Which wine to drink with foie gras

Sweet, medium sweet and dry white wines can all go with foie gras; what sets them apart is the sugar left in the wine. EU rules set the benchmarks: generally no more than 4 grams per liter for a dry wine, 12 to 45 grams for a medium sweet wine, and 45 grams or more for a sweet wine.

Sweet Wines: What the Appellation Guarantees

A Sauternes, Loupiac or Monbazillac contains at least 45 grams of sugar per liter. In both Sauternes and Loupiac, pickers go through the vines several times and hand-harvest overripe grapes, touched by noble rot or, in Loupiac, sometimes shriveled on the vine.

Sauternes comes from five villages in the Gironde, on the left bank of the Garonne, including Barsac and Preignac. Loupiac comes from the single village of Loupiac, across the river on the right bank.

In Alsace, two terms signal a wine made from overripe, hand-picked grapes: Vendanges Tardives (late harvest) and Sélection de Grains Nobles. They apply only to Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Muscat, and the vintage always appears on the label. For this style, browse our sweet white wines and Alsace Vendanges Tardives.

Medium Sweet or Dry: Reading the Label Before You Buy

On still wines, the sugar term is often optional. Alsace requires it on its white wines, except Vendanges Tardives and Sélection de Grains Nobles. You will find this style among our medium sweet wines.

A dry white keeps only a few grams of sugar. It is an option if you serve foie gras seared and hot, or if you would rather save the sweetness for dessert. Among our dry white wines, look for example for those with body and good acidity.

Temperature and the Rest of the Meal: Setting the Table

Buying your bottles a few weeks before the holidays? Keep them lying down, somewhere cool and dark, until the day of the meal.

Take the sweet wine out of the fridge at the last minute: serve it, for example, at about 46°F (8°C), and a dry white slightly warmer, around 50 to 54°F (10 to 12°C). Wine warms up quickly in the glass once it is on the table.

A bottle of sweet wine opened for the foie gras can come back at the end of the meal, with a fruit dessert. For pairings dish by dish, from terrine to seared foie gras, read our article what wine to drink with foie gras.

Choosing Wine for Foie Gras: Your Questions

How many bottles do you need for foie gras?

For foie gras, plan on one 750 ml bottle for six guests: it pours six 4-ounce glasses. You will get more out of it with the smaller glasses often used for sweet wine. Sweet wines also often come in 500 ml bottles, which pour four glasses of the same size.

Can a young sweet wine go with foie gras?

Yes, a young sweet wine can go with foie gras. The Sauternes appellation describes wines that can age for decades but are excellent as soon as they are bottled. Young, they are golden, with floral and fruity aromas; with age, their color turns amber and the aromas move toward candied fruit, honey and toast.

What is the difference between Vendanges Tardives and Sélection de Grains Nobles?

Sélection de Grains Nobles requires grapes with more sugar than Vendanges Tardives. For Alsace Gewurztraminer or Pinot Gris, the appellation requires 270 grams of sugar per liter of must for Vendanges Tardives and 306 for Grains Nobles. Neither can be released before June 1 of the second year after harvest.

Where can you buy wine for foie gras direct from the winemaker?

You can buy wine for foie gras direct from the winemaker on Avenue des Vins. Each wine's page names the producer who made it.

See also: AOC Sauternes - AOC Loupiac - AOC Monbazillac