Drink This With That – Hawaiian Cuisine

DRINK THIS WITH THAT—HAWAIIAN — SEPTEMBER 2025

Welcome to Drink This with That—featuring what to drink with specific foods and international cuisines. Each month we highlight a particular food or dish with pairing options and a link to the Wine Road searchable database to find the wines we recommend from the tried and true, to selections that add a bit of a twist to the standard pairing.

This month we explore what many describe as paradise—Hawaiian Cuisine. Hawaiian cuisine, a vibrant fusion of Asian, American, and Polynesian flavors, offers a unique wine pairing experience.  Hawaiian cuisine flavor profiles range from fresh and tropical as with  poke and laulau; smoky and savory with kalua pig; sweet and spicy in haupia; and bold and umami with loco moco and spam musubi.

Search for recommended wines here: www.wineroad.com/wineries.

Hawaiian Cuisine & Wine Pairing Recommendations

Poke

If you don’t have poke in Hawaii have you even really been there? Poke which means cut, is a traditional Hawaiian dish of diced, marinated raw fish, typically ahi tuna seasoned with sea salt and seaweed. Modern poke bowls often include a base of rice or salad and a variety of toppings including tomato and avocado.

+ Sauvignon Blanc

+ Pinot Grigio

+ Chenin Blanc

+ Riesling

+ Gruner Veltliner

Kalua Pig

Kalua pig is a classic Hawaiian dish that’s slow cooked in an underground oven, called an imu, until it’s tender and flavorful. It’s often served with cabbage, rice, and a side of poi (taro root) at luaus and other Hawaiian celebrations.

+ Tempranillo

+ Grenache

+ Sparkling Rosé

+ Syrah

+ Zinfandel

Loco Moco

Loco moco is a popular Hawaiian comfort food dish made with a juicy hamburger patty, fried egg, and gravy, all served over a bed of rice. This quirky fusion of Asian, American and Ancient Hawaiian cultures is on full display with Loco Moco.

+ Chardonnay

+ Pinot Noir

+ Merlot

+ Syrah

+ Cab Franc

Spam Musubi

If you like sushi and spam, you are in for a treat as Hawaii loves the canned spiced ham known as Spam. The Spam is cut into thick slices and then fried and placed atop rice and wrapped in nori seaweed to make a giant piece of sushi. Try it you’ll like it!

+ Pinot Noir

+ Sparkling Rosé

+ Chenin Blanc

+ Pinot Grigio

+ Grenache

Huli Huli Chicken

Huli Huli Chicken is slow-roasted over hot coals until the chicken falls off the bone. Seasoned with a rub of salt, spices, and pineapple, it’s served with a vinegary sauce that is similar to soy sauce and gives the dish a sweet and sour tang.

+ Reisling

+ Gewurztraminer

+ Albariño

+ Rosé

+ Pinot Noir

Haupia

A staple of the Luau, Haupia is a traditional Hawaiian coconut milk dessert with a pudding texture and a creamy rich coconut flavor that is a delightful end to any meal.

+ Sauvignon Blanc

+ Sparkling Blanc de Blanc

+ Gewurztraminer

+ Moscato

Laulau

Laulau is an ancient traditional Hawaiian dish made with pork, beef, or chicken wrapped in taro leaves and steamed. The taro leaves are discarded before eating but they give the dish a savory quality not unlike that of spinach. It’s hearty and delicious and lends itself to a range of wines depending on the protein used, be it pork, beef , or chicken.

+ Riesling

+ Sparkling Rosé

+ Tempranillo

+ Grenache

+ Pinot Noir

Posted by Marcy Gordon

Marcy Gordon is a freelance wine and travel writer. Her work has appeared in a variety of publications including Wine Enthusiast, San Francisco Chronicle, Sonoma Magazine, The California Travel Guide, and Forbes Travel Guide. In 2017 she was awarded a fellowship to the Symposium for Professional Wine Writers. She is the co-host of the award winning Wine Road Podcast.

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