Mushrooms offer a particular variety of flavors that make them a natural option for wine pairing.
As popular as they are versatile, mushrooms are used for cooking in a wide variety of cultures. Sautéed, in sauces, accompanying meats or substituting them, they give texture and flavor to risottos, pastas, and rice dishes.
Umami
The darker the mushroom, the more umami it will have. And this flavor also intensifies when the mushrooms are dried. When we talk about umami, we are talking about a fifth flavor, incredibly deep and addictive, that characterizes certain mushrooms when they are cooked or dried, including shiitake, portobello, porcini, truffle, and morchella varieties. For dishes that include these types of mushrooms, we recommend a robust, intense wine with black fruit notes, such as Marques de Casa Concha Syrah.
Earthy
Since most mushrooms grow on the ground, some edible varieties have a characteristic earthy flavor that pairs well with certain wines like Pinot Noir. Thanks to its notes of leather, earth, and mushrooms, this wine pairs indisputably well with mushroom dishes. Try it for yourself by pairing a mushroom risotto with Marques de Casa Concha Pinot Noir, whose Limari Valley coastal climate offers those earthy and leather aromas that go great with mushrooms.
Tatiana Goskova – Freepik
Meaty
Not just for their texture, but also for their flavor, mushrooms have something that reminds us of meat. This is why it is one of the most popular foods for substituting animal protein in vegetarian dishes. Portobello mushrooms, with their large size and meaty flavor, are just one example. They can be served stuffed, grilled, stewed, in a vegetarian hamburger, or however you like! And as for the wine? Any one you would regularly serve with beef: from Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon, to Marques de Casa Concha Malbec or even Marques de Casa Concha Carmenere.
Woody
Another quality of certain edible mushrooms is their woody nature. This applies to chantarelle, porcini, matsutake, and one of the most delicate mushrooms out there, maitake. These varieties can offer pine aromas that pair well with dry white wines. For chantarelle, we suggest Marques de Casa Concha Chardonnay or a sparkling wine.
