Mike Bennie shares the best drinks to pair with soups this winter (2024)

One of the more vexing things in the landscape of wine and drinks is what to match with soup. Liquid on liquid, heat and cold… it’s all a bit of a mess!

Common-sense drink matching says to marry texture with texture, so fullerflavoured red wines with stews and slow-cooked dishes; light, crisp things with, say, raw seafood or other produce that has ‘delicate flavours’. But what do you do when the dish is fluid?

Several years ago, I interviewed master sommelier Sebastian Crowther, who told me he was “all about lighter, fresher white wines for soup pairing. Many soups have fine flavours, so think of the wine as a squeeze of lemon or light seasoning rather than a feature.” I like that sentiment.

I figured, though, I’d better get a second opinion. “You need drinks with cut and dryness,” states award-winning sommelier and Mary’s Group wine director Caitlyn Rees. “Tannin in wine is a good start. Farmhouse cider, too. Some spirits can also match, but anything with overt alcohol can overwhelm soups.

“I find that orange wines – white wines made like red wines – work very well, too. The chalky texture adds a freshening pucker after a sip, and lends dryness to the palate as a counterbalance.”

I recall one of my favourite wine and food matches came while visiting the Friuli region of northeast Italy, where orange wines are traditional. While working through amber-coloured wines at the Radikon vineyard, a simple soup of fresh zucchini was set alongside.

The robust tannins and savouriness of the wines felt like the final condiment to the dish.

As with all things wine and drinks, let personal taste dictate your decision. The measures given by Crowther and Rees allow for some width in the matching process. Soups range from light and subtle through to creamy or hearty, so there are myriad options.

Spoons at the ready!