What wine should you drink with mussels?

More about wines for mussels

Mussels call for a wine with some bite. Their flesh is sweet, their juice salty and briny, and most recipes add butter, cream or spices. A crisp, dry white refreshes the palate from one shell to the next; a wine that is too rich or too oaky weighs the dish down.

Dry whites first and foremost

With mussels, the first choice is dry white wine, the natural partner of shellfish. Its acidity answers the salt of the mussel and lightens the sauce. For creamy recipes, a slightly fuller white works better. For a change of colour, a dry, chilled rosé also does the job.

From the Pays nantais to the Étang de Thau, vineyards by the water

Muscadet and Gros Plant du Pays nantais come from vines near the estuary of the Loire, a few kilometres from the Atlantic. The first is made from Melon de Bourgogne, the second from Folle Blanche. Aged on their lees, they gain a little roundness without losing their freshness.

In Languedoc, Picpoul de Pinet grows around the Étang de Thau, where mussels and oysters are farmed. Its grape, Piquepoul, gives a taut, saline white. Further north, Chablis comes from marl soils full of tiny fossil oysters: a mineral Chardonnay that holds up to mussels in cream.

In Bordeaux, Entre-Deux-Mers mostly blends Sauvignon and Sémillon into dry, fruity whites. Back in the Loire, Sauvignon from Pouilly-Fumé or Reuilly brings citrus notes that suit spiced mussels. In Alsace, Sylvaner gives a light, fresh, dry white.

How to choose a wine for mussels?

Start from the sauce rather than the mussel. For a white wine recipe, serve the cooking wine at the table: it is the simplest pairing. For cream, look for a fuller white that keeps its liveliness. With curry or chorizo, prefer an aromatic, lower-alcohol wine that does not heighten the heat.

Serve these whites well chilled, between 8 and 10 °C, and open them just before sitting down. Crisp whites are generally drunk young, within two or three years of the harvest: there is no need to age them for years.

Why buy your wine for mussels direct from the grower?

A crisp white is judged on its freshness. On Avenue des Vins, every bottle ships from the estate that made it, with no middleman, and usually reaches you within a few days. You discover the coastal appellations, from the Pays nantais to Languedoc, directly from the people who make them.

Wine and mussels: your questions

Which white wine to serve with mussels marinière?

With mussels marinière, serve a crisp, dry white such as a Muscadet or a Gros Plant du Pays nantais, whose acidity answers the briny side of the mussels. Picpoul de Pinet, from Languedoc, plays the same role. More pairings, recipe by recipe, in the article which wine to drink with mussels.

Which wine with mussels in cream?

With mussels in cream, choose a slightly fuller dry white, such as a Chablis or an Entre-Deux-Mers, which holds up to the sauce without weighing it down. Keep the wine lively: cream needs freshness to stay light.

Which wine with curried mussels?

With curried mussels, a Loire Sauvignon such as a Pouilly-Fumé or a fresh Alsace white such as a Sylvaner suits the spices without overpowering them. Avoid oaky or very alcoholic wines, which heighten the heat.

Can you drink red wine with mussels?

Red wine pairs poorly with mussels in most recipes, because its tannins taste metallic against the brininess. If you want a change from white, choose a dry rosé instead, served chilled.

Where can you buy wine for mussels direct from the grower?

On Avenue des Vins, you buy wine for mussels direct from the grower. Every bottle is shipped by the estate that made it, with no middleman, and delivered to your door.

Explore also: Wines for seafood - White wines and fish - Rosé wines for seafood