How To Choose The Best Wine To Use When Cooking Risotto

Risotto is on the list of many people's go-to comfort foods, in part because it's so adaptable to different diets. Gluten free by default, and with options that range from mushroom and roasted garlic to shrimp and summer vegetable, there's a risotto recipe out there to suit anyone and everyone. But, if there's one thing that you can count on most risotto recipes to include, it's wine. When you're considering which bottle to grab for yours, Gillian Ballance, the Treasury Wine Estates master sommelier, says it all depends on what else is going in it.

When Tasting Table asked Ballance to recommend the best wine to cook risotto with, she said, "This totally depends on the type of risotto." But she didn't stop there, saying, "For a vegetarian, citrus, or creamy risotto with peas, zucchini or asparagus, a crisp white wine with tart fruit flavors will pair well." She continued, "For an earthy mushroom risotto, my go-to is a red wine with similar earthy undertones, and for a risotto with braised meat like short ribs, a wine with a complex flavor profile with notes of red fruit will work well."

Just like when you're choosing which wine to cook your risotto with, the wine you choose to pour alongside it is going to depend on the ingredients in your rice dish. But, rather than simply complementing the flavors of your risotto, the wine you pour has the potential to elevate it. For instance, a simple parmesan risotto is typically cooked with a dry pinot grigio or a sauvignon blanc. And, while you could certainly pour whatever is left in the bottle, it could also be paired with something different to cut through its richness. For that, you could reach for anything with acidity and body — from a riesling to a chardonnay or even a bottle of red or white Burgundy if it's a special occasion.

Obviously, your wine pairings can change when you start adding different elements to your risotto. Mushrooms, for instance, introduce an umami flavor that pairs well with wine that's also somewhat earthy, such as a nebbiolo or a pinot noir. If you're feeling adventurous, you might even consider pouring an orange wine or a pét-nat wine for its complementary fermented flavor. Other examples depend on the ingredients, such as pairing a wine with salinity with seafood risotto — it really comes down to picking one element of the risotto that you love, and choosing a wine that highlights it. One good thing to note is that good risotto makes wine taste better, so you might not even have to splurge.