Shrimp scampi is a delicious dish that can be served any night of the week with a glass of wine. After all, what’s shrimp scapi without a glass of wine? It’s the perfect way to celebrate the quick meal you made in 10 minutes.
However, you cannot serve any wine with shrimp scampi. The pairing must be perfect and complement the rich flavors of the garlic and butter and, of course, the delicate shrimp.
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What Wine Pairs With Shrimp Scampi?
Shrimp scampi is a simple but complex dish. Therefore you need a wine that can match the dish’s flavor without overpowering it.
The key to pairing wine with shrimp scampi is acidity. The acidity cleanses the mouth of the rich butter and garlic flavors.
If you pair shrimp scampi with a non-acidic wine, it may taste amazing, but after the first few bites, the dish flavors become bland, and your taste buds become overwhelmed by the garlic and butter.
Pinot Grigio
Pinot grigio is a white wine bursting with fruity flavors. Its potent aroma is laden with ginger, honey, clove, baking spice, and almonds.
Pinot Grigio can come in dry, sweet, or semi-sweet styles depending on the variety. Pinot Grigio is a light-bodied white wing that tingles the second it hits your mouth.
The zestiness and acidity make it the perfect candidate for shrimp scampi. It cuts through the rich, buttery, garlicky sauce leaving your palette refreshed.
Champagne
Champagne and seafood are a notorious combination. The crisp rejuvenating bubbles work wonders in your mouth. Dry Champagne is one of the best options for shrimp.
Dry Champagne has dominant almond, toast, peach, and cream flavors. There is also a subtle note of ripe apple and minerality.
Dry Champagne softens and cuts through the butter, allowing you to taste the shrimp’s succulent flavor and the garlic’s robust flavor.
Do not pair Brut Champagne or an extremely dry Champagne with shrimp scampi. These types of Champagne can negatively change the flavor of the shrimp scampi.
Shrimp scampi pairs best with dry Champagne with 12-17 grams of sugar per liter of Champagne. This amount of sugar contrasts beautifully with the salty, buttery sauce.
Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is crisp with grassy, herbaceous flavors. This white wine’s green flavor matches and pairs perfectly with the garlic in the shrimp scampi.
However, the flavor doesn’t stop there. Sauvignon Blanc has flavors of grapefruit, lime, minerals, and lemon.
These flavors provide a refreshing taste and cleanse the palette from the strong garlic flavor. The Sauvignon Blanc also enhances the mildly sweet flavors of the shrimp.
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a medium-bodied wine with medium to high alcohol content and medium acidity. Chardonnay’s flavor is not as robust as other wines. Instead, it has mild flavors of almonds, blossoms, citrus, and apples.
The dry taste of Chardonnay pairs perfectly with shrimp scampi. The mild citrus and fruity flavors will not overpower the shrimp scampi’s flavor.
Rioja
Rioja is a mild Spanish red wine that has a delicate flavor. Rioja is high in tannins but also fruity and has jammy flavors. The subtle notes of vanilla and tobacco create a complex structure.
Shrimp Scampi works best with a new vintage Rioja with a medium body. Rioja’s fruity profile balances out the salty, heavily seasoned shrimp scampi, especially if it is sprinkled with salty parmesan cheese.
Older vintage Rioja wines are full-bodied and extremely rich, so they can overpower the delicate flavor of the shrimp.
Verdejo
Verdejo is a white wine produced in the Rueda province of Spain. Verdejo is bursting with bright notes of apricot, grapefruit, lemon, and nectarine.
However, astringent flavors of anise, grass, and fennel exist. If it is aged, the wine can also have bitter notes of almonds.
Verdejo’s radiant citrus flavors counteract the heavy flavors of the garlic, making it the perfect pairing for shrimp scampi. The grassy flavors pair perfectly with the robust green flavors of the garlic.
The citrus flavors bring an acidity that refreshes your palate and enhances the mildly sweet flavors of the shrimp.
Soave
Soave wine is the ideal wine pairing for shrimp scampi. This dry Italian white wine is best for shrimp scampi made with lots of butter.
Soave wine has notes of marjoram, honeydew, peach, and citrus. The wine is also tarter and slightly saltier than other dry white wines because of the grapes used to produce the wine.
The smooth crispness of the Soave wine cuts through the rich butter and garlic without ruining the flavor of the shrimp scampi.
The subtle herby marjoram notes also pair nicely with shrimp scampi and give it an added depth of flavor.
Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc is a fragrant white wine that’s known for its minerality. The aroma is bursting with honey and floral notes.
Chenin Blanc wine can range from sweet to dry. It has flavors of apple and quince as well as high acidity levels.
However, it’s best to choose a medium-bodied Chenin Blanc with lower levels of tannins, high acidity, and medium levels of alcohol.
This combination works really well with shrimp scampi as it softens up the dense flavors of garlic and butter.
Prosecco
Prosecco is an Italian sparkling wine. Prosecco has mild flavors of custard, pear, apple, and citrus.
Garlic and butter can obstruct your palette after a few bites of shrimp scampi. Prosecco has a bright acidity that cleanses your palette of the dense butter and garlic.
The Prosecco has a bubbly texture. The bubbles help remove the garlic and buttery flavor from your palette, and the fruity, fresh finish elevates the flavor of shrimp scampi.
Final Thoughts
Shrimp scampi is a delicious quick meal that can be made in a few minutes. However, if you are a wine lover, you will want to enjoy a glass of wine with your shrimp scampi. Not any wine can be served with shrimp scampi.
The wine must have high acidity and flavors that will not overpower the shrimp scampi’s flavor. Luckily you’ve got a list of wines you can try every time you make or order shrimp scampi.