The Ultimate Wine Pairing To Pour With Your Gazpacho Soup

Bowls of gazpacho soup can make for a filling meal on a summer's day or an easy opener for a successful dinner party. Since gazpacho is served cold it can be made in advance, making hosting a breeze, and you can set out bowls for guests to fill and top with garnishes as they choose to muscle up their vegetable-forward meals. Freshly chopped herbs, homemade croutons, drizzles of finishing oil, and toasted nuts and seeds can all be used to crown bowls as you begin to open bottles of wine and fill glasses for your friends. We consulted sommelier Andrew Elder, the service director for Hive Hospitality, for tips on how to pair this chilled soup with the right kinds of wine. 

"For this style of chilled soup, normally higher in acid due to the use of tomato, you want a wine that is complementary and can stand up to the freshness and delicate flavors," Elder suggested. "For this, a dry rosé style wine could be really enjoyable." Within the family of rosé wines, you'll have plenty to choose from, since the wine can be made in several different ways with unique regions producing distinct flavors. 

To steer us in the right direction, Andrew Elder points us towards rosés that present either herby, grassy tasting notes or oakier, floral waves of flavor to sip alongside a chilled gazpacho. "Something from Provençe for added herbaceousness," Elder elaborates, "or even a Spanish rosé could really accentuate the soup." We wouldn't fault you for serving both and letting your dinner guests decide which one is right for their palates and creatively-garnished meals. Elder's Hive Hospitality is known for Tasting Counters inspired by the seasons, so you can draw inspiration from their concept and incorporate seasonal flavors into your planned menus while playing with textures and tastes.

Whether you prepare a spicy, garlicky green gazpacho or a zestier Mexican gazpacho, consider which soup ingredients you want to highlight and pull forward with your wine pairings. With advance planning, you can even infuse a sweet rosé with chili, peppercorns, and orange slices to turn up the heat while serving bowls of chilled soup.