What wine goes with grilled vegetables? Our merchant's picks
389 wines to serve with grilled vegetablesWith grilled vegetables, serve a supple, fruity red (Grenache, Syrah, Montepulciano) or a sunny white with ripe fruit, such as a Chenin Blanc or a Falanghina. Grilling brings smoky notes and caramelised sweetness: the wine answers with its fruit and lively acidity.
Peppers, courgettes and aubergines love reds from Italy and Greece. Roasted root vegetables call for a fuller white, from South Africa or Portugal. For a summer sharing board, a fresh rosé also works wonders. Find our pointers in the guide wine and barbecue.
Fantini - Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2024
A dense, fruity and balanced wine, with a marked typicality of Abruzzo
D'Arenberg - The Olive Grove 2021
A beautiful chardonnay with a balanced and intense structure that delights and seduces the taste buds!
Atamisque - Serbal Pinot Noir 2024
A wine far from the powerful reds we know from Argentina: supple, charming, attractive and beautifully lively.
Sutto - Prosecco Brut Rosé Millésimé 2021
A vintage rosé Prosecco made from Pinot noir and Glera
Groot Constantia - Lady of Abundance 2021
An astonishing blend with flavors of black fruits and spices
Birichino - Bechthold Cinsault 2023
A red with captivating aromas from old Cinsault vines over 130 years old!
Birichino - Saint Georges Pinot Noir 2022
A superb Californian Pinot noir, made with finesse, freshness and deliciousness
Wildeberg & JD Rossouw - The Capeography Chenin Blanc 2023
A Chenin Blanc built on fruit and the minerality of Paarl's soils
Pikes - Hills & Valleys Riesling 2025
A subtle and classy Riesling with citrus and white fruits.
Sottimano - Maté Brachetto 2024
A bright, floral and fragrant wine.
Atamisque - Serbal Viognier 2024
A beautiful high-altitude Viognier full of freshness and deliciousness!
Domaine des Tourelles - Rouge 2022
A high-altitude red of great character, coming from one of the founding areas of Lebanese viticulture.
Niepoort - Drink Me Nat Cool (1L) 2022
1 liter of happiness in a bottle for this wine vinified in a pure and natural style.
Jasci - Trebbiano 2024
A textured and invigorating organic white with flavors of white fruits and yellow fruits!
Atamisque - Catalpa Chardonnay 2023
A fine and delicious Chardonnay with fine notes of stone fruits and fresh almonds, take note for lovers of Burgundy whites!
Zorah - Karasi 2022
A unique and complex wine aged in Armenian amphora with spices and black fruits.
460 Casina Bric - Barolo 2018
An intense Barolo deeply imbued with its high altitude terroir
San Marzano - Negroamaro Puglia 2024
A sublime Negroamaro, an indigenous grape variety from Puglia.
Thymiopoulos - OenosNature Naoussa 2022
A magnificent supple, elegant and very fragrant Xinomavro
L.A. Cetto - Chenin Blanc 2022
A beautiful expression of tropical aromas to delight your aperitif!
Listening Station - Chardonnay 2021
A Chardonnay made with the tension and freshness of the fruit
Listening Station - Shiraz 2023
A Syrah from Victoria, supple and with peppery notes
Simonsig - Chenin Blanc 2021
An intense and mineral Chenin blanc from Stellenbosch
Alamos - Chardonnay 2019
A lush, complex and convivial Chardonnay from high vineyards in Argentina
Which wine for which grilled vegetables?
The colour and texture of the vegetable guide the choice. Here are our pointers for the most common dishes.
| Dish | Wines to choose | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Grilled peppers marinated red peppers, pepper stew | Supple red: Grenache, Syrah, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo | The red fruit of the wine embraces the sweetness of the softened pepper. |
| Grilled aubergines miso aubergine, smoked aubergine caviar | Fleshy red: Primitivo, Negroamaro from Puglia | The melting, smoky flesh calls for a round wine with ripe tannins. |
| Grilled courgettes and fennel courgettes à la plancha, fennel with lemon | Lively white: Sauvignon Blanc, Falanghina, Greek white | A taut acidity refreshes these delicate vegetables and their herbs. |
| Roasted root vegetables carrots, parsnips, baked sweet potato | Full-bodied white: South African Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay | The richness of the wine answers the caramelised sweetness of the roots. |
| Grilled mushrooms ceps, barbecued portobellos | Fine red: Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo | The earthy aromas of the wine extend the forest floor flavour. |
| Barbecued vegetable skewers onion, tomato, pepper, halloumi | Rosé with character or fruity red: Pinotage, Italian rosé | A fruity, fresh wine follows the variety of flavours on the skewer. |
| Escalivada and Mediterranean vegetables escalivada, grilled ratatouille, vegetables in olive oil | Red from Spain or Portugal: Tempranillo, Douro blends | The sweet spices of the wine go well with olive oil and herbs. |
A drizzle of balsamic vinegar or a pesto points to a fresher, livelier wine.
Fruit before power
Our take on grilled vegetables: favour fruit and freshness over oaky power. The grill concentrates the sugars and leaves a smoky touch. A juicy red such as the Montepulciano d'Abruzzo from Fantini or the Primitivo from Vineka goes naturally with this richness and keeps the vegetables in the foreground. Served slightly chilled, it gains even more brightness.
For white, look to southern Italy and South Africa. The Beneventano Falanghina from Vesevo brings notes of citrus and almond that lift courgettes and fennel. A fuller South African Chenin Blanc welcomes roasted root vegetables and tahini sauces. For very smoky dishes, The Original Pinotage from Diemersfontein, with its mocha notes, creates a surprising echo with charred aubergine.
Three pairings to try
Pairing 1. Oven-roasted peppers and Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, for a fruity, generous duo.
Pairing 2. Grilled fennel with lemon and Falanghina, a meeting of citrus and aniseed.
Pairing 3. Smoked aubergine caviar and South African Pinotage, to play up the smokiness.
The Wine Wanderer Team
Your questions about wine and grilled vegetables
What red wine goes with grilled vegetables?
Choose a supple, fruity red with mellow tannins: Grenache, Syrah, Montepulciano or Primitivo. These grape varieties answer the caramelised sweetness of peppers and aubergines. Serve it slightly chilled, at around 15 °C, to keep some zing against the smoky notes. Reds from Italy and Spain are our first recommendations.
White or red wine with grilled vegetables?
Both work: it all depends on the vegetable. Red, fleshy vegetables (pepper, aubergine, tomato) lean towards a fruity red. Delicate green vegetables (courgette, fennel, asparagus) prefer a lively white such as a Sauvignon Blanc. Roasted root vegetables go very well with a full-bodied white, Chenin Blanc or Chardonnay.
What wine to serve with barbecued vegetable skewers?
A rosé with character or a light, fruity red is ideal with barbecued vegetable skewers. The fruit of the wine follows the variety of flavours, from grilled onion to softened tomato. If the skewer includes halloumi, a fresh white from southern Italy brings a lovely saline tension.
What wine goes with ratatouille or escalivada?
A Mediterranean red with aromas of herbs and sweet spices goes perfectly with ratatouille and escalivada: Grenache, Tempranillo or a red from Portugal. Olive oil and herbes de Provence find an echo in these sun-drenched wines. In summer, a structured rosé nicely takes over.
What wine goes with grilled mushrooms?
Pinot Noir is the star pairing for grilled mushrooms. Its forest floor aromas and silky texture extend the earthy flavour of ceps or portobellos. For a more intense version, with garlic and parsley, a Nebbiolo from Piedmont brings depth and lovely freshness.
At what temperature should wine be served with grilled vegetables?
Serve reds between 14 and 16 °C and whites between 9 and 11 °C. A slightly chilled red keeps its bright fruit against the heat of the grill. Full-bodied whites, such as Chenin Blanc or Chardonnay, show best at around 11 °C. For a rosé, aim for 8 to 10 °C.