Wine Pairings with North African cooking

North African cooking, which includes typical dishes from Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, is marked by a generous use of spices, fresh herbs and sweet and savoury ingredients combined together. Pairing it with the right wine should match the complexity of the flavours without covering them. Let's discover the best wines to pair with North African cooking.

Characteristics of North African Cooking and General Pairings

The choice of wine depends on several factors:

• Use of spices: cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger and harissa.
• Presence of sweetness: dried fruit, honey and raisins are often combined with the meat.
• Contrasts in flavour: sweet-and-savoury dishes call for wines with a balance between acidity and softness.

Best Food and Wine Pairings for North African Cooking

Recommended Aromatic White Wines

• Gewürztraminer Alto Adige DOC – Perfect with vegetable couscous or couscous with dried fruit and nuts.
• Alsace Riesling – Excellent with spiced tagines, thanks to its acidity and aromatic character.
• Chenin Blanc – Ideal with chicken dishes with lemon and olives.

Recommended Spicy Rosé Wines

• Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo DOC – Excellent with meat couscous.
• Provence Rosé – Ideal for light, spiced dishes.

Recommended Light Red Wines

• Pinot Noir – Perfect with dishes based on spiced lamb.
• Grenache – Excellent with rich stews and tagines with dried fruit and nuts.

Mistakes to Avoid in Pairing

• Avoid wines that are too tannic, which would accentuate the spiciness.
• Watch out for overly dry wines, which would unbalance the sweet/savoury balance.
• Avoid excessively aromatic wines, if the dish is already very spicy.

Specific Pairings for Certain North African Dishes

• Lamb tagine with apricots and almonds → Grenache, Gewürztraminer
• Vegetable couscous → Riesling, Provence Rosé
• Chicken tagine with lemon and olives → Chenin Blanc, Pinot Noir
• Brick (a fried Tunisian parcel) → Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo, Alsace Riesling