Lamb & Wine Pairing

When served alone and without any sauce to go with it, lamb can pair really well with a bold red wine with a smooth tannic structure, such as Syrah or Merlot. But because lamb meat in particular tends to take on the taste of the sauce it's cooked with, we need to go deeper than that if the meat is marinated.

Pairing Basics

As noted, what type of wine goes best with lamb will depend on how it's cooked and what sauces are cooked with it. Let's look at some examples.

Oven-Roasted Leg of Lamb

This wine pairing is assuming that the roast leg of lamb is prepared simply with spices and light sauces (such as some lemon zest and olive oil). The savory and rich flavors of roast lamb will need a bold yet smooth wine to pair with it that has plenty of tannins, and for that reason we recommend a Syrah or Malbec.

Grilled Lamb

Grilled lamb with a dry and spicy rub or marinate will pair well with a semi-sweet fruity red wine to help bring some of that fire down. We recommend a fruity Merlot or Barbera.

Braised Lamb Shanks

As noted, lamb tends to fully take on the flavor of the sauce it's cooked with, and that's especially the case with braised lamb in heavy sauce. In fact, wine is a popular ingredient in the sauce of braised lamb, which doesn't need to complicate things. If you cook the braised lamb in a red wine sauce, simply use a full-bodied wine with earthy and peppery flavors such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon or Malbec to both stand up and complement the bold flavors of the sauce and dish.

Pairing Specifics

As noted, when pairing lamb with wine, try to think about the full flavor profile as well as the way it's cooked—especially if it's marinated in a savory and rich sauce. We're primarily looking for red wines that will complement the red meat, cleanse the palate, and not overshadow the delicate meat flavor of the lamb.

Here are some specific wine pairing examples:

  • With oven-roasted leg of lamb, try pairing with a bottle of 2010 Gramercy Cellars Lagniappe Columbia Valley Syrah or a bottle of 2009 Trapiche Jorge Miralles Single Vineyard Malbec.
  • Try pairing grilled lamb with a dry spicy rub with a bottle of 2008 Bruno Giacosa Barbera d'Alba. A bottle of 2011 Clos du Bois North Coast Merlot would also do well.
  • Try pairing sauce-heavy braised lamb shanks with a bottle of 2009 Esser Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. Or, if Malbec is more appealing to you, a bottle of 2012 Hess Collection Small Block Series Malbec would also pair well.
Many red meats pair the best with red wine. Depending on the full flavor profile of the dish, a red wine that is a little acidic, rich in taste and full of body pair well. Semi-sweet reds can also pair well to help bring the heat down if the lamb is marinated or rubbed with spice.