You probably wonder what wine goes with chili foods when you’re at a restaurant, at home, or even after preparing a meal for your family. Chili foods are hard to pair when it comes to wine since people think that the taste of wine and chili contradict with each other.
That’s why we posted this blog to help you, curious people, on what wine goes with chili. Once you’ve known what wine to pair with chili foods, expect that your favorite comfort foods will be more delicious!
Wine Also Tastes Better With Chili—Not Just Beer!
Some might not believe that wine also tastes better with chili foods. Some might also think that it’s crazy to pair wine with chili foods. But they may be wrong! Once they try to pair their chili foods with the best wine they choose, they might be even shocked at how amazing this combo—wine & chili–is!
Chili goes very well with wine, and the wine goes very well with chili too. The delicious balance this pair creates is made from the tannins of the wine and a hot-hearty dish!
You’re craving chili foods during summer? Get a glass of white wine—it goes well during this season. Craving for chili during winter? Get a bottle of red wine!
You see, there’s no such thing as “They don’t work or pair together.” That’s why we created this blog for your guide on what kinds of wine goes perfectly with your chili dish.
5 Best Wines that Pairs with Chili
We created this blog in order for you to know what wine pairs the best with your chili dish! So don’t let the summer nor winter season stop you from eating your favorite chili meal, together with its best pair—of course, wine!
Chili will always be one of the most amazing dishes you can have since it contains proteins which are obviously, good for your health. It is a dynamic food that will surprise you on how great they taste with each other.
What Wine Goes with Pork Chili?
The food that you ordered is pork chili—a dish that involves tomatoes and has a mild spice flavor. So a dry white wine—a lighter one, might be the best pair for your food.
Pork chili has a subtle spicy flavor, so it’s also best to opt for a light wine. The people in Alsace always pair their dish—a pork platter to be specific, with their local Riesling, making this pair of food, the same as pork platter.
However, if you want your food to be more spicy, then you should try the off-dry Riesling. Try the Germany’s Riesling; it’s one of the best!
What Wine Goes with Spicy Chili?
Let’s get a little spicier! What if you prefer a dish that rivals the spiciness of the ghost pepper? Like a spicy dish plus a spicy wine? Of course, the Zinfandel wine is your best choice!
Because of the wine’s unique flavors, the spiciness of the wine undoubtedly can overwhelm the food you’re eating—the spicy chili. Try chilling your Zinfandel wine before consuming it together with your dish so that the intensity of the wine will decrease!
What Wine Goes with Bean Chili?
How about trying this spicy food which is mainly composed of chicken or turkey–known as Bean Chili for your dinner? If this type of food is on your dinner table, then we highly recommend you pair this food with Sauvignon Blanc wine!
However, if your bean chili is made from the breast or wing part of a chicken or turkey, Chardonnay wine would be perfect for this white-bean chili! Though both of these wines can be used when there is success, their hidden power complements this type of light chili food.
What Wine Goes with Vegetarian Chili?
If you are craving chili food during summer but are afraid to get soaked by your sweat, try making a Vegetarian Chili which you will love, especially if you pair it with Rosé wine!
The beans and tomatoes of this food, plus the sparkling Rosé wine, will satisfy your cravings! Also, the crispiness of this wine will keep you refreshed and cool without worrying too much about the hotness and spiciness of the weather and the food.
What Wine goes with Heart Beef Chili?
Whenever you’re thinking of chili foods, of course, the first to pop into your mind is the American classic combo! Composed of kidney beans, ground beef, onions, and spices–who would resist this chili food, right?
So if you’re eating a hearty beef chili, it is best to pair your food with wines such as Bold Malbecs, or the full-bodied wine from California!
If you wish to know more pairings, try watching this video:
Here’s another guide for you to remember.
| Type of Food | Type of Wine | Alcohol Level |
| Champagne and Chili | Extra-Dry Champagne | Moderate |
| Spicy Chili | Riesling Spatlese | Low |
| Meat-Filled Chili | Dry or Fruity Shiraz | Moderate |
| Tomato Chili | High Acidity Wine | Low |
Tips on Pairing Chili Foods with Wine
Let’s now proceed to tips regarding wine pairings. When it comes to wine pairings, there is a list of things that you should be keeping in mind.
Even if we included this in the blog it doesn’t mean that you have to change your own preferences regarding the wine and food you’re eating.
People have their own opinions and preferences, we’re one hundred percent aware of that—but why don’t you try considering these few tips? Who knows they might be very helpful in the future!
- There are plenty of chili dishes, and their spice level is different from each other, so different chili foods should be paired with different wines.
- If you’re aiming to enjoy your wine with your spicy food, try being subtle with the spice of your food—being spicy can overwhelm your wine.
- Tannins should always match your meat; thus, rich wine should be the best pick for every dish.
- Full-bodied red wine will enhance the flavor of your chili dish.
- Try drinking a crispy and sweet white wine when eating a hearty dish. It may look strange, yes, but the sweetness of this wine will keep you refreshed.
A few Things to Consider when Pairing Wines with Chili
Are those tips above aren’t enough to remember? Well, here are another things that you should also be considering upon pairing with wine and chili.
Indeed, there are a lot of tips to remember when pairing wines with your food—but we don’t know the future, we don’t what lies ahead of us, so maybe these things will be beneficial for you someday!
- Lower Tannins red wines work the best to any chili foods, especially if they are Fruit forward wines.
- Try experimenting with your own pairings—you know, it’s free! Don’t be scared to try different pairings that you think would be perfect.
- If you want to pick a play-safe wine, look for wines that have a lower alcohol—it works together with any chili dishes.
Some Chili Recipes You can try
Since we’re talking about what wine pairs with chili, we have prepared some chili recipes for you to try and for you to experiment with what wine pairs the best with these recipes.
Don’t worry, all of these recipes are easy to make and won’t consume most of your time!
1. Chili Con Carne
Who wouldn’t love this oh-so-popular recipe—Chili Con Carne, that can be done easily at home? Because of its flavorful meat, tomatoes, gravy, and red pepper, you can become a Mexican when you try this dish!
You don’t need to buy a specific wine to pair with this dish, since this food goes perfectly with any type of wine—so better try it out now.
2. Chili Beans
Here’s one of the Bean Chili type of recipes, which you’ll love! Chili beans are often made from pinto beans (black and kidney beans are good too) with ground meat that consists of chili sauce.
If you love adding rice to your food, this recipe is such a bomb; that it can be paired with any rice—but also goes definitely with burrito or cornbread. Yes, this recipe goes perfectly the best with Sauvignon Blanc wine and Chardonnay—which is clearly stated above.
3. The Original Classic Chili
If you want the best yet classic type of chili recipe, then you should try this chili dish. It is a hundred percent the traditional chili recipe, which felt like our mom used to cook.
This recipe will be very nostalgic for some–once they taste it–and it’s perfect for a sudden weeknight meal with your friends. Try pairing this recipe with dry or fruity Shiraz.
Why is it hard to Pair Chili Foods with Wine?
You’re probably asking yourself or probably wondering, “Why does chili foods are hard to pair when it comes to wine?” So to answer your question, it is hard to pair with different wines from chili foods since wines and chili have their so-called “spice.”
Most wines don’t work well with spicy foods because of the tannins—which might clash with the spiciness of the food. Of course not all wines don’t pair with chili; some pair perfectly with a specific type of dish—let’s say the fruity Shiraz with the classic chili recipe; hence you need to experiment and learn them thoroughly.
Summary
Indeed, there are a lot of things to remember and take note if you want to pair your wine with chili—it’s rare that even though there are plenty of wines to choose from, we still need to create, experiment, and understand on how we can pair our wines with our foods and vice versa.
Luckily, we created this blog to help you–who struggle to know “What wine goes with chili?” We hope that you gained something from this post; see you on our next blog. Ciao!
George Moore, co-founder of Wine Flavor Guru, is a charismatic entrepreneur with a rich background in California’s wine industry. Alongside Sylvia, he transformed a Sonoma County vineyard into a source of premium wines. George’s expertise in sourcing exceptional grapes and his approachable style make wine appreciation both accessible and engaging.
