Pancake Day 2026: Wine pairings for every pancake on the table
February 13, 2026
Pancake Day used to be simple: a frying pan, a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of sugar. Or you might have a full‑blown event with stacks for brunch, savoury crêpes for dinner and dessert pancakes to finish.
If you’re planning to make a night of it, this guide is for you. From classic lemon‑and‑sugar crêpes to mushroom‑stuffed galettes and chocolate‑covered stacks, here’s how to match your pancakes with wines, meads and liqueurs from Lyme Bay – with zero guesswork.
A quick cheat sheet for pairing wine and pancakes
Before we dive into toppings, it helps to know a few simple rules. Think of this as your Pancake Day pairing checklist.
- Sweet on sweet: if your topping is sugary, your wine needs at least a touch of sweetness too, or it can taste sharp and thin next to the pancakes. Dessert wine basics, just on a plate.
- Match the mood: light, crisp wines for lemon, fruit and brunch‑style pancakes; richer bottles, mead and liqueurs for chocolate, caramel and big flavours.
- Savoury = main course rules: treat cheese, ham, mushrooms and spinach like you would in any other dish. Look for freshness and balance, and avoid heavy, grippy tannins.
Keep those in mind and you’ll see why each pairing below works.
Sommelier tip: if your table features a variety of fillings and you’re unsure which wine to open, reach for Shoreline. This expertly crafted white blend is truly versatile: vibrant citrus and delicate floral notes give it a refreshing lift, while its subtle texture and depth provide enough structure to carry richer fillings like mushrooms, cheese or creamy sauces. Shoreline strikes the perfect balance — aromatic, lively and elegant — making it the “house white” for Pancake Day.
Sweet stacks: what to pour with sugar, syrup and fruit.
Classic lemon and sugar crêpes
The topping everyone comes back to. Sharp lemon, crunchy sugar and hot pancakes. It doesn’t get more Pancake Day than that.
- Pour with: Lyme Bay Elderflower Wine. Light, gently sweet and floral, it picks up the citrus without drowning it, and keeps each bite feeling fresh rather than sticky.
- Prefer bubbles? Go for Brut Reserve. Lively green apple flavours and fine fizz cut through the butter and lemon. A bit like Champagne just made on the Devon coast instead.
Maple syrup or golden syrup pancakes
If you like your pancakes drenched, this is your moment. Syrup brings big, glossy sweetness, so your drink needs to either slice through it or lean right in.
- Keep it bright: Classic-cuvee is crisp and dry, with enough bite and bubbles to keep syrupy stacks from feeling heavy.
- Turn it into dessert: Warm a little Cherry Brandy or another Lyme Bay fruit liqueur and drizzle it over the plate. Then pour yourself a small glass alongside. It’s the same “pudding in a glass” idea people use with PX or Tokaji, just with a fruit forward English twist.
Berry compote, fresh berries and whipped cream
Mixed berries and cream are Pancake Day’s answer to Eton Mess. Colourful, juicy and very easy to keep eating.
- Pour with: Bacchus or Bacchus. Expect bright citrus and hedgerow fruit with a clean, refreshing finish that lifts the berries rather than competing with them.
- Feeling fancy? An English sparkling rosé from Lyme Bay gives you the same red‑berry, creamy vibe you’d get from a rosé Champagne pairing with berry pancakes.
Banana, cinnamon and nutty toppings
Banana and Nutella, banana and honey, banana with cinnamon sugar.
- Pour with: a chilled Lyme Bay Fruit Wine, such as Strawberry or Cherry. The ripe fruit flavours sit really nicely next to soft, sweet banana and keep the whole plate feeling lighter.
- Add a twist: fold a splash of Lugger Rum into caramel sauce or a banana flambé, then pour a small tot on the side. It nods to those classic rum‑and‑vanilla crêpes without adding any extra faff.
Chocolate, hazelnut and Black Forest‑style pancakes
Rich chocolate and wine can clash if you’re not careful, but pick the right bottles and it suddenly makes sense.
- Nutella or milk‑chocolate crêpes: Strawberry Wine is a natural fit. Think chocolate‑dipped strawberries. Bright red fruit, enough sweetness to match the spread and a little zip of acidity so things don’t get too heavy.
- Dark chocolate and cherry/berry toppings: bring in Lyme Bay Pinot Noir. Juicy red fruit and a hint of spice echo the Black Forest flavours without piling on extra sweetness.
Savoury crêpes and galettes for proper meals
Cheese and ham galettes (and “full English” crêpes)
Buckwheat galettes loaded with cheese, ham and egg, or crêpes stuffed with bacon and cheddar, are the point where Pancake Day turns into dinner.
- Pour with: Covepoint Chardonnay, it’s crisp and coastal, with enough freshness to cut through melted cheese and salty ham in the same way Muscadet does in French pairings, or Gavi does in Italian ones.
- Red‑wine route: a lightly chilled glass of Covepoint if you’d rather drink red. Soft tannins and bright red fruit mean it behaves more like a food friendly Beaujolais than a heavy winter red.
Mushroom pancakes and blue-cheese crêpes
Mushrooms and blue cheese bring serious savoury depth. Delicious, but they can also flatten lighter wines.
- Wine options: With mushroom-filled pancakes, reach for Lyme Bay Pinot Noir 2024. Its bright red-berry fruit, gentle spice and supple texture complement earthy mushroom flavours beautifully, adding lift while keeping the pairing refined.
For crêpes with lighter blue cheese, pour Lyme Bay Pinot Noir Rosé 2024. Dry, vibrant and fresh, with lively red-fruit notes and crisp acidity, it cuts through the creaminess and keeps the dish feeling balanced rather than heavy.
If you prefer white, Lyme Bay Shoreline 2024 is the closest in style to an Alsace Pinot Gris. A crisp yet textured dry white with layered citrus fruit and mineral freshness, it has enough body to stand up to mushrooms and cream, while its bright acidity keeps everything in check.
- Mead option: Ginger or Spiced Mead is brilliant here. The gentle sweetness, honeyed notes and warm spice wrap around the earthy mushrooms and salty cheese instead of fighting them.
Serve with a handful of dressed leaves on the side and you’ve basically built a bistro style main course out of a pancake.
Smoked salmon, crème fraîche and herbs
Smoked‑salmon crêpes are a clever way to turn Pancake Day into brunch.
- Pour with: an English traditional method sparkling, like our Brut Reserve or Blanc de Blancs. High acidity, citrus and fine bubbles cut through the smoky richness and match the classic Champagne and salmon combination.
- Add chopped dill and a squeeze of lemon and you’ve got a plate that looks restaurant ready.
When mead, cider and liqueurs beat wine
Mead, cider brandy and liqueurs can all steal the show on Pancake Day.
Mead with umami‑rich fillings: Ginger or Spiced Mead is spot‑on with mushrooms, bacon and strong cheeses. The honeyed spice softens salty edges and makes everything taste a bit more luxurious.
Cider and cider brandy with apple or pork: You’ll see plenty of guides recommending cider with apple topped or cheese pancakes; Somerset Cider Brandy takes that idea one step further with deeper baked apple and oak notes.
Fruit liqueurs as toppings: Raspberry or Cherry liqueur over vanilla ice cream, buttermilk pancakes or berry stacks is a simple way to turn a mid-week pancake into a proper dinner-party dessert.
For something warmer and more unexpected, try a drizzle of ginger liqueur. Its gentle heat and aromatic spice add contrast to sweet, fluffy pancakes and creamy ice cream, bringing a subtle kick that keeps the dessert from feeling overly sugary. Especially good with pear, apple or caramelised banana toppings, it adds depth and a softly spiced finish that feels both comforting and sophisticated.
If you don’t want dozens of open bottles, think in terms of a “Pancake Day line‑up”: one fizz, one versatile white, one light red and one mead or liqueur will comfortably cover most of the pairings above.
Fizz in the batter, cocktails in the glass
Sparkling‑wine pancake batter
Adding sparkling wine to batter isn’t just a gimmick. It can make lighter, airier pancakes.
- Swap part of the milk in your favourite recipe for Lyme Bay Brut Reserve or another dry English sparkling.
- Mix as usual, rest the batter, then cook.
You’ll get delicate pancakes with a subtle fruit note and a touch of brioche from the wine. Great for brunch or dessert.
Ready to flip and sip?
However you like your pancakes. Whether that is thin, thick, sweet, savoury or somewhere in between, there’s a Lyme Bay bottle that will make them taste even better.
From citrus friendly Elderflower Wine and seafood‑loving Sparkling to rich Meads, liqueurs and Pinot Noir, you’ve got everything you need to turn Pancake Day 2026 into the most delicious one yet.