Which wine with mussels?

Which wine goes with mussels? You tell me! There's nothing better than the first pan of mussels of the season. Whether it's enjoyed on the beach, as we used to do (I'm a native of Zeeland) or here on my balcony in Rotterdam, it's pure enjoyment. The only question left is: which wine should we drink with mussels?

Pairing wine and mussels

Choosing a wine to pair with mussels isn't actually very difficult. The easiest and quickest wine-food pairing tip: consider the gravity of the dish. This ties in with game tip #2 from the Handy tips for pairing wine and food : light with light, strong with strong. A pan of mussels—classically prepared with some mussel vegetables and cooked in beer or wine—isn't a heavy meal. It's light and slightly salty. Find a wine that complements it: a light white wine. Luckily, there are plenty of those around, so you have many options. Do you have a great tip of your own that isn't listed here? Leave a comment at the bottom of this page.

Which wine do we drink with mussels?

• Know your classics
  That's Muscadet-de-Sevre-et-Maine from the Loire. It can be quite a dull fellow, but the Lieubeau family know what to do with melon de burgundy – the grape variety for Muscadet.
• Still a little bit different
  Looking for something a little more tropical, a little fruitier than Muscadet? Then you're in the right place with  Albariño From the Rias Biaxas region. Like Muscadet, it's located near the Atlantic Ocean, so it has a salty flavor, but the wine is generally slightly riper and fruitier. Picpoul de Pinet from the Languedoc is also delicious with mussels. Fruity and salty with plenty of fresh acidity.
• Other light wines
  Pairing wine and food isn't a science; it's simply a matter of trial and error and seeing what you like best. Other light wines include Sauvignon Blanc (from Sancerre or Marlborough), Riesling (from Mosel or Alto Adige), or Chardonnay (from Chablis).
• Zeeland wines
  Would you like to continue the Zeeland theme in your wine selection? Then pour the Rivaner or Blanc+ from Wine farm De Kleine Schorre from Schouwen-Duiveland. Guaranteed success.

Check out the recipe: classic preparation of Zeeland mussels

Different preparation, different wine?

Look, if you approach things differently in the kitchen, it can affect the heaviness of the dish and therefore the wine. Are you going to serve the mussels? If you're gratinating with aged cheese , you can confidently pair it with a slightly heavier wine. The Albarino mentioned above has a slightly round edge, which will be delicious. Peeters Wine Merchants has older bottles from the Lieubeau family, such as Chateau Thébaud 2009. A perfect match for gratinated mussels. Replace the aged cheese with Parmesan, and a sparkling wine (yes, champagne!) suddenly becomes a very good idea. Parmesan and champagne are truly winning together. Umami explosion!

I hope this article has answered your question: Which wine goes with mussels? Don't hesitate to ask a question in the comments below, or simply send me an email. And don't hesitate to experiment. Nothing's more fun than experimenting in the kitchen and exploring the wonderful world of wine! Share your discoveries with Le Club des Vins!

Getting a taste for it?

Then the book is The Wine and Food Bible Maybe something for you! It looks like a Bible, but it's much easier to read. The book contains about 450 pages of wine-food pairings, which, according to Victoria Moore, is an unfairly complex term. It's an art, not a science (hmm, maybe that doesn't make it any easier). Either way, she writes it so engagingly and narratively, making you want to prepare the dish and pour the wine after every page!

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