Hot Honey Sommelier: Wine Pairing for Your Favorite Spicy Condiment

If you've been here before, you know we are obsessed with hot honey. The sugary sweetness of the honey combined with the fiery, mouth-tingling heat from spicy chilis is enough to throw a uniquely delicious spin on anything from appetizers to main courses to desserts and even cocktails. 

You know what else can elevate many a culinary experience? The perfect wine pairing. But can you pair hot honey with wine? The answer is "Absolutely!". 

Image from Pavel Danilyuk via Pixels

From fruity whites to chilled rosés to bold reds to dessert wines, allow us to guide you through our favorite wines to pair with hot honey-enhanced culinary masterpieces.

Notes From a Sommelier

Before we get started, we wanted to share some fun facts from our in-house sommelier, including a few factors to keep in mind when pairing wine with spicy foods, such as hot honey. 

Each of these variables will impact whether the spice in your dish is enhanced or dampened. So pay attention!

• Chilled vs. Room Temperature: Chilled wine will, at first, cool the drinker's palate, taming the spice level they experience. Wine that is served at room temperature will not have this effect.
• Sweet vs. Dry: Sweeter wines will dampen the heat of spicy food, whereas wines on the dryer side will heighten the consumer's awareness of spice.
• Acidity: It may seem counter-intuitive, but acid helps to neutralize spice. It cuts the oils in the chili peppers that lend heat to hot honey. So, a higher acidity wine will dampen the heat you experience. In contrast, a wine that has low acidity will heighten it.
• Alcohol and Tannins: As a general rule, higher alcohol and tannins will heighten the burning sensation caused by spicy foods on the drinker's palate. Wines that are lower in alcohol and tannins will tame it.

Keeping all of this in mind, let's discuss some of our favorite wines to pair with hot honey.

Table of contents

We've broken our list of hot honey-friendly wines into four categories, as follows:

• Whites - Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and Sauvignon Blanc.
• Rosés - Grenache Rosé, Syrah Rosé, and Sangiovese Rosé.
• Reds - Pinot Noir, Grenache, and Zinfandel
• Dessert Wines - Moscato, Sauternes, and Port.

We arranged our list, more or less, with the wines that will tame the spice in your hot honey-inspired dish at the top of the list and the wines that will amp up the heat for a more fiery experience at the bottom (dessert wines excluded).

Happy sipping!

 

 

Whites

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When it comes to white wines, we have a few suggestions. The following varietals are matches made in heaven for whatever hot honey-centric dish you've dreamed up:

Riesling

Riesling wines are relatively sweet and have a nice pop of acidity. The crisp acidity helps cut through the heat of the chilies, moderating the spice without overpowering it, and the sweetness complements the sugary notes of the honey itself.

Serve it with: Enjoy a glass of chilled Reisling with your favorite seafood dish. Maybe salmon with a hot honey glaze!

Gewurztraminer

A dry or off-dry Gewurztraminer would also be an excellent choice. Fruity and spicy all at once ("gewürz" actually translates to spicy), this popular white harmonizes beautifully with the unique flavor combination of honey and spice. Gewurztraminers are also relatively acidic, so they tame the heat of hot honey a bit, not quite as much as a sweeter riesling.

Serve it with: We love Gewurztraminer with Asian cuisine. It would go great with a hot-honey-infused chicken or seafood curry.

Sauvignon Blanc

This varietal is known for its refreshing citrus flavor and zesty acidity. As with the other two whites mentioned, this acidity cuts through the heat of hot honey, taming it. However, Sauvignon Blanc is a dryer varietal, so you won't get the same sweetness as with Gewurztraminer and/or Riesling. The heat of the hot honey will come through a little more as a result.

Serve it with: Sauvignon Blanc is a pretty versatile wine when it comes to food pairings. We love it with a light, crisp salad dressed with a Hot Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette. Maybe with crab cakes served with a Hot Honey Aioli? Yum!

Note that white wines are most commonly served chilled. The cooler temperatures will tone down the heat of your hot honey experience a bit. Just something to keep in mind!

Rosés

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A crisp rosé is another excellent choice to pair with hot honey. Here are some of our favorite varietals:

Grenache Rosé

Fruit-forward and light-bodied, a glass of Grenache Rosé makes for a refreshing match for hot honey. The sweet notes of strawberry and raspberry complement the sweetness of the honey. At the same time, the refreshing acidity of the varietal helps to cleanse the palate, preventing the heat from the chilies from becoming overwhelming.

Serve it with: There's something about Grenache Rosé and soft, fragrant cheese that just works. Serve it with a hot honey-drizzled Brie or Camembert. It would also go great with a creamy pasta dish, such as a Hot Honey Carbonara.

Syrah Rosé

A Syrah Rosé is another fantastic pairing. Its rich berry flavors dance beautifully with the sweetness of hot honey and stand up nicely to the spice. So, the flavors of the wine AND the condiment shine equally bright. Syrah Rosés also carry some acidity, so if you need a little break from spice, it's a good choice.

Serve it with: We've been enjoying a glass of Syrah Rosé with these Peach Burrata Parmesan Crostini with Hot Honey. It also goes great with a hearty hot honey-drizzled ratatouille.

Sangiovese Rosé

Dryer than the other two mentioned rosés, Sangiovese Rosé boasts vibrant flavors of cherry and plum and a bright acidity. The wine's light body and fruity notes complement hot honey nicely without overwhelming it. Its refreshing acidity tones down the heat of the condiment as well, but not quite as much as the other two sweeter rosés mentioned above.

Serve it with: Enjoy a glass of Sangiovese Rosé with Hot Honey Glazed Pork Chops and/or with an elegant hot honey-inclusive charcuterie plate.

Similarly to white wines, rosés are most often served cold. So, you can expect the heat of your hot honey to be a little less intense with a sip of any one of the varietals listed above.

 

 

Reds

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Red wines are a great choice for those with slightly higher spice tolerance. Higher in alcohol and tannins and generally served at room temperature, they tend to amplify the heat of hot honey more than whites and rosés do. Here are three varietals we recommend:

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is an excellent choice for pairing with hot honey, especially for those who love reds but are somewhat sensitive to spice. Its refreshing acidity cuts through heat well, and its subtle fruit flavors provide a refreshing contrast to the spice of hot honey. Pinots are also lower in tannins than the other two reds on our list, another spice-mitigating factor.

Serve it with: We love Pinot Noir with pizza. Sip on a glass while you enjoy a slice (or 3) of Smokey Roasted Mushroom Pizza with Hot Honey Drizzle.

Grenache

Subtly spicy with notes of juicy red fruit, a Grenache is a fun match for hot honey. The sweetness of this fruit-forward varietal enhances the sweetness of hot honey while its dryer, spicy characteristics play up the heat. So, basically, you're in for a flavor explosion! It has a nice medium-body to it, making it the perfect wine to pair with a savory hot honey-infused entree, enhancing flavors while holding its own.

Serve it with: Grenache and grilled meats just go together. Pour your guests a round while you grill up a hot honey glazed rack of lamb or these Hot Honey Barbecue Ribs.

Zinfandel

Bold and fruity, Zinfandel is a fun pairing for those who aren't shy about spice. It's higher in alcohol content and tannins than our other two reds, which will, without a doubt, play up the spice factor in hot honey. At the same time, though, the fruit-forward nature of Zinfandel complements the sweetness of the honey. When enjoyed together, both the wine and the honey will make an impression on your taste buds, each complementing the other.

Serve it with: Zinfandel goes well with big, rich flavors, so grill up a couple of ribeyes and top them with a Hot Honey Compound Butter, or try this decadent recipe for Hot Honey Apple Bacon Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.

Dessert Wines

Image from TomBen via Pixels 

Hot honey can be a great addition to many a dessert. We love it in, on, and around cheesecakes, ice cream sundaes, grilled peaches, pumpkin pie, and more. If you are serving a hot honey-enhanced dessert, you might want to consider pairing it with one of the following dessert wines:

Sauternes

A Sauternes, with its notes of apricot, citrus, and honey (!!!), plays beautifully with any kind of honey, including hot honey. It's lighter and slightly more acidic than the following two, so it's a great choice if you want to cut the heat of your hot honey dessert a bit.

Serve it with: Sip on a glass of sweet Sauternes while you savor a serving of Grilled Peaches with Hot Honey and Vanilla Ice Cream.

Moscato

Fruity and floral, Moscato falls on the lighter side of dessert wines. It's relatively low in alcohol content and isn't quite as sweet as the others. It's still sweet, though, and in so being mellows out the heat in hot honey. With its slight effervescence, Mosacato makes for a great celebratory wine.

Serve it with: A lighter dessert, such as Panna Cotta (drizzled with hot honey, of course) or even a dessert cheese plate.

Port

Port is the richest of these sweet sips. Full-bodied and higher in alcohol content than the others, it will bring out the spice in your hot honey a bit more. There's a world of flavor going on in a good port, ranging from nutty caramel to dark berries to bitter chocolate. Yum!

Serve it with: Port goes well with more decadent desserts such as molten chocolate cake or Hot Honey Pecan Pie.

 

 

Cheers!

There it is, folks! Our list of favorite wines to pair with (ahem) them BEST condiment of all time!

Pairing wine with hot honey opens up a world of fun, exciting flavor combinations that enhance both the condiment and the chosen vino. Whether you prefer the crisp acidity of Sauvignon Blanc, the fruity notes of Grenache, or the luscious sweetness of Sauternes, there's a perfect match out there for everyone.

So, next time you're getting ready to cook up a hot honey masterpiece, consider pulling out a bottle of one of these carefully chosen wines to elevate your creation. Cheers to delicious pairings!