5 Quick Picks For Pesto Wine Pairing

Pesto Wine Pairing

I am a big fan of pesto, mainly because I love basil. I love basil so much, I had basil plants as centerpieces for my wedding. It’s my favorite smell, favorite herb, favorite everything. It’s so fresh and elevates and brightens up any dish. Basil really shines in pesto, so here are 5 wines that pair with pesto so you can get the most out of your meal.

For pesto wine pairing we need to break down the 5 basic ingredients of pesto; basil, Parmesan cheese, garlic, pine nuts, and olive oil. The basil and garlic are pretty strong flavors so ideally, you pesto wine pairing would include a bolder white wine that won’t disappear when paired with pesto. For my red wine lovers, I’ve included one red wine that goes with pesto sauce, too.

Try out this simple pesto recipe.

6 Wines that Pair with Pesto Sauce

Here are my top picks for wines that pair with pesto, keep reading to see why I’ve picked these ones.

Sauvignon Blanc
Vermentino
Trebbiano/Ugni Blanc
Grüner Veltliner
Carmenere (red wine)

Sauvignon Blanc with Pesto

The easiest go-to wine to pair with pesto is Sauvignon Blanc. Sauvignon Blanc is one of the most popular white grape varieties in the world. It’ll be easy to find a good quality Sauvignon Blanc at any grocery store or wine shop. Sauvignon Blanc has a lot of acidity which works well for pesto wine pairing, but more importantly has lots of green and grassy notes. These herbal notes will be perfectly aligned with pesto sauce.

Sauvignon Blanc has enough flavor and aroma to not be overpowered by the basil and garlic of pesto. A few wine regions to consider for finding a good Sauvignon Blanc pairing with pesto are Bordeaux, Sonoma, and New Zealand.

Dishes for Sauvignon Blanc & Pesto

Vermentino with Pesto

Pesto originates in Genoa, the capital of Liguria region of Italy. Many of their traditional dishes include pesto, so it only makes sense to pair pesto with a wine from Liguria. Vermentino is an excellent white wine from the region. It’s medium-bodied, has bright acidity, and has lovely herbal flavors, too. Vermentino has a nutty finish which will complement the pine nuts in pesto.

In my pasta and wine pairing guide, I selected Vermentino to pair with Trenette di Pesto, a famous Ligurian pasta dish. I would recommend Vermentino for a majority of your pesto based pasta dishes.

Pesto Dishes that Pair with Vermentino

Trebbiano/Ugni Blanc with Pesto

You may be surprised to know that Trebbiano (Ugni Blanc in French) is one of the most widely planted grape varieties in Europe. It’s an easy grape to grow, produces a lot of fruit, but is also really underrated. A lot of white wine blends from Italy and France are dominantly Trebbiano but it might not say that on the label. The reason for choosing Trebbiano for a pesto wine pairing list is because it has a distinct basil aroma and flavor.

Trebbiano & Pesto Wine Pairing List

Pair Trebbiano with your most basic (yet delicious) pesto dishes.

Grüner Veltliner with Pesto

To finish off our white wines that pair with pesto, we have the Austrian white grape variety, Grüner Veltliner. Grüner Veltliner is a light bodied, high acid white wine with aromas of apples, herbs, and a noticeable white pepper flavor. Grüner Veltliner is a versatile wine with many different foods. The herbal and peppery notes make it a slam dunk pairing with pesto sauce. Because this wine has great deal of acidity, it goes especially well with pesto dishes with cream sauce or lots of cheese.

List of Pesto Dishes to try with Grüner Veltliner

Pesto Chicken
Gnocchi with pesto sauce
Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Red Wine with Pesto Sauce

Since pesto has fresh and bright flavors and basil plants flourish during the summer months, pesto is usually paired with white wines. However, that doesn’t mean red wine lovers can’t enjoy a big glass of red with their favorite pesto dish. Aim for a red wine with herbal notes and green flavors. Light to medium body and medium acidity would be best, too.

Carmenere with Pesto

Carmenere is a red grape variety native to Bordeaux, France. However, it really became popular when it was planted in Chile. Problem was, when they planted Carmenere in Chile, they thought it was Merlot! So for years the winemakers there were scratching their heads wondering why their Merlot wasn’t behaving like Merlot. Silver lining of that giant mistake is that the world got to be reintroduced to Carmenere. If that mistake hadn’t happened, Carmenere may have gone extinct.

Carmenere is medium-bodied and has just enough acidity to pair great with pesto. But what makes this red wine great with pesto is its green bell pepper and herbal flavors. These complement the basil and the garlic components of pesto.

With red wine, of course we can pair red meats, red sauces, and stronger flavored pesto dishes.