La sélection Chandeleur

The flour already shapes the pairing. Buckwheat makes a brown batter with a toasty, almost nutty taste, usually topped with savory fillings; wheat, more neutral, welcomes butter, sugar and fruit. The filling then sets how much sugar the wine needs, from brut to sweet.

Buckwheat Galettes: The Lift of a Brut Crémant

Salty fillings and the butter in the pan quickly weigh a galette down. A sparkling wine refreshes your palate between bites and cuts the richness.

Choose brut or extra brut. For sparkling wine, both terms follow EU Regulation 2019/33: a brut holds less than 12 g of sugar per liter, an extra brut no more than 6 g. The word “sec” (dry), on the other hand, marks a sparkling wine that is already sweet, with 17 to 32 g per liter.

A brut Crémant de Loire goes well with a galette with andouille sausage, softening its smoky edge. Keep demi-sec or sweet bubbles for later in the meal: against a savory filling, their sugar would stand out.

Sancerre and Other Crisp Whites for Filled Galettes

Without bubbles, a crisp dry white does the same job. White Sancerre is an easy benchmark: the appellation allows only Sauvignon Blanc and caps sugar at 4 g per liter.

Its freshness suits galettes with bacon and slow-cooked onions. Steer clear of very aromatic or heavily oaked whites, though: they cover the taste of buckwheat instead of carrying it.

The appellation also makes a rosé, from Pinot Noir alone and held to the same 4 g sugar limit. Dry as well, it works nicely with a galette filled with fresh cheese and herbs.

Butter, Honey or Flambéed Crêpes: Jurançon and Other Sweet Whites

Once the crêpe is sweet, the wine should be too. Next to dessert, a dry white tastes thin and sour, while a medium sweet white keeps all its fruit.

Jurançon makes the point, as long as you read the label. With no other term, the appellation means a white with more than 40 g of sugar per liter; followed by the word “sec,” it stays at 4 g or less.

With crêpes Suzette, coated in orange butter and flambéed, go for a sweet wine, with at least 45 g of sugar per liter: the citrus and the liqueur call for richness. A crêpe with just butter or honey only needs a lighter, medium sweet white.

For poached pears or fresh citrus, stay with a lively medium sweet white too: a very rich wine would flatten the fruit.

Galette-Saucisse and Caramelized Apples: Your Questions for La Chandeleur

What wine goes with a galette-saucisse?

With a galette-saucisse, serve a soft, fruity red, lightly chilled, which suits the grilled sausage without covering the buckwheat. This Breton classic wraps the sausage in a buckwheat galette. Save structured reds for another occasion, since their tannins would overpower it.

What wine goes with caramelized apple crêpes?

With caramelized apple crêpes, a medium sweet white answers the caramel and the cooked apple. Pick one with lively acidity so the pairing doesn’t turn heavy. A demi-sec sparkling wine is another option.

Where can you buy wine for crêpes direct from the winemaker?

You can buy wine for crêpes direct from the winemaker on Avenue des Vins. Every wine’s page gives the name of its producer.

See also: Sparkling and desserts - Sweet wines - Rosé wines and desserts