Are you looking for the best wine with falafel? Try the affordable wines to enjoy this popular street food even more. Falafel is made in different ways, so let’s look at some popular versions of this comfort food and the wine pairings that work for each kind. The short version: white Wine tends to be the best pet for this Middle Eastern food. A light Sauvignon Blanc or an unoaked Chardonnay is your best bet.
Vegan Lebanese Falafel Wine Pairing
Chefs in Lebanon are known for their tasty falafel mixture. Traditionally, this type of Lebanese food includes chickpeas, parsley, coriander, onion, garlic, baking powder, and falafel spice. The specific spices vary, with black pepper, ground coriander, cumin, and cayenne pepper being popular choices. This amazing food can be made in vegan style or with meat.
A few types of wine will work well with this type of falafel sandwich. White wines like Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are the best choice as a rule of thumb. The bright acidity of these white wines tends to work well. Alternately, some people prefer Grüner Veltliner. In the summer, I would also recommend rosé wine with falafel.
Chicken Falafel Bowls Wine Pairing
Are your chicken dishes getting a bit boring? If so, you might want to try making chicken falafel bowls. I discovered this version through Taylor’s great website of cookable recipes called The Girl on Bloor. This recipe includes tasty ingredients like lemon juice, a garlic clove or two, chicken breasts, tomato, and romaine lettuce.
This kind of homemade falafel works with an array of wine pairings like sparkling Wine, rose, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc.
Why White Wine Is Your Best Bet
Wonder why white wines are recommended with this popular Middle Eastern food? The answer is simple – white wines typically offer a great hit of acidity. Also, the citrus notes in white Wine play a good role. When you have intense flavors from fresh lemon juice and garlic sauce, whites with acidity are the right way to go.
Prefer Red Wine Instead?
What if you strongly prefer drinking red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon with everything? Well, full-bodied red wines are traditionally not a good match for this kind of Middle Eastern food. There are ways to make this choice of Wine more effective. I would take the classic Arabic food and adjust it. In a casual falafel restaurant, you might have your choice of ingredients. For this dish to work with a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon, you’ll want to add red meats and reduce the strong sauces found in the base recipe.
Alternately, you could make life simple and pick up a lamb gyro to enjoy with your red Wine. That wine pairing is far more likely to work effectively.
Inexpensive Wines To Try With Falafel
Before picking up your falafel, use these suggestions to find affordable wines to enjoy at home.
Grüner Veltliner Under $30
While Travel By Glass mainly focuses on French wines, there is amazing quality wine made in many other places. In this section, we’ll look at a few Austrian wines that would pair well with your next falafel plate.
2019 Weingut Familie Zull Aussere Bergen Gruner Veltliner
With a wine critic score of 95 out of 100, this 14% bottle of Austrian white Wine offers citrus flavors that pair well with the citrus acidity commonly found in falafel.
2019 Weingut Ingrid Groiss ‘In der Schablau’ Gruner Veltliner
Like the Wine mentioned above, this Gruner Veltliner is made in the Weinviertel wine region of Austria. It also offers 14% alcohol and citrus notes to pair well with your falafel plate.
Sauvignon Blanc Under $30
In our quest for affordable Sauvignon Blanc, we’ll visit two Wine producing countries that are far apart: Chile and New Zealand.
2019 Laberinto Sauvignon Blanc
Produced in the Maule Valley of Chile, this light Sauvignon Blanc is considered a good pairing for greens and vegetables. This Chilean Wine (12.5% alcohol content) is a good pick if you have vegan falafel.
2021 Rapaura Springs Reserve Sauvignon Blanc
Made in New Zealand’s famous Marlborough wine region, this Sauvignon Blanc is produced using sustainable methods. It has also earned a 95 out of 100 scores from a wine critic. The dry white Wine has a 13.5% ABV. It is known for its herbal notes, so it is another good choice for vegetarian falafel.
Best Wine With Falafel In Summary
Finding the ideal Wine to drink with a falafel plate is. The best options are lighter white wines like Sauvignon Blanc and a Chardonnay. I would probably avoid rich, full-bodied Chardonnay from warm climates like California in this case. Instead, look for an unoaked Chardonnay like Petit Chablis to drink with your next falafel plate.
