The Absolute Best Type Of Wine To Serve With Pork Chops

Pairing the right wine with your meal can make or break the overall experience. When done right, a wine pairing can elevate the flavors of your dish and bring out unique tasting profiles that you might've otherwise missed. If you're not familiar with how to properly pair wines with your meal, the process can seem overwhelming. The easiest place to start is just by going through it one dish at a time. If you're preparing a pork chop dinner, you have a variety of wines you can choose to pair with it based on how you're cooking the pork chops and what your sides are.

One of the best wines to pair with pork overall is pinot noir, which is a very food-friendly wine and complements a variety of dishes excellently. The subtle earthiness of pinot noir goes with the subtle sweetness of pork chops to balance the two flavors. This is a particularly good pairing if you grill the pork chops, as the light smoky flavor of pinot noir will bring out that delicious charred flavor from the grill. Plus, pinot noir is an easy wine to source and comes at a variety of price points, making it an accessible choice.

If you serve your pork chops breaded and fried, you may want to opt for a sparkling white wine instead. Sparkling wines pair excellently with fried, heavier food because they are very light and refreshing and offer brightness to cut through the richness of the fried food. Prosecco is a good choice for a sparkling white wine — go for a dryer bottle so you won't feel overpowered by the sweetness. If you aren't a fan of Prosecco, you could opt for a sparkling rosé. These can run a little sweeter but are still light and refreshing.

If you're serving your pork chops with a cream sauce, a chardonnay is another good choice for cutting through some of the richness of the meal. Chardonnays have an almost buttery flavor that pairs with the savory aspects of a creamy dish and brings out those decadent flavors, but they are still light enough to not make your meal feel too heavy. If you're looking for a different red to try, a zinfandel is another great option. This is a more robust wine that will intensify the savory aspects of the meat and also pair well with any vegetable sides you might choose.