What to drink with gingerbread? - Food & Wine Pairings

The holidays are coming, and everything needs to be ready in the kitchen… and in the pantry! Don’t slip up—make sure you’re prepared for every possible scenario!

A wide selection… of gingerbread!

Gingerbread is a treat that dates back to Greco-Roman antiquity. Let’s not forget that this historical period is also closely linked to the world of wine! This recipe has spanned the ages and continents to become a Christmas tradition. There is a wide variety of gingerbreads, so much so that every region of France is said to have its own recipe: there are three essential ingredients—flour, milk, and honey—and the spices vary from region to region, with some preferring nutmeg or anise… We should therefore choose a wine that can pair well with this variety of flavors!

A rich cake paired with a sweet wine

A sweet or dessert wine: perfect with gingerbread!

To pair with your gingerbread, we recommend a naturally sweet wine. A sweet wine will add freshness and sweetness to your tasting experience. A sweet white wine is therefore the best choice to pair with gingerbread: it will blend seamlessly with the flavors and spices of this dessert and add a touch of lightness. That doesn’t mean red wine is out of the question: let’s not forget that Christmas is also the season for mulled wine!! You can pair your gingerbread with a fairly full-bodied red wine, featuring bold notes of red fruit, for example.

The perfect wines to pair with gingerbread

Mulled wine and gingerbread

In short, you can pair your meal with Alsatian wines such as Gewürztraminer or late-harvest Riesling. A traditional Banyuls will also bring out the flavors of the gingerbread during your tasting. Finally, if you’re pairing your dessert with red wine, opt for a Marsannay or a Canon-Fronsac, which are fairly full-bodied. For gingerbread with orange peel, choose an Alsace wine, preferably a late harvest, which imparts candied aromas. For a chocolate dessert, a red wine or a sweet, warm wine would be more appropriate.

Why trust us?

Since 2014, Les Grappes has been dedicated to meeting passionate winemakers across France to unearth authentic, vibrant wines with rich histories. By collaborating directly with over 500 vintners, we meticulously select cuvées that we genuinely appreciate and are eager to share with you.

This blog serves as an extension of that journey. Here, we share our discoveries, expert advice, favorite selections, optimal food and wine pairings, tasting recommendations, and everything that inspires us daily in the world of wine.

The objective is straightforward: to assist you in selecting bottles that align with your preferences and to enhance your enjoyment in tasting them.