What wine goes with chicken depends on how you cook it. A Sunday roast wants a textured white. A creamy sauce wants freshness and a little body. Coq au vin wants a light red. On a warm Australian night, a dry rosé or a lightly chilled light red is often the easiest pour.
We are The French Carousel, an Australian shop for French wine. Here are the French whites and light reds we pour with roast, creamy, spicy and coq au vin style chicken, with serving tips for warm nights.
What wine goes with chicken on a warm night
Match the wine to the dish, then think about the temperature. Whites and rosé should be properly cold. Light reds are better slightly cool, at 14 to 16°C, after 30 to 45 minutes in the fridge, so they do not taste hot in the glass.
Roast chicken and white Burgundy
A roast chicken with crisp skin and pan juices suits a white with texture, or a soft, fresh red.
Our pick is Château des Rontets Pouilly-Fuissé 'Clos Varambon' 2022. It is a dry, textured chardonnay with white flowers, stone fruit, beeswax and almond. The shop page pairs it with Sunday roast chicken, crab, creamy pasta or roast pork. Serve it at 10 to 12°C.
For a fresher weeknight roast, Château Thieuley 'Génération 3' Bordeaux Blanc 2023 is sauvignon blanc and sémillon, with pear, grapefruit, pineapple and lime. The shop page pairs it with fish and seafood, oysters, roast chicken or fresh goat cheese. Serve it at 10 to 12°C.
If the table wants red with the roast, Château de Villeneuve Saumur-Champigny 'Clos de la Bien Boire' 2022 is a light, fresh Loire cabernet franc, with strawberry, raspberry and violet. The shop page pairs it with pâté en croûte, roast chicken, charcuterie or grilled meats. Serve it at 14 to 16°C.
Creamy sauces and soft whites
Cream, butter or a mushroom sauce needs a white with enough freshness to cut through it, and enough body to stand up to the sauce. Clos Varambon is the richer choice here; the shop page also names creamy pasta. Browse French white wine for more whites.
Light reds for the barbie chicken
Chilli, smoke and charred skin call for fruit and freshness, and not much tannin. Clos de la Bien Boire is a juicy light red for chicken off the grill; the shop page names grilled meats. For a dry rosé on a warm evening, browse our French rosé shelf, and see how to choose a French rosé.
Coq au vin style and pinot or gamay
Chicken cooked in red wine wants a red in the same style. Red Burgundy (pinot noir) is the classic choice, and a light Loire cabernet franc or gamay is a fresh alternative. Our coq au vin recipe has the method and the wine to pour. For more light reds, browse French red wine and our notes on chilled red wine.
Serve crisp whites and rosé at 8 to 10°C, about 2 to 3 hours in the fridge. Fuller whites such as Pouilly-Fuissé and white Bordeaux at 10 to 12°C. Light reds at 14 to 16°C.
Please enjoy responsibly.
