Why Wine Belongs In Your Chili

Every chili enthusiast has a secret ingredient, something special they add to make their recipe shine at cook-offs, tailgates, and potlucks. Maybe your signature style is making firecracker chili with cinnamon and black olives, or spicy slow cooker beef chili with jalapeños and chipotle peppers. Whether your hack for the ultimate chili is making it with bacon and bison or going strictly vegetarian, you should add wine to the mix for a standout batch of chili that's flavorful and cozy.

Wine brings a deeper flavor profile to chili, adding a touch of acidity that balances out the richness of all the other ingredients. And if you use your favorite type of wine for cooking chili, you'll be able to pour yourself a glass to enjoy while you're at it. The alcohol helps tenderize the meat and break down lingering fats and other molecules in the chili, releasing trapped flavors and making the whole dish more intense and interesting. Wine also adds an earthy element to chili that blends well with chili ingredients like chipotle chile in adobo sauce, sautéed onions and peppers, and beef broth. Wine gives turkey chili a glow-up as well, where it will draw out the subtle, wild flavors of the turkey.

Much like wine, every type of chili has its own personality and flavor profile. The trick to combining the two is learning what wines will complement specific flavors without overpowering or getting lost in the other ingredients. It could take some time to find the absolute perfect wine to add to your homemade chili. In a pinch, remember that red wine makes chili more robust and richer; white wine adds fruity, floral notes to chili with a bit more acidity and brightness.

Add Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Zinfandel to spicy chili, all-meat chili, and other chili styles with strong flavors that need a robust wine. Add a brighter note to spicy chili with a Riesling and bring down any overly rich flavors with a bit of Sauvignon Blanc. Chardonnay brings buttery, smooth, and acidic qualities to chili, pairing wonderfully with the chicken in a hearty white chicken and navy bean chili dish. And a light, fruity Chenin Blanc adds dimension and depth to lighter chili types, like a basic 3-bean vegetarian chili, basic turkey chili, or white chili. Remember, once you've selected and poured your wine into your chili, let it cook for a while to get rid of the alcohol and even out the flavors.