Wines and White meat

White meat is defined by the color of its flesh after cooking: it stays pale. On the wine side, every color has a place depending on the dish: a dry or full-bodied white, a light, supple red, a rosé or sparkling wine.

Wines and White Meat: The Subtle Pairing for a Refined Cuisine

White meat—whether chicken, turkey, or veal—provides the perfect canvas for exploring a variety of wines. Our selection, featuring light red wines, crisp whites, and delicate rosés, has been carefully curated to enhance every dish. By harmoniously pairing wine aromas with the tenderness and lightness of white meat, we create a refined tasting experience that invites both discovery and sharing.

Wines Perfectly Suited to Enhance Every Flavor

Whether you prefer red, white, or rosé wine, each bottle in our selection has been chosen for its unique qualities that complement the delicacy of white meat. Light red wines add character without overpowering the dish, while fresh, fruity whites bring vibrancy and elegance. Rosé wines, balancing acidity and softness, are ideal for pairing with both traditional recipes and innovative culinary creations.

At the heart of this selection are passionate winemakers who dedicate their expertise to honoring their terroirs. Their wines benefit from rigorously controlled appellations, ensuring authenticity and quality. Each bottle reflects the unique expression of its terroir, carrying on age-old traditions and a true passion for the art of winemaking.

Poultry, Veal, Pork, Rabbit: Four Families at the Table

The French Larousse dictionary lists veal, rabbit and poultry as white meat; cooks add pork, which the dictionary files under butcher's meat. Poultry means birds raised in a farmyard or through poultry farming, from chicken to turkey and capon. A white from the Loire or Languedoc, dry or fuller-bodied, suits them well.

To be sold as veal in France, meat must come from an animal under eight months old at slaughter; from eight to under twelve months, the label reads jeune bovin, or young cattle, notes Interbev, the French meat trade association. Its tender flesh suits a supple Loire red or a rounder Languedoc white; the veal page covers these pairings.

Pork, from a roast to Alsatian sauerkraut, takes a fruitier, more assertive red, such as a Bergerac or a Côtes d'Auvergne. Rabbit, lean and delicate, likes a light, easy-drinking red, a Brouilly for example, or a dry white when it is cooked in white wine.

Questions About Veal, Baked Ham and Pork Belly

Is veal white meat or red meat?

Veal counts as white meat in the kitchen, like poultry and rabbit. The WHO, which looks at nutrition, classes it as red meat all the same, since it comes from mammal muscle.

What wine goes with baked ham?

With a bone-in baked ham served warm, choose a Beaujolais or another light red, or a dry, fruity white from the Loire. If the ham was cooked in white wine, pour a fuller-bodied white at the table.

What wine goes with roast pork belly?

With roast pork belly, pour a dry white with bright acidity or a fruity red with light tannins. This rich cut with its crackling calls for freshness rather than an oaky, powerful red.

Where can you buy wine for white meat direct from the winemaker?

You can buy wine for white meat direct from the winemaker on Avenue des Vins. Each order is prepared and sent by the producer, not from a warehouse.

See also: What wine should you drink with suckling pig? - What wine to drink with tagine? - What wine should you drink with quenelles?