Vegan Meals and Wine - How Best Are They Paired?

In the last few decades being a vegetarian has gone from being an obscure dietary choice to a full-blown way of life. Despite its heightened status, the vegan path is still hindered by some missteps and absences. One such omission is the lack of a proper pairing standard for vegan meals and wine. Perhaps you'll find something below that properly accents your favored main vegetable course.

For those looking for something in the way an early morning, healthy combination you're options are somewhat limited. As it is a bad idea to drink anything too strong early in the day, you'd be wise to go with a Bordeaux as your wine choice. The sweet, buttery flavor of the Bordeaux nicely compliments either crunchy vegetable dishes or a fruit salad. The Bordeaux is best served chilled- be it done in a bucket of ice or simply poured into a cold glass. If an alternative is necessary, a cool sparkling wine can be more than acceptable. Sparkling wine and a fresh grapefruit in the morning is nothing short of Heaven personified.

A lunch-time vegan meal has a wider variety of options. Two of the most appealing wines for an afternoon meal are a Riesling or a Chardonnay. Their stronger flavor concentration and somewhat bitter aftertaste both are a pleasure up to midday. For a casual meal, the Chardonnay's smokey, caramel flavor is an excellent partner to a Greek salad, veggie-dog, or veggie-burger. The Riesling's crisp essence is best paired with a lettuce or cabbage based casserole or general dish.

A plate of carrot sticks with a side of ranch dressing can make for an excellent before-supper snack when paired with either sparkling wine or some nicely aged white wine. A vegetarian dinner can bring with it all manner of combinations. Some vegetarians absolutely swear by the combination of either tofu or greens based recipes and a Merlot. Feel free to savor the roasted Merlot flavor as you dine on eggplant stew- another popular combination.

Dessert or an after dinner snack can be difficult to nicely pair. A small glass of warm red wine makes a dish of ice cream delish. Of course, a simple tray of nuts or sweet corn fits nicely with a glass of Chardonnay. One fantastic pairing is a bowl of strawberries and Champagne. Someone looking for a more filling late-night snack will likely be pleased to have a stalk of celery with peanut butter and a cool glass of Riesling. Make sure to experiment as everyone has different tastes and will likely prefer something all their own.