This idea has been mulling in the back of my brain for a couple of years now: what wines vibe with Taylor Swift’s albums? Wine and music both have tangible and intangible properties. They have certain structural elements and lyrics, but their individual interpretation varies by when you sip it, who you listen to it with, and where you are in your life. The poppy ballads about longing were your jam in your teenage years, but like Moscato, maybe you enjoy them once in a while.
Taylor Swift has become such a cultural icon, boosting economies (Taylor Swift themed parties or Swiftie wine nights), spurring tourism, and encouraging creatives. Taylor Swift announced her upcoming album, The Life of a Showgirl, her 12th album, and I thought, well, it’s now or never to do this pairing. It proved to be much more involved than I thought, but then I remembered why I put it off for so long: it requires an intense amount of brainpower. Not only did I spend over 36 hours listening and dissecting, but examining the world of wine and trying to find its counterpoint was an additional challenge. Googling the themes of the albums was my first attempt, but I found the descriptions overly broad. I knew her writing had evolved, and it just wasn’t doing it justice, hence the intense listening session. It’s a testament to her growth as a songwriter and musician that her later albums took me a while to get through, as the metaphors, illusions, imagery, and symbolism grew in their complexity. I couldn’t just knock out multiple albums in a day; I was mentally drained.
However, this list is composed of what I think Taylor Swift would have chosen for you if she were your sommelier, based on your favorite album. To be honest, I think it’s a pretty baller list, and I stand by these selections, as controversial as they might be. These are the best wines for a Taylor Swift themed party or gathering.
Debut and Moscato
Taylor’s Debut album is youthful, innocent, and full of the bright enthusiasm of first love and what-ifs. She’s dreaming and imagining what love could look like. It’s bubblegum country pop, laced with classic songs about heartbreak—“Tim McGraw” and “Teardrops on My Guitar”—and revenge or anger-laced songs tied with a pink bow—“Picture to Burn” and “Should’ve Said No.” Even though the album isn’t just filled with upbeat songs, it still has an innocence and an undertone of youth and approachability.
The natural counterpart for lovers of Debut is Moscato. Whether it’s sparkling or still, it has the frivolity that often accompanies youth and “high school” love, and young ideas of love and heartbreak. Moscato is best enjoyed in its youth. It is easy to love and kind of joyful; it’s sweet and lovable. Because of its sweetness, it’s often overlooked, but it’s where many wine drinkers begin their wine journey. There’s something to be said about acknowledging your roots. Taylor’s were in country, and some of ours were in Moscato.
Explore Moscatos to pair with Taylor Swift's Debut
Fearless and Dry Rosé
Fearless, as an album, explores many notions of love and what love looks like—from daydreaming (“Untouchable”) to fairytales (“Love Story”). It often lacks the full nuance of love but eventually reveals deeper reflections through ballads like “You All Over Me” and “We Were Happy,” while still maintaining a rose-colored idea of what love is.
A dry rosé embodies this era in Taylor Swift’s catalog because, like Fearless’ idea of love, it maintains an almost overly optimistic view of love but with a little edge. Dry rosé can be sweet or fruity but is usually balanced by acidity, reflecting reality. Rosé is easy to drink and is often considered simple, however, there’s a rosé for practically every palate. Rosé’s delicate flavors and light texture make it immediately approachable, yet the wine’s character and complexity shifts with terroir, grape varietals, and winemaking style—just as love evolves over time and context.
Explore Dry Rosés to pair with Taylor Swift's Fearless
Speak Now and Chardonnay
Speak Now is an album of raw emotions: infatuation (“Sparks Fly”), unrequited love (“Enchanted”), and the bittersweet process of growing up (“Never Grow Up”). She still has the optimism and hope of what love is—“Mine”—but also starts to grapple with the negative aspects that come after the glow wears off. She begins to explore the emotions of unhealthy love (“Dear John”) and relationships that suddenly end (“Last Kiss”). Taylor often explores “what ifs,” but this is the first album where the what-ifs are more self-reflective—“Back to December” and “Haunted.” You could argue that Speak Now is about speaking up boldly for love and not letting opportunities pass, but I would argue that, while that can be part of it, this album is also where Taylor pushes back on media criticism (“Mean”) and recognizes unhealthy aspects of a relationship and speaks up about them.
This was a tough one, but I’m confident that Chardonnay is the right fit here. Taylor was gaining traction and building her fanbase; Chardonnay had its fair share of lovers too. With growth in popularity came critics. There was a time when, though Chardonnay had champions, it also faced severe critics (“ABC” meant “Anything But Chardonnay”). Grown all over the world, Chardonnay has multiple iterations and styles. It can speak loudly through use of new oak, stainless steel, or concrete in winemaking, or it can whisper softly with restrained methods. Chardonnay is still beloved and unapologetically itself in whatever iteration, despite criticism—it speaks boldly.
Explore Chardonnays to pair with Taylor Swift's Speak Now
Red and Red Blends
Did you know that Taylor’s Version of the album Red is one of the longest albums in her discography? I didn’t know until my brain started to get tired of dissecting her lyrics. Red was a transitional album for Taylor, starting to incorporate more pop elements. As the title suggests, it echoes intensity—both passion and vulnerability. Throughout this album, she explores her own growth and transitions, acknowledging the intensity of emotions (“Red”) and the challenges and joys of growing up in your 20s (“22” and “Forever Winter”), reflecting on past relationships—not just the shiny parts but the negative feelings as well (“I Almost Do,” “Holy Ground,” and “The Moment I Knew”). It’s also the album where you notice her standing up for herself in relationships (“We Are Never Getting Back Together” and “Better Man”) and against media scrutiny (“The Lucky Ones,” “Nothing New,” and “Run”). The album starts with “State of Grace,” an energetic bop about overwhelming love and potential epicness, but concludes with “Girl at Home,” acknowledging her past relationships and asserting that she doesn’t want to be in just any relationship—only one that’s worth it.
Taylor not only transitions to pop but fully steps into adulthood with mature understandings of love -red blends are the perfect match. Red blends often serve as a bridge between white and red wines, similar to how this album bridges Taylor’s foray into pop music. Red blends synthesize different grapes to create something new, more than the sum of its parts. Like many red wines, red blends have depth and complexity, mirroring life—it is not always simple or straightforward.
Explore Red Blends to pair with Taylor Swift's Red
1989 and Zinfandel
1989 is an album about reinvention, self-discovery, and exuberance. Taylor embraces pop fully, channeling energy, vibrancy, and cathartic joy. She embraces a new chapter in her music and life with “Welcome to New York”—a place full of possibilities. In 1989, she weaves more vibrant imagery in her storytelling and creates musical compositions that mimic the lyrics. There’s joy in throwing a middle finger to haters in “Shake It Off” and a dramatic, almost cinematic build in “Out of the Woods.” Despite the sometimes somber subject matter, the album’s energy is taut and cathartic. Her relationship with the media also shifts; she realizes she isn’t in control of the narrative, but will use the attention to create a bop—“Blank Space” and “Shake It Off.”
For an album about reinvention, upbeat and easy to listen to, Zinfandel is a natural choice. The grape, originally from Croatia, has been transformed repeatedly in California, from playful pink Zinfandels of the 1980s and 1990s to today’s bold complex wines. Like 1989, Zinfandel celebrates reinvention, energy, and resilience. The wine’s evolution mirrors Taylor’s: adapting to the times, shaking off naysayers, and embracing its identity with boldness and flair.
Explore Zinfandels to pair with Taylor Swift's 1989
Reputation and Merlot
Reputation explores defiance, betrayal, and reclaiming one’s narrative. After the events with Kim, Kanye (“This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things”), and Taylor, she steps into a darker, more assertive persona—basically saying, “Fine, go ahead, make me your villain” with “Look What You Made Me Do.” Throughout this album, you can see how her perspective shifts and how she views the world differently than before. The album starts with the defiant “...Ready for It?” where she fully leans into the persona of heartbreaker, warning suitors that her relationships are intense and risky. Despite the defiant theme, she solidifies her “reputation,” interspersing the album with intimate thoughts and desires—“End Game,” “Getaway Car.” Reputation is mostly Taylor’s own desires, but also engages with the media narrative—“I Did Something Bad.” Reflecting on her life, she began dating someone once she left the public eye, showing how the relationship could flourish and work through public scrutiny and insecurities—“Delicate,” “King of My Heart,” “Dancing with Our Hands Tied,” “Call It What You Want.” The album concludes with “New Year’s Day,” symbolic of moving forward.
Merlot mirrors this reclamation. Once demonized by the popular movie Sideways, Merlot faced criticism and was rarely seen, yet it persisted quietly, thriving in devoted hands. Merlot embodies strength, sophistication, and quiet confidence, paralleling Reputation’s themes of vindication, reclamation, and cultivating intimacy and trust in the face of public scrutiny.
Explore Merlot to pair with Taylor Swift's Reputation
Lover and Burgundy Pinot Noir
Lover is deceptively deep. Beyond the pastel pop aesthetics lies a meditation on growth, reflection, and mature love. The first instinct might be to pair Lover with a rosé due to the pastels, but the actual content of Lover is much deeper. From the first song, “I Forgot You Existed,” to the last, “Daylight,” there is a progression from dismissal of a relationship to acknowledgment that some experiences happened, helping her grow and let go. The album also offers socio-political commentary—“The Man” and “You Need to Calm Down”—showing awareness beyond her personal bubble, a loss of naivete about love and the world (“Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince”). Lover explores self-awareness of flaws, insecurities, and the effort to work through relationships despite imperfections (“False God”), while also acknowledging good times and the demise of relationships (“Afterglow”). The final song, “Daylight,” emphasizes hope and perseverance through trials, reflecting peace and fulfillment in mature love.
Burgundy Pinot Noir is a natural match. It isn’t typically a wine that new drinkers gravitate toward; it’s usually one that experienced drinkers seek. It improves with age and maturity, reflecting the same aspects of young love but in a softer, more peaceful form, which takes time to realize. Pinot Noir, known as the “heartbreak” grape due to its difficulty to cultivate and produce, mirrors love, which requires vulnerability and courage.
Explore Pinot Noirs to pair with Taylor Swift's Lover
Folklore and Cabernet Sauvignon
Folklore leans into indie-folk, utilizing piano, soft guitar, and strings to create a mellow, sometimes cinematic listening experience. Whereas 1989 had somber lyrics and an upbeat sound, this is an album where the lyrics match the music. In the quiet melodies, Taylor writes about mature love. “The 1” explores quiet “what ifs” but concludes with acceptance of the past. “August” touches on unrequited love while acknowledging that “you were never mine to lose.” This album portrays a matured understanding of love and relationships, from moving on in “Exile” to letting go of a painful, borderline manipulative relationship in “Hoax.” It covers multiple emotions of the human experience—from the desire for acceptance (“Mirrorball”) to struggles with mental health (“This Is Me Trying”) and hypocrisy in the scrutiny of female rage (“Mad Woman”). The album is quiet and soft, but far from simple. Its complexity in composition and lyrics is layered, allowing multiple interpretations.
Cabernet Sauvignon is similarly layered and complex. Aged Cabernets unfold with layers of flavor and texture, each moment revealing something new, like multiple listens to Folklore. As Taylor explores the multifaceted emotions of human experience, Cabernet captures and reflects the good and bad of life with elegance.
Explore Cabernet Sauvignon to pair with Taylor Swift's Folklore
Evermore and Riesling
Evermore, considered the sister album to Folklore, was released in the same year, 2020. Its themes include uncertainty, vulnerability, sadness, loss, moving on, and impermanence. Taylor dives into storytelling, fitting for a year of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time for introspection and imaginative exploration. The album conveys melancholy, introspection, and acceptance of impermanence in love and pain. Several songs depict short-lived love, emphasizing transience—“’Tis the Damn Season,” “Happiness,” “Coney Island,” and “It’s Time to Go.” Evermore also flexes narrative storytelling with tracks like “Dorothea,” “No Body, No Crime,” and “Cowboy Like Me,” touching on escapism, true crime fascination, and faux relationships.
Riesling, specifically German Riesling, is delicate, nuanced, and unpredictable, reflecting the sentiments, emotions, and lyrics of Evermore. Its slight sweetness can feel comforting, paralleling the album’s melodic notes, while bright acidity adds vibrancy, echoing life’s reality. Dry Riesling is complex and age-worthy, revealing nuance year after year.
Explore Rieslings to pair with Taylor Swift's Evermore
Midnights and Chenin Blanc
Midnights is self-reflective, inspired by insomnia and intrusive thoughts (“The Great War”) or persistent musings. Around midnight, quiet and hidden thoughts surface, but it is also when dreams emerge and the subconscious influences reflection. The album is full of insecurities (“Labyrinth”) and self-criticism (“Anti-Hero”), while exploring the past and ruminating on “what ifs” (“Question…?”). Taylor reaches realizations during the midnight hour, exemplified in “Karma” (being a positive force) and “You’re On Your Own, Kid” (the lonely pursuit of success). Despite dark implications, “Bejeweled” stands out as a hidden gem about self-worth and confidence, marking her return to pop.
Chenin Blanc, specifically from Savennieres in France, is a wine for thinkers. Its unique aromas, intense texture, and complexity provoke awe and wonder. Initially, it may seem unexpressive, requiring aeration, encouraging observation of evolving aromas and flavors. The paradoxical nature of Chenin Blanc—rich, weighty, and waxy, yet brilliant and high-acid—mirrors the meditative self-reflection in Midnights.
Explore Chenin Blancs to pair with Taylor Swift's Midnights
The Tortured Poets Department and Tempranillo
The Tortured Poets Department was written during Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, highlighting multiple aspects of her life—from the end of a long-term relationship to finding love again and the journey in between. A massive double album, she warned listeners it would be raw and unfiltered, with little sugar coating. Songs such as “Daddy I Love Him” seem like direct messages to fans, showing she wasn’t holding back. The album conveys themes of cynicism, fatalism, conflicting feelings, her evolving relationship with the public, escapism, and the desire for a relationship that offers safety (or, as she hints, “tight end?”).
Opening with “Fortnight,” with lines like “I love you, it’s ruining my life,” sets the tone for raw emotions and honest confessions. A newer theme in this album is cynicism, especially in songs describing men—“The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived,” “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys,” “I Can Fix Him,” and “Peter”—highlighting failed or immature relationships. Later tracks, like “The Prophecy,” plead for divine intervention. Despite harsh honesty, the songs retain soft sadness. Only a few tracks, such as “Florida!!!” and “Black Dog,” demand vocal range, reflecting escapism and intense emotions. Taylor challenges public criticism and media treatment of women (“Clara Bow,” “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?”), while also addressing parasocial audience expectations (“But Daddy, I Love Him,” “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,” “Cassandra”). Other ballads explore grief, loss, and longing, while moments of hope appear in “The Alchemy” and “So Highschool,” reflecting ordinary experiences made extraordinary—the innocence of high school sweethearts echoes earlier albums. The album closes with “The Manuscript,” representing the entire anthology; writing through heartbreak serves as therapy, allowing her to process pain and share the story for others to interpret.
Tempranillo is the ideal wine counterpart. In Spanish culture, long meals are accompanied by Tempranillo, a wine that reveals itself gradually. Its layers of flavor mirror the unfolding narrative of the album; each sip offers new discoveries, reflecting patience and endurance. Tempranillo balances softness and intensity. The grape has thin skin, like Taylor’s vulnerability to public scrutiny, yet produces wines of power, intensity, and elegance. The wine mirrors the paradox of the album: raw, exposed emotion paired with smooth, melodic sophistication. The patient, layered nature of Tempranillo aligns with the themes of healing, reflection, and the passage of time present in The Tortured Poets Department.
Explore Tempranillos to pair with Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology
The Life of a Showgirl and Sparkling Wine
We don't know much about the newest TS12 album, but we can surmise that it's likely going to be about her life in the media spotlight and being a "showgirl." The cover art and album artwork all imply that her life is a spectacle and she either pointing out that she has been/ is objectified or she is leaning into that confidence in her body. The shattered image also suggests that we only get pieces of her life, only things are revealed when she wants them to be. Obviously this is all speculation, but those are my initial thoughts. What to have on hand in case the occasion arises? Sparkling. Never a bad time to have some bubbles in your fridge, whether its for a celebration, brunch, or just because. Sparkling wine is versatile, festive, fun, and a crowd pleaser. So when this album is released - pop some bubbly, grab some friends, have brunch, tapas, or just chill. Also, she did just get engaged - Cheers to that!
Explore Sparkling to pair with Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showogirl
