Squash is definitely the taste of the season
I eat a decent portion of butternut squash and sweet potato in the autumn and winter because both are low on the glycemic index. I'm also a fan of soup on these cold autumn evenings. Butternut squash and sweet potato have the predominant taste sensation of sweetness. It is best to honour this sweet taste sensation when considering an appropriate and even orgasmic wine match.
Bisque is a rich creamy soup. Butternut Squash Bisque is prepared with vegetable stock, heavy cream, diced onions and carrots, butternut squash, nutmeg, salt and pepper. In this soup sweetness remains the predominant sensation. Therefore a wine with sweetness is an appropriate choice. Be sure the wine is sweeter than the soup. Otherwise, the wine will taste too acidic.
Peninsula Ridge Semi-Dry Riesling is a good choice, (CSPC 387043), $12.95. The wine offers aromas and flavours on the nose and palate of crisp apple, citrus and honey. With just a smidgen of sweetness, this white will complement the bisque. The reason is that the soup contains no additional sweetness, but for the squash.
Coconut Curried Butternut Squash
Soup combines squash, carrots, celery, curry powder, garlic, onion, chicken broth and coconut milk. Due to the addition of coconut milk, the wine of choice should be slightly sweeter than the wine mentioned above. Also, more sweetness is required in the wine to offset the spiciness of curry.
Sandbanks Riesling-Gewurztraminer VQA, (CSPC 459982), $15.95, is a fabulous choice to pair with this sweet and spicy soup. This easy drinking quaffer has more apple and floral notes with some acidity to balance its honey sweetness.
This same wine will harmonize with a bowl of Thai Curry Sweet Potato Soup.
This soup combines onion, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, tumeric, hot pepper flakes, chicken broth, sweet potatoes, coconut milk and lime.
Roasted Cauliflower Sweet Potato Soup is made up of cauliflower, chickpeas, garlic, paprika, sweet potato, vegetable broth, and unsweetened vanilla flavoured almond milk. Since no additional sweet ingredient is added to this soup, it can partner with a wine with just a hint of sweetness. Consider the Peninsula Ridge Semi Dry Riesling.
Moroccan Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup is packed with nutrition, due to its ingredients of yellow onion, carrots, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika, cinnamon, vegetable broth, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and brown lentils. With delicious spiciness, this soup requires a sweeter wine. Sandbanks Riesling-Gewurztraminer is a decent choice.
What about soothing your autumn blues? How about a bowl of hot Maple Cream Sweet Potato Soup with Cheddar Cinnamon Sugar Twist? The ingredient list? Sweet potato, maple syrup, cinnamon, chicken broth, apple cider, thyme, nutmeg, bourbon, coconut milk, cheddar cheese. The addition of maple syrup means the soup demands a sweet wine. In fact, I would serve this soup with an ounce of
Late Harvest white wine.
Pelee Island Winery Late Harvest Riesling, (CSPC 136010), $15.95, is a semi-sweet white with aromas and flavours of peach and pear with honey sweetness and decent acidity to clean the palate. Due to the sweetness, be sure to chill the wine for at least an hour in the refrigerator. The sweetness in the wine will complement all the spiciness in this soup. But its important the wine doesn't taste too sweet on its own. Chilling the wine helps to reduce the perception of sweetness.