Wine And Roast Dinner Pairing Guide

During the colder months, the heady aroma of a slow-cooked roast wafting through the house can bring immense comfort and warmth to a home.

However, preparing a succulent roast with all the trimmings is a labour of love, making it all the more important to savour the end result with the perfect bottle of wine.

The ideal wine pairing for your roast dinner depends on the type of roast you're making, the ingredients used in the cooking process, and the accompanying sides.

To help you with this mission, we've compiled this comprehensive guide to pairing wine with various roasts.

Best wines with roast chicken

When pairing wines with a traditional roast chicken, you have a few options that will complement the rich and savoury flavours of the dish.

If you're using butter as your star ingredient to brown and add crispness to the chicken skin, a full-bodied oak-aged Chardonnay is an excellent match due to its rich and buttery notes.

Our pick: 2019 McGuigan Personal Reserve Hunter Ridge Vineyard Chardonnay

Viognier is another fantastic white wine option to enjoy with roast chicken. Its acidic, medium-body weight and smooth tannins complement a spicy stuffing, rich gravy and roast or steamed veggies.

Our pick: 2021 McGuigan Cellar Select Viognier

While white wine and chicken are classic partners, red wine lovers need not despair – a light-bodied red like Pinot Noir is the perfect drop. Its earthy, fruit-forward flavours balance the rich, savoury flavours of the roast chicken without overpowering it.

Our pick: 2021 McGuigan Cellar Select Pinot Noir

Best wines with roast pork

Pork is an incredibly versatile meat – it can be roasted in endless ways depending on the cut of meat, flavours it's cooked in, and the way it's served.

But in all cases, roast pork pairs best with a wine that combines richness with acidity, whether it’s white or red.

Like roast chicken, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are classic choices for pairing with a traditional rolled roast pork with crackling, roast veggies and lashings of apple sauce.

Both of these wines take on the rich, fatty flavours of the pork, and the fruity undertones match well with a fruit-based sauce or glaze.

A provincial-style Rosé that is pale in colour with luscious fruit flavours and a dry finish is also an excellent partner for a traditional roast pork dinner.

Our pick: 2022 McGuigan Mastercraft Rosé

A charred and crispy Asian-style pork belly roast calls for a refreshing Riesling with a slightly sweet edge to cut through and balance the rich and fatty flavours.

Our pick: 2019 McGuigan The Shortlist Riesling

And if you’re planning on slow-roasting some fall-off-the-bone pork ribs rubbed liberally with sweet and smoky spices and drenched in a thick and dark American-style barbecue sauce, a Merlot with bright berry notes and smooth tannins is a delicious pairing choice.

Our pick: 2021 McGuigan Mastercraft Noon Harvest Merlot

Best wines with roast beef

The big, meaty flavours of a classic roast beef beg for a heavy-bodied red wine with good structure and high tannin content. And the fattier the cut of beef (e.g. standing rib roast), the more tannic you want your wine to be.

Shiraz, with its bold and intense flavour profile and notes of black pepper, smoke and dark fruit, is exceptional in complementing roast beef's rich, savoury flavours. The chalky tannins in Shiraz work well in clearing the palate between bites.

Our pick: 2022 McGuigan Mastercraft Noon Harvest Shiraz

If you’re more inclined to favour a red wine that is still bold enough to stand up to the rich flavours of roast beef, but not as intensely tannic as a Shiraz, a Malbec is a great alternative. Malbec is fruit-forward, offers lots of layered complexity to complement the flavours of the roast beef, but has a softer mouthfeel due to its fine-grained tannins.

Our pick: 2020 McGuigan Cellar Select Malbec

Bottle of McGuigan 2020 Mastercraft Tempranillo with bread, cheese and assorted meats

Best wines with roast lamb

Whether it’s a leg, pulled shoulder or shank, roast lamb is delicious in all forms. To balance the high-fat content and intense meaty flavours of roast lamb, it's usually cooked with robust flavourings like garlic, rosemary, lemon and red wine.

As far as wine pairing and roast lamb go, a rich and full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon is a match made in heaven. The bold fruity flavours of a Cabernet Sauvignon with its high tannic and acidity content is perfect for cutting through the richness of the meat and cleansing the palate.

Our pick: 2018 McGuigan Shortlist Cabernet Sauvignon

A lush and full-bodied Tempranillo also pairs beautifully with roast lamb. Its spicy and peppery notes make it especially good with slow-roasted pulled lamb shoulder served with a fresh herb dressing or salsa verde.

Our pick: 2022 McGuigan Mastercraft Tempranillo

Best wines with roast duck

Duck is a rich, fatty and gamey meat, so a wine with a higher level of acidity is a great choice.

A lighter red wine such as Pinot Noir is a well-known partner with roast duck, while the high acidity and slight sweetness of Riesling is an excellent match with almost all duck dishes.

But if you’re looking for an unconventional wine pairing with roast duck, we recommend you give Chenin Blanc a go. Its zippy acidity effectively cuts through the richness of the meat, while its fruity profile, featuring notes of apple, pear, and peach, complements the duck's sweetness.

Our pick: 2020 McGuigan Cellar Select Chenin Blanc

Best wines with a vegetarian roast

A vegetarian roast dinner is typically accompanied by roast vegetables and gravy. A light-bodied and earthy Pinot Noir is a classic pairing choice particularly when mushrooms are involved. Other medium-bodied reds like Merlot or Malbec also work well to enhance the savoury flavours of a vegetarian nut roast.

Our pick: 2021 Mastercraft Cabernet Merlot

Non-Alcoholic wines to pair with a roast dinner

If you’re craving the cozy and inviting atmosphere of a roast dinner paired with a delicious glass of wine but prefer to avoid alcohol, McGuigan has an exceptional selection of non-alcoholic wines that will perfectly complement your meal.