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What Wine Goes with Ham: 10+ BEST Wine Pairings

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Posted by:

Erin Lynch

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Updated:

March 24, 2025

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5 from 4 votes

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PICTURE OF HAM WITH TEXT OVERLAY.

Wondering what wine goes with ham? Whether you’re hosting a holiday meal or simply enjoying a ham sandwich, these are the best ham wine pairings.

PICTURE OF HAM WITH TEXT OVERLAY.

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Wondering what the best wine with ham is? I’ve got you covered! Just in time for the holiday season…

I’m all about a great ham recipe – Brown Sugar Glazed Ham, Ham & Bean Soup, or even these Ham & Cheese Pinwheels.

Glazed ham in roasting dish garnished with orange slices, served with mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and rolls.
Ham & Cheese pinwheels arranged on grey serving dish.

Here are some of my favorite bottles of wine for pairing with ham.

Table of Contents

  • What wine pairs with ham – red or white?
  • 🍷 What Red Wine Goes Well With Ham?
  • πŸ₯‚ What Kind of White Wine Goes With Ham?
  • 🍴 What is traditionally served with ham? 
  • 🍽 Side dishes for ham
  • βœ”οΈ More Wine Pairings Advice
  • Full Recipe

First thing’s first…

What wine pairs with ham – red or white?

The answer is – ham pairs well with both! It depends on what type of wine you like, and the type of ham that you’ll be enjoying.

For example, a smoked ham is delicious with Pinot Noir. While a ham prepared with a sweet glaze, like this Brown Sugar Glazed Ham, is delicious paired with dry white wines like Pinot Gris or Chennin Blanc.

🍷 What Red Wine Goes Well With Ham?

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is one of the most food-friendly red wines out there. It’s flavors are delicate enough to not overpower the food that you’re eating it with and it makes a great match for ham. It’s particularly tasty paired with smoked ham, because Pinot Noir has an earthy, smoky quality to it.

Look for New Zealand Pinot Noir or a Pinot from the Willamette Valley. Other lighter reds like a GSM blend or Barbera work well here to.

Zinfandel

Zinfandel wine has fruity flavors and a silky characteristic to it that helps to tone down the smoky flavors in a black forest ham.

RosΓ©

RosΓ© wines have a good amount of acidity to it that stands up to the salty flavor of ham.

πŸ₯‚ What Kind of White Wine Goes With Ham?

Sparkling Wine

Much like a light beer, sparkling wines liven up many fatty dishes. Look for affordable bottles like cava or prosecco. They’re fun wines that bring a feeling of fancy to an otherwise casual get together. It’s a great wine for a ham eggs benedict. It’s always a great choice for Christmas dinner or Easter dinner.

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is great paired with ham dishes that have a bit of citrus flavor running through them.

Chenin Blanc

Similar to chardonnay, Chenin Blanc has a bright acidity that mingles really nicely with a sweet ham that has a fruit glaze.

Sauvignon Blanc

Sauvignon Blanc has a bright acidity and bold citrus flavors that mingle really nicely with a rich ham dish like a Monte Cristo Sandwich.

Pinot Gris

Pinot Gris (or Pinot Grigio) is delicious when paired with ham. Its high acidity is a perfect match for the saltiness of the ham.

Dry Rieslings

Dry Rieslings are an excellent choice for pairing with dry-cured ham.

Sweet Wines

Sweet whites like White Zinfandel, Moscato, and Riesling work here. The hint of sweet flavor is a nice contrast to the salty ham.

🍴 What is traditionally served with ham? 

  • I tend to serve ham up with some mashed potatoes or duchess potatoes. On the side, I’ll either serve some glazed carrots, roasted brussels sprouts or a fennel & celery salad.
  • But, the most important accompaniment (as always) is the wine!

Please feel free to take these wine pairings suggestions with a grain of salt. Enjoy what you like best! You can pair your ham dinner with a Cabernet if that’s what you enjoy. The only way to find out the very best pairing for yourself is to taste different wines, and experiment.

🍽 Side dishes for ham

  • Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream

    new!

    Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream

  • Air Fryer Hasselback Potatoes with Garlic Butter

    new!

    Air Fryer Hasselback Potatoes with Garlic Butter

  • Cheddar Spoon Bread Recipe

    new!

    Cheddar Spoon Bread Recipe

  • Glazed Stovetop Carrots

    new!

    Glazed Stovetop Carrots

More Side Dishes for Ham

Plus, check out these 15+ tasty sauces for ham.

    βœ”οΈ More Wine Pairings Advice

    • Wine Pairings for Turkey
    • Wine Pairings for Pasta
    • Wine Pairings for Steak
    • Wine Pairings for Pork Chops
    • Wine Pairings for BBQ
    • Wine Pairings for Sushi

    Did you try any of these ham wine pairings?

    If you tried any of these ham wine pairings, I would love your feedback! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your pairing and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.

    For more great Platings and Pairings recipes and wine pairings, be sure to follow me on  Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest and Facebook.

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    PICTURE OF HAM WITH TEXT OVERLAY.

    Full Recipe

    The BEST Wine Pairings with Ham

    Paired with Chardonnay or Prosecco, this Glazed Ham is perfect for Easter or Christmas!
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Pin
    Serves 6 -8
    Created by Platings and Pairings
    Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time: 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
    Total Time: 2 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

    Ingredients

    • 1 ¼ cups packed dark brown sugar
    • β…“ cup pineapple juice
    • β…“ cup honey
    • 1 Tablespoon orange zest
    • 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
    • 1 5-7 pound bone-in, fully cooked, spiral-cut ham

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
    • Place ham cut side down in a shallow roasting pan. Cover tightly with foil to retain moisture.
    • Bake ham at 325 degrees until the center registers 100-110 degrees, (approx. 10-14 minutes per pound).
    • Meanwhile, whisk together all of the Brown Sugar Glaze ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring often, until brown sugar dissolves, about 1-2 minutes. Set aside.
    • Remove ham from oven and increase oven temperature to 400 degrees.
    • Carefully remove foil and brush ham all over with 1/3 glaze. If glaze has thickened, return to what to loosen.
    • Bake, uncovered, until the ham reaches an internal temperature of around 140 degrees, approximately 20-30 minutes, brushing with additional glaze every 10 minutes.
    • Remove ham from oven and brush again with glaze. Loosely cover with foil and let rest for 15 minutes, then brush once more with any remaining glaze and serve.

    Notes

    Tips:Β 
    • Bake ham cut side down to make it more moist.Β 
    • Simmer the glaze only until sugar is melted, then remove from the heat.Β 
    • For a moist ham, don’t cook past 140Β°F.Β 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 524kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 138mg | Sodium: 2254mg | Potassium: 626mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 61g | Vitamin C: 47mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 2mg
    Did you make this recipe?Mention @platingsandpairings or tag #platingsandpairings!
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    5 from 4 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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    Hi, I’m Erin!

    Can I pour you a glass of wine? Let’s have some fun in the kitchen! Maybe some pasta? A juicy steak? I’ve got loads of yummy, easy recipes for you! Because cooking should feel as comfy as your favorite yoga pants. β™₯

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