The crisp Italian whites that suit garlic, butter and lemon, plus which wine to cook shrimp scampi with and what to use if you have none.
The best wine with shrimp scampi is a crisp, dry Italian white such as Pinot Grigio, Vermentino or Gavi, which cuts through the butter and garlic.
Pour an Alto Adige Pinot Grigio or a Vermentino di Sardegna. Both are dry and zesty, with citrus notes that echo the lemon in the sauce. For a fuller white, try a Verdicchio or a Falanghina. For a budget pick, a basic Pinot Grigio or Vermentino costs about $10–18. To cook the scampi, use the same kind of dry, unoaked white you plan to drink.
Shrimp scampi, as cooked in the US, is shrimp sautéed in butter, garlic, white wine and lemon, often served over linguine. (In Italy, scampi are langoustines, a small lobster-like shellfish. The American name stuck to shrimp cooked in a similar way.) The wine has three jobs:
That is why dry, unoaked Italian whites from the coast and the cool north work so well.
Pinot Grigio is light, crisp and lemony, a safe match for buttery garlic shrimp. Basic Pinot Grigio costs about $10–15. For more flavor, spend about $18–30 on one from Alto Adige or Friuli's Collio, which are fuller, with pear and a mineral finish.
Bottles to try: Pinot Grigio Alois Lageder, Pinot Grigio Cantina Terlano, Pinot Grigio Elena Walch. See our Italian Pinot Grigio guide.
Vermentino grows along Italy's western coast and on Sardinia. It has citrus, white peach, Mediterranean herbs and a salty, bitter-almond finish. Those herbal and saline notes are made for garlic and seafood. Vermentino di Sardegna costs about $12–25; the fuller Vermentino di Gallura DOCG about $20–35.
Bottles to try: Vermentino di Sardegna 'Cala Reale' Sella & Mosca, Vermentino di Sardegna 'Is Argiolas' Argiolas, Vermentino di Gallura Superiore 'Monteoro' Sella & Mosca. More in our Vermentino guide.
Gavi DOCG, from the Cortese grape in southern Piedmont, is light and very fresh, with lemon, green apple and a stony finish. It is a clean, elegant match for shrimp in a lemon-butter sauce. Expect about $15–30.
Bottles to try: Gavi La Raia, Gavi 'La Rocca' Coppo.
Verdicchio from the Marche has lemon, green apple, fennel and almond, with lively acidity. It has a little more body than Pinot Grigio, so it handles a generous amount of butter and a big bowl of linguine. Most cost about $12–25.
Bottles to try: Verdicchio 'Casal di Serra' Umani Ronchi, Verdicchio 'Macrina' Garofoli. See our Verdicchio guide.
Falanghina from Campania is fresh and fruity, with citrus, apple and white flowers. It is a classic white with seafood around Naples, and it rarely costs more than about $15–25. Look for Falanghina del Sannio.
Bottles to try: Falanghina del Sannio Mastroberardino, Falanghina del Sannio Mustilli.
If your scampi has lots of butter or a splash of cream, Greco di Tufo DOCG has the structure for it. It is firm, with peach, citrus peel and a mineral finish. Expect about $20–35.
Bottle to try: Greco di Tufo Mastroberardino.
Use a dry, unoaked white with good acidity: Pinot Grigio, Vermentino, Verdicchio or a simple Soave all work. The wine reduces in the pan, so its acidity and flavor concentrate. Avoid oaky or sweet wines, because oak turns bitter and sugar makes the sauce taste sweet.
You do not need an expensive bottle, but use a wine you would drink. Supermarket "cooking wines" usually contain added salt, which makes the sauce hard to season. The simplest plan is to cook with a glass from the bottle you will serve.
No wine? Replace it with the same amount of chicken or seafood stock plus a squeeze of extra lemon juice. The lemon supplies the acidity the wine would have added.
The same rule applies to most seafood pasta: crisp, dry whites. Vermentino and Falanghina suit clams and garlic; Verdicchio and Soave suit shrimp and white fish. With a tomato-based seafood sauce, a light red or a rosé can also work. Our seafood wine guide covers more dishes.
Outside Italy, a Sauvignon Blanc or an unoaked Chardonnay would follow the same logic.
What is the best wine with shrimp scampi?
A crisp, dry Italian white: Pinot Grigio, Vermentino or Gavi. Their acidity and citrus flavor match the lemon-butter sauce.
What wine is best to cook shrimp scampi with?
A dry, unoaked white with good acidity, such as Pinot Grigio or Vermentino. Ideally, cook with the same wine you serve.
Can you make shrimp scampi without wine?
Yes. Use chicken or seafood stock instead, with extra lemon juice for acidity.
Can you drink red wine with shrimp scampi?
It is not ideal, because tannin clashes with shellfish. If you want red, choose a light, low-tannin one served cool, or a rosé.
What wine goes with shrimp cocktail?
A crisp, light white such as Pinot Grigio or Gavi, or a dry sparkling wine such as Prosecco.