Sauvignon Blanc Snack & Appetizer Pairing – Mistakes to Avoid
Although Sauvignon Blanc is incredible on its own, any wine-drinking experience is enhanced with the right snacks and appetizers.
Pairing wine with food is an art of its own. You must make the correct pairing to bring out the subtle notes of your wine, but you can’t let the snacks overpower the wine either.
So what are some of the best snacks and appetizers for Sauvignon Blanc, and what should you avoid at all costs? Read on to find out!
What snack goes well with Sauvignon Blanc?
Sauvignon Blanc is a light-bodied crispy white wine with noticeable notes of fruits along with more subtle hints of grassy aromas. Luckily, it’s not too picky of wine, so it goes along with many snacks you probably already have in your cabinet.
This fruity wine goes really well with anything salty like nuts, crackers, and chips. The saltiness of the snacks will enhance the more herbaceous flavors of Sauvignon Blanc. Plain popcorn or with some salt added is also a great option.
Some Sauvignon Blanc wines will have a more hidden grassy flavor profile depending on the region. To complement these aromas, you are going to need snacks with herbs.
Of course, this means marinated foods as well, such as green olives, pickles, and more. To be completely frank, any snack prepared with herbs like oregano and thyme will be a match made in heaven with Sauvignon Blanc.
What chips go with Sauvignon Blanc?
Sauvignon Blanc is a wine that’s powerful on its own, so pairing it with chips that have too strong of a flavor can lead to a bad combination.
The best way to go for chips with Sauvignon Blanc is just plain old potato chips. Just the saltiness of plain chips on their own is great to enhance the flavors of your white wine. Otherwise, baked chips are also great since they aren’t so flavorful either.
Another great plain chip option is tortilla chips. You can use herbaceous salsa to dip the chips in, but don’t go too overboard. Otherwise, you risk drowning your wine. The most high-risk, high-reward option for chips and Sauvignon Blanc are salt and vinegar chips.
These salty chips require a certain acidity which the Sauvignon Blanc possesses. So if you want something more than plain chips, the salt and vinegar ones are the way to go.
What snacks should I avoid?
As we mentioned above, any super flavorful snacks should be avoided. Remember, if you really want to embrace the flavors of your wine, the snacks should only be there to enhance the wine and not the other way around.
Any snack that you would consider too plain to eat on its own should be good for Sauvignon Blanc.
What you really want to avoid is most sweets and desserts, especially dark chocolate.
This chocolate and Sauvignon Blanc won’t compliment each other at all and will leave you with a weird sensation in your mouth. So try to avoid chocolate generally, but if you must, then go for milk or white chocolate.
What appetizers go well with Sauvignon Blanc?
Bruschetta is a great pairing for Sauvignon Blanc and is generally a great appetizer alone as well. You can mix up the toppings, but sautéed greens are the best option for Sauvignon Blanc. Make sure you spice up your Bruschetta with spices but avoid overdoing it.
Another classic is Caesar salad with chicken. You can never go wrong with this salad, and it’s great in combination with Sauvignon Blanc as well. The green flavors of both the salad and the wine complement each other very well.
Anything with chicken is great with Sauvignon Blanc and is the go-to meat for this wine. Even chicken soup makes for a nice pairing for this crispy white wine.
What appetizers should I avoid?
Like with all white wines, artichokes and asparagus should be avoided as appetizers for Sauvignon Blanc. These earthy vegetables will make your wine taste weird and unpleasant, so any dish with artichokes and asparagus is a no-go.
Speaking of earthy vegetables, brussels sprouts are too sulfurous for a light-bodied white wine like Sauvignon Blanc. The organosulfur compounds in brussels sprouts will alter the taste of your favorite wine and make it difficult to enjoy.
Although it’s well known that cheese is great with wine, this doesn’t apply to blue cheese. Blue cheese has many odiferous aromas that can clash with the aromas of your wine.
It can also generally be too overpowering to the point where you won’t taste the Sauvignon Blanc at all since your taste buds will be too busy with the blue cheese.
Final Thoughts on Sauvignon Blanc Snack & Appetizer Pairing
As you can see, Sauvignon Blanc makes for a great pairing with a variety of foods. So, even if you are a wine novice, you shouldn’t shy away from serving this wine at your dinner party since finding great food combinations for it won’t be too difficult.
You should also keep in mind that these aren’t rules, just some tips to help you. Even though these are combinations others have tried, don’t be afraid to experiment since, who knows, maybe you will be the one to find the next best pairing for Sauvignon Blanc.
