We have come up with the best wine pairing with mussels. We’ve kept things simple so most of these wines are accessible to us all. Mussel is delicious seafood that should be celebrated with a glass of delicious wine. Here we go!
Imagine a breezy summer afternoon with a bowl of moules frites and a glass of wine. Magical, isn’t it?
If you don’t already know, moules frite is basically mussels cooked in wine with crispy potato fries served on the side. It’s a simple and delicious meal that can do no wrong.
Mussels are seafood that has a brine-y flavor, so close to actual seawater. It’s extremely flavorful and we actually love it for its taste. We love it so much that we turn it into anything we can like stock, baked mussels, pasta, a snack, a stew, and the list goes on.
To complete a wonderful meal with mussels, we’ve put together a list of the perfect wines to match with Mussels.
Table of Contents
1. Alsace Riesling
Our top pick to go with mussels is Alsace Riesling. This wine has aromatic notes of fruits like nectarine, honey-crisp, apples, and pears. Its fruitiness and medium acidity balance the natural flavor of the mussels. It’s an elegant white with a mineral finish that goes perfectly well with the brine-y mussel.
2. Pinot Gris
Pinot Gris is one of the more easily found whites in the market. It’s a dry white with hard-hitting acidity and notes of lemon, lime and green apples. These refreshing notes complement the flavor of mussels. We like pairing Pinot Gris with baked mussels because the acidity balances the cheese on top.
3. Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc’s forward notes are citrus and apples, sometimes, with hints of passion fruit. Its high acidity goes well with the brine-y flavor of the mussels. It is best paired with steamed mussels and herbs. The natural flavor of the seafood will definitely pop out.
4. Chardonnay
Have mussels in cream sauce? Chardonnay is the way to go. Chardonnay is a dry medium to full-bodied white, which is great with mussels. The fruitiness and hint of vanilla balance the flavor of the seafood with the dairy. The acidity of Chardonnay evenly cuts through the richness of the cream.
5. Rosé
A delicious French or Spanish crisp rosé would make its mark on your meal when you have it with mussels. Other than the fact that rosé tastes delicious with most food, it also brings versatility when cooking. You can actually use rosé to cook your mussels and the result is a scrumptious mussel meal. If you’re pairing rosé with your rosé-cooked mussels, just choose a better kind. Either way, it tastes great all together.
6. Bordeaux White
For mussel that is cooked with more exotic flavors, a dry Bordeaux white would balance the flavors of the spices and empower the natural flavor of the mussel. Whites from Bordeaux, just like the reds are excellent. If you’re looking for the best kind of Bordeaux white to go with your mussels, choose the richer version, the one with notes of orange, apples, ginger, lemon curd, and caramel.
7. Viognier
Viognier is a full-bodied fruity white originally from the south of France. Perfect already to pair with our mussels because moules frites, by the way, are originally from the south of France as well. Viognier’s fruitiness is best paired with mussels that have been cooked in strong spices with tomato sauce. If you’re making that red pasta with mussels, this is the perfect wine pairing for your meal.
