Sitting down to binge our favorite TV shows only gets better with a glass of wine in hand. Satisfy your Netflix cravings with these perfect German wine pairings.
Riesling + The Crown
The King of white wine grapes can only be properly coupled with a queen, Queen Elizabeth II of The Crown that is. If you’re looking to binge a show full of historical drama, political rivalries, and lavishly forbidden romance, pick up a glass of German Riesling and hit play.
Riesling has major historical juice of its own. Believed to originate around the Rhine River, the grape has been grown in Germany as early as Roman times, with the first written record dating back to 1435. At the height of German wine’s popularity in the 17th and 18th centuries, German Riesling was a noted favorite among European royalty. England’s Queen Victoria visited the winemaking town of Hochheim am Main during the harvest around the year 1850, and may have contributed to the nickname of “hock” for Rheingau Riesling.
Ruling over 23,000 hectares of German vineyard area today, Riesling is predestined for cool-climate winegrowing and thrives in all 13 official German wine regions. Complex aromatics, racy acidity, and tremendous versatility and aging potential have dubbed this iconic grape the ‘King of German wines.’
Pinot Noir + Big Mouth
Juicy, velvety smooth, and sometimes a little spicy, the characters on the hit show Big Mouth mirror the bold flavors in a German Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir). While giggling through the hilarious and relatable retelling of our childhood and puberty nightmares, ease your nostalgic nerves with some Pinot in hand.
As the third-largest producer of Pinot Noir grapes in the world, Germany is here to provide a wine everyone is familiar with. But at the end of the day, and much like Big Mouth, German Spätburgunder gives us the light fruitiness we need to make us smile.
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Sekt + Rhythm and Flow
“This ain’t the Voice mothf@#$,” said guest judge Snoop Dogg in the new hit competition series Rhythm + Flow. A show with unhindered commentary from Cardi B, T.I., and Chance the Rapper deserves an equally sparkling and evocative pairing, Sekt.
Pushing perceptions, Sekt is ‘no Champagne.’ Other than the sexy bubbles, this German sparkling wine is angular and distinct to Germany. The unique wine pairs perfectly with a show uniquely dedicated to hip-hop, showcasing the history and stories of the genre, rather than focusing on sentimental backstories like traditional competition series.
Pinot Gris + Queer Eye
We laugh, we cry, we ooh and ahh over Tan France’s French tuck and Jonathan’s ever-flawless mustache. With a show that’s a rollercoaster of emotion and full of dramatic transformations, we need something steady and reliable to wade us through our sea of feelings.
Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) never fails to please. In contrast to its mild counterpart in other wine-making countries, Pinot Grigio, Germany produces Pinot Gris full of flavor, reminiscent of mango, nuts, almonds, and quince. She’s a loyal wine with no surprises – something we need in contrast to a show full of them. As JVN would say, Pinot Gris is giving me sleek, she’s giving me lively, she’s giving me the validation I need from a Lizzo song.
Whatever your flavor of Netflix series, there’s a German wine for that. Find what else German wine pairs with here.
