Ideas for wines to drink with Pancakes:
| Pancake type | Wine style |
|---|---|
| Sugar & Lemon | Moscato d’Asti, Prosecco |
| Cheese and ham | Gavi di Gavi, Muscadet or Pinot Blanc |
| Chocolate | Recioto Valpolicella, Banyuls, or try Barolo Chinato |
| Rhubarb and cream | Loire Chenin Blanc, Off-dry Riesling – Or perhaps Normandy cider |
Whether you’re planning your Shrove Tuesday menu or a weekend treat, the decision about what to drink with pancakes comes down to the filling.
What you decide to top, fill or wrap your pancakes with can affect your drinking options. Here are some suggestions for some of the more popular toppings you might decide on.
Wine with sugar and lemon pancakes
It’s a classic for a reason, and it remains a very popular topping. Simple, sweet and with the tang of citrus acid.
A light, slightly sweet yet refreshing Moscato d’Asti would wash these down well, or a Prosecco would work. If you can find it, try a Clairette de Die from the Rhône Valley, too. If you’re looking beyond wine, put a bottle of Limoncello in the fridge.
Fruit filling
In a previous masterclass at Le Cordon Bleu London, we created Pancakes with a touch of ginger and accompanied with rhubarb and Apple.
It’s stepping beyond wine, but Matthieu Longuère MS, of Le Cordon Bleu London, had pre-selected, vintage-dated dry cider from Domaine Eric Bordelet.
‘Finding a pairing for this dish is a no brainer, pancakes are known as crêpes in France,’ he said.
‘In crêperies all around the world the accompaniment is invariably cider. Here the pancakes are paired with tangy seasonal rhubarb and soothed by a good dollop of clotted cream,’ he said at the class.
He said the vintage-dated Château de Hauteville ‘Argelette Sydre’ from Bordelet had a bursting apple flavour that was very refreshing with the pancake.
‘Although it is not a sweet cider, it is so ripe and fruity that is not going to clash with the compote and its crisp acidity will refresh the palate in between bites,’ he said.
‘Sydre is made from 20 different varieties of hand-picked cider apple, sweet, bitter or sour, grown on schist soil. The apples are grated and left to ferment for up to 6 months. It is a true vintage cider and can be kept for several years after the harvest. A real Grand Cru!’
A wine alternative to this serious cider might be a Loire Chenin Blanc or an off-dry Riesling from Germany.
If you have a sweet tooth and maple syrup or apricots are involved then you could also look to the sweet wine enclaves of Sauternes and Barsac – or Monbazillac – in Bordeaux.
Savoury cheese and ham pancakes
Again, reaching for the cider would be a wonderful match with this savoury pancake. If you fancy a glass of wine, Pinot Blanc, Muscadet or Gavi di Gavi are all great options.
Chocolate sauce
While a lot of people might associate dry red wine with chocolate, you cannot beat a sweet red like Recioto Valpolicella or a red Banyuls to bring chocolate to life.
If you can’t dig these out, a really fruity, new world red with low tannin could also work.
Salmon
It has so be a Champagne or a traditional method sparkling wine with enough freshness and acidity to cut through the batter mix and bring the salmon to life.
Wines to drink with pancakes: Recent reviews by our experts
Copy for this article was written by Harry Fawkes in 2017, following a pancake masterclass with Tom Brown at Le Cordon Bleu London and the school’s Matthieu Longuère MS. It has been edited in February 2021, with new wine reviews added (below).