When selecting a food-friendly wine, it's generally best to look for something with bright fruit, medium acidity, low tannins and minimal oak influence. Here are nine expert-recommended wines that tick all the boxes. Plus, they’re all under $20.
There’s nothing quite like getting a wine and food pairing just right: a gewürztraminer with Thai coconut curry with shrimp or a reliable Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon with grilled lamb chops drizzled with rosemary butter.
But sometimes, you just need a good wine that will pair well with anything. Whether you’re headed to dinner with friends and not sure what’s on the menu or hosting Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner with lots of dishes, you need a wine that can hang.
When selecting a food-friendly wine, it's generally best to look for something with bright fruit, medium acidity, low tannins and minimal oak influence. Here are expert-recommended wines that tick all the boxes. Plus, they’re all under $20.
You know how Champagne has to be made in the Champagne region of France to be called Champagne? Well, no one said you can’t buy a sparkling wine made in the exact same style as Champagne from a neighboring region of France...but for way cheaper than actual Champagne.
This delicious bubbly from the South of France has flavors of lemon, apple and a light, toasty brioche quality. It has more richness than most in its price range, making it an outstanding value for its price point and an easy pairing with a wide array of dishes on your holiday table.
If you're pinot noir-obsessed, you'll love this 91-rated (Wine Enthusiast, 2021) Italian Barbera’s flavors of plum, blueberry and black raspberry. Its rich, dark fruit flavors are balanced with zippy acidity and soft tannins for maximum versatility at the dinner table.
Sparkling wine is famously food friendly; when in doubt, anything with bubbles is a sure thing. With its refreshing acidity and juicy flavors of apple, pear and nectarine, Octopoda Prosecco is the perfect bubbly buddy to whatever’s on your dinner table. Plus, the Octopoda line is always a guest favorite for the delicious wine and awesome bottle designs alike.
Block 802 Sauvignon Blanc is a fruit-forward style with notes of sweet melon, ripe apple and passion fruit. It has no oak and bright acidity, making it a perfect wine to pair across a wide range of seafood or poultry dishes, especially those with any citrusy sauces or marinades.
If you haven’t tried our Block wines, you’re missing out! ABC’s team of experts source the best juice from premium winemakers in California, Washington and Oregon and bottle it exclusively for you as part of the Vineyard Block Wine Estate Series. It’s a great way to try extremely high-quality wine at a modest price, not to mention the fun of getting a mystery wine or matching the block number with an important date, like a birthday, anniversary or other milestone.
Côtes du Rhône is one of the most versatile red wines that you probably haven’t tried. Château Gigognan’s 91-rated (Wine Enthusiast, 2022) Côtes du Rhône is a big basket of red fruit flavor, including strawberries, raspberries and cherries. It’s aged entirely in stainless steel and concrete vats, giving us a wine with zero oak influence that can pair with just about anything on the dinner table (but if we had to pick, anything with red sauce would be *chef’s kiss*).
If you were feeling the last selection’s velvety red fruit flavors but prefer just a hint of oak influence, try La Gerla’s 90-rated (James Suckling, 2021) sangiovese. It's aged in oak barrels for just four months, imparting modest tannins while allowing the fruit and acidity to shine. This is the perfect recipe for a wine that doesn’t compromise on complexity or food friendliness.
Pinot gris is a grape variety that sees little to no oak, excels in cooler growing regions where the acidity shines and shows succulent flavors of tangerine, melon, guava and kiwi. These characteristics combine to make 90-rated (Wine Enthusiast, 2022) A to Z Pinot Gris a great pairing for seafood, poultry and a wide assortment of vegetarian dishes. User Jeannie226ssi said in their 5-star review of this bottle on our site, “This wine is delicious! It's smooth and light! It goes with all types of food, yet is just as good for sipping alone!”
No round-up of food-friendly wines would be complete without a good riesling. It’s a grape variety that is famous for its mouth-watering acidity and pure fruit flavors. This bottle in particular is dry and bursting with flavors of fresh pear, peach and citrus. Most importantly, it’s got the kind of crisp acidity that can stand beside pretty much any dish you’re serving.
This wine is, in a word, elegant. Bright fruit flavors, sturdy acidity and fine tannins: what more could you ask for? 92-rated (Vinous, 2022) Stephen Ross Pinot Noir has tantalizing aromas of ruby berries, sage and vanilla that unfold into flavors of strawberries, raspberries and blood orange. This versatile wine will pair with just about any cuisine, protein or occasion.
