What wine goes with ham? Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris or Riesling

What wine goes with ham?

For ham, start with Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris or Riesling. Barello is a home cellar and bar app that tells you what to open tonight, what to keep, and what you can mix from what you have.

Pick by what you like

A wine's age counts from its vintage, the year on the label.

Red

Pinot Noir

dry, medium-bodied

It's light and fruity, and that fruit goes well with a sweet glaze or a slice of prosciutto.

Drink it between 2 and 8 years after its vintage. It's best about 4 years in.

White

Pinot Gris

dry, light to medium-bodied

It goes well with a glazed ham. In northern Italy it's often poured with speck, a smoky cured ham.

Drink it within 2 years of its vintage. It's best about a year in.

White

Riesling

dry or a touch sweet, light-bodied

Its fresh, zesty taste cuts through the salt, and the slightly sweet ones match the glaze.

Drink it between 1 and 10 years after its vintage. It's best about 4 years in.

Rosé

Dry rosé

It's easy with prosciutto and a grazing board.

Drink it within 2 years of its vintage. It's best about a year in.

Sparkling

Prosecco

Italians pour it before dinner with prosciutto, and the bubbles cut through the fat.

If there's a year on the label, drink it within 3 years of it. Without one, drink it soon.

These ages assume you keep the wine somewhere cool. If yours is somewhere warmer, open it sooner.

Other good matches

With a baked or glazed ham, you could also open Merlot, Tempranillo or Cabernet Franc.

With a cured ham like prosciutto, you could also open Sangiovese, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo or Beaujolais.

With ham on a grazing board, you could also open Shiraz or Grenache.

And a cocktail

Try a Negroni, a Gin & Tonic or a French 75. Gin goes well with a cured ham like prosciutto.

Add your bottles, tell Barello what's for dinner, and it picks one that's ready to drink.

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Questions people ask

What wine goes with ham?

Start with Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris or Riesling.

How old should the Pinot Noir be?

Drink it between 2 and 8 years after the vintage, the year on the label. It's best about 4 years in.

What cocktail goes with ham?

Try a Negroni, a Gin & Tonic or a French 75. Gin goes well with a cured ham like prosciutto.