up the pairing potential even more.

  • 07 of 08

    Pairing Pinot Noir With Cheese

    Cheese board and red wine
    nicolamargaret / Getty Images

    Along with the classic pinot noir and cheese pairings of Brie, Camembert, Gruyère, and goat cheese, there is an exquisite assortment of out-of-the-box cheese adventures for partnering up with your favorite glass of pinot noir. Try French Abbaye de Belloc to Spain's Zambrano.

  • 08 of 08

    Tuxedo Strawberries

    Tuxedo strawberries
    Elisa Cicinelli / Getty Images

    For the wine and chocolate advocates, this clever and tasty chocolate-covered strawberry recipe is a delight with a lighter-bodied pinot noir. The combination of milk chocolate and white chocolate works exceptionally well for the lighter tannins and intrinsic flavors of strawberry and raspberry found on the palate profile of many pinot noirs.