You’ve decided to go on a little diet or simply reduce your meat consumption to do something for the planet and you don’t know how to go about it? Don’t worry, I’ve put together a top 5 list of wines to accompany your vegetarian dishes.

Vegetarian wine?

First of all, vegetarian food can mean vegetarian wine. While wine is made from grapes, it should not be forgotten that some winemaking methods involve animal products (egg whites, gelatin, and many proteins or carbohydrates from various animals).

If you’re 100% vegetarian (or vegan), you’ll need to pay close attention to the wine-making process and to the fact that no animal products have been used.

Top 5 wines to accompany vegetarian dishes

If you’re not a vegetarian and simply want to pair a dish without animal products, here’s a small list of wines I recommend to match your dishes.

Gamay du Beaujolais, a fruit that goes well with vegetables of character

My region of choice: Beaujolais. There, Gamay is king when it comes to producing red wines. With 12 appellations including 10 crus, this wine-growing region just north of Lyon offers very light, fruity wines. Typically a friend’s wine to be drunk as an aperitif or with French cuisine, I’ve often seen it served with vegetarian dishes in gourmet restaurants.

Indeed, the lightness and freshness of these wines, sometimes complemented by a touch of vegetality and florality (as in Foillard’s Morgon), is perfectly calibrated to accompany vegetables with character. These include an assortment of potatoes, turnips and parsnips cooked in a casserole, eggplant grilled in oil, ratatouille or mashed potatoes with nutmeg.

Anjou blanc de Loire, a fresh, taut, mineral wine

Turning west towards the Loire, we also go from red to white with Anjou Blanc, a wine made from Chenin grapes. A highly expressive grape variety, when properly vinified it achieves perfect harmony between acidity and aromatic power. As a result, the wines produced are very taut, and benefit from a delicious minerality due to the composition of the soils.

In terms of producers, I’d suggest the highly reputed Patrick Baudouin, who produces Loire wines (as well as Layon wines if you want to go for something sweeter and mellower…) that are very taut and refreshing, and will sublimate the finest vegetarian dishes (I tasted the Effusion cuvée on a salad of cooled peas, verbena and elderberry, served on a bed of horseradish). In the same vein, but more accessible, I also recommend Domaine Pithon-paillé and its various white Anjou cuvées (La Fresnaye, Mosaïk, Pierrebise…).

Vin de France du Jura nature, captivating terroir aromas

Another current favorite: Jura wines, and in particular the region’s natural wines. A true fashionable vineyard, the Jura is a land where tradition and modernity meet. The region is home to a number of ambitious producers keen to produce very natural, characterful wines. I’m thinking, of course, of the legendary Jean-François Ganevat, François Rousset-Martin or Kenjiro Kagami and his domain of mirrors.

Biodynamic viticulture, gentle treatment of the vines and vinification without inputs, long maceration… All these elements come together to produce wines that breathe terroir and nature, perfect for accompanying bold vegetarian dishes, such as Matthias Marc’s Jura creations based on hay and the region’s farmhouse flavors. You’ll also enjoy tasting these wines with vegetables such as eggplant, zucchini or a tomato/avocado/scallion salad.

Chardonnay de Bourgogne, elegance for vegetables

Burgundy is world-renowned as the most elegant region in France and the world, producing some of the most expensive and sought-after red and white wines in the world. White wines, mostly made from Chardonnay, a grape variety that adapts perfectly to soils and climates to produce elegant wines of exquisite finesse, are sought after for their ability to age and adopt tertiary aromas that are unique in the world.

Meursault, Bouzeron, Corton-Charlemagne, Bâtard-Montrachet, Puligny… These are just some of the appellations I recommend for this type of long-keeping white wine. To match these elegant wines, you can cook sophisticated vegetarian dishes like Alain Passard’s creations based on seasonal vegetables from his garden (winter vegetables if you want stronger dishes, summer vegetables if you want milder flavors).

Champagne, from the lightness of bubbles… to dessert

Usually enjoyed as an aperitif to refresh the palate before moving on to still wines, Champagne is naturally calibrated to accompany vegetarian dishes with delicate, summery aromas. As you know, Champagne is often enjoyed with fruity desserts: fruit tarts, sorbets, assorted red forest fruits, red fruit soufflés… All you have to do is choose your dessert and match it with your Champagne!

For a red-fruit dessert with lots of fruit, you’d be better off with a rosé Champagne, whose aromas match those of the dessert. If the fruit is white and/or the dessert is not very fruity, opt for a brut Champagne or a Blanc de Blancs. Finally, for desserts made with heavier fruits such as yellow and very ripe fruits (quince, for example), I recommend a late-disgorgement Champagne or a Cuvée Blanc de Noirs, with a rounder, fuller mouthfeel.