Last week was National Donut Day, but we decided that since we love donuts, and we love wine, we would continue the celebration of this national holiday! (With a new addition – WINE!) Anyone can pair donuts with milk or coffee, but the pairing between donut and wine is a very particular skill that we are here to help you with.
We took advantage of National Donut Day to try not one, not two, but about a dozen donuts and pair them with some of our favorite wines. Read below for what we narrowed down to be our top four favorite pairings!
Glazed donut:
A glazed donut is the classic, signature donut, hard to mess up, but extremely satisfying for any donut craving. Try pairing this classic with your favorite dry white wine. We paired our glazed donut with our Windstream Chardonnay.
Windstream Chardonnay is a luscious, structured wine with intense flavors of ripe pear and green apple. Barrel fermentation contributes nuances of oak spice and honey, while malolactic fermentation creates a round mouthfeel with a supple, creamy texture.
Chocolate donut:
Chocolate is always an option for us, and we found that with pretty much any donut with any kind of chocolate paired best with a dry red wine. We paired an old fashioned chocolate glaze donut with our Opaque Malbec.
Originally from Bordeaux and Cahors, France, Malbec is often used for blending with other grapes, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. However, Malbec by itself has become know widely appreciated. We were so impressed by this wine from our estate vineyard in Paso Robles that we bottled it without any blending.
Sprinkle donut:
Not everyone loves sprinkles, but they are fun, colorful, and just make you feel like a kid again. We paired our sprinkled donut with our Stella Rosa Pink. Sweet, perfectly crisp and refreshing.
Stella  Rosa Pink is a Moscato-based rose from the Piedmont region of Italy. Sweet but not overly sweet with just enough bubbles. Great as an aperitif or with light meals. Refreshing taste with a clean finish.
Jelly-filled donut:
Jelly filled donuts are those donuts that you have to be in the mood for. This combination will have you craving jelly donuts all the time! Paired with our La Quinta Syrah Port, this was the best jelly donut we have ever had.
La Quinta Syrah Port is considered a ruby port due to its dark red color. Paso Robles provides an ideal climate for the ripening of Syrah grapes to 25-27º Brix. Each variety is then harvested and fermented separately. At approximately 8-10º Brix, California brandy is added to arrest the fermentation.
At this time, each lot is evaluated individually. Portions of the various components are combined in order to create the rich, full-bodied style of our La Quinta Syrah Port.
What is your favorite donut/wine pairing? Let us know on social media! @SanAntonioWinery #SanAntonioWinery