French wine at a brasserie: a simple guide for every dish

Wine in France has never been complicated. The French have been pairing wine with food for centuries — and the rules they arrived at are simple, consistent, and reliably good.

At Brasserie Lenny, opening on 24 August 2026 at James Wattstraat 56-58 in Amsterdam Oost, we take the same approach. Our wine list is built around accessibility: good French and European bottles, a generous selection by the glass, and a team that is happy to help you choose. No intimidating ritual. Just good wine with good food.

The Brasserie Lenny wine list is French-oriented and designed to work across the entire menu — from a starter to a dessert, from a solo lunch to a long dinner for two.

• By the glass: 4 whites, 1 rosé, 3 reds, Champagne and a Spritz aperitif
• Bottles: from €30 (Santorino Pinot Grigio, Bon Vivant range) to €99 (Taittinger Brut Réserve)
• Champagne: Taittinger Brut Réserve, Reims — €17.50 per glass, €99 per bottle
• The list is updated seasonally — what you read here reflects our opening list

Match the weight of the wine to the weight of the dish. A light wine with a light dish, a full wine with a rich dish. That is 90% of wine pairing in one sentence. Everything else is refinement.

Uiensoep (Soupe à l'Oignon, €8.50). French onion soup is rich and warming — you want a white with enough body to stand up to it. Our Pascal Jolivet Attitude Sauvignon Blanc (Loire, €10.50/glass) works well here: it has the freshness to cut through the cheese, without overwhelming the soup. If you want something more classical, the Bon Vivant Chardonnay (€7.00/glass) is a comfortable choice.

Carpaccio van Runderlende (Carpaccio de Bœuf Maison, €12.50). Delicate raw beef with tomato vinaigrette and basil oil wants a wine that complements without dominating. The Bon Vivant Pinot Noir (€7.00/glass) is the natural choice — light-bodied, fruit-forward, no heavy tannins. If you prefer white, the Valdecuevas Verdejo (Rueda, €8.00/glass) brings a clean acidity that lifts the carpaccio nicely.

Gerookte Zalmtartaar (Saumon Fumé Tartare, €14.50). Smoked salmon and a crisp white is one of the great combinations in French cuisine. Our Pascal Jolivet Attitude Sauvignon Blanc — with its mineral edge and clean finish — is exactly what this dish needs. For a more celebratory opening to the evening, a glass of Taittinger Brut Réserve (€17.50/glass) does the same job, and then some.

Entrecôte Béarnaise (€24.50). Steak needs a red with structure. Our Château Barrail du Blanc Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2022 (€11.50/glass) is the obvious choice — a Bordeaux with enough tannin to cut through the fat of the entrecôte and enough fruit to complement the béarnaise. If you want a step up, the Aldrighetti Ripasso Classico Valpolicella 2021 (€62/bottle) adds a layer of complexity for a special evening. Avoid light wines here. Go full.

Boerderijkipfilet (Poulet Fermier Rôti, €18.50). Free-range chicken with a pom croquette, carrot cream and roasted garlic jus is a dish that rewards a white wine with body. The Domaine d'Henri 821 Blanc de Blancs (Bourgogne, €65/bottle) is our favourite pairing — a Burgundy with the weight to match the richness of the chicken and the elegance to not overshadow it. For a glass option, the Bon Vivant Chardonnay (€7.00/glass) delivers the same logic at a more accessible price.

Cabillaud Beurre Noisette (€26.50). Slow-cooked cod with brown butter and fried capers is a refined dish that needs a wine with both freshness and body. The Saint-Véran Le Clos des Ponts by David Bienfait (Bourgogne, €72/bottle) is a beautiful match — a white Burgundy with the minerality to lift the fish and the richness to echo the beurre noisette. By the glass, the Pascal Jolivet Attitude (€10.50) is the closest equivalent.

Gepekelde & Gegrilde Aubergine (Café de Paris, €18.00). Our vegetarian main is substantial — grilled aubergine with carrot and beetroot cream, café de Paris butter and crispy potato. It needs a wine with warmth and a little weight. The Château La Tour de l'Évêque Pétale de Rose (Provence, €10.50/glass) is a lovely match. Alternatively, the Sierra Cantabria Crianza (Rioja, €9.50/glass) brings a medium-bodied warmth that works equally well.

Crème Brûlée Classique (€7.50). A glass of Champagne — our Taittinger Brut Réserve — is, in our view, the best pairing for a crème brûlée. The acidity and the bubbles cut through the richness of the custard in a way that nothing else quite matches. If you prefer something without bubbles, finish the bottle of white Burgundy you started at the main course. It will still be excellent.

Chocolade Moelleux (€8.50). Warm chocolate cake with stroopwafel caramel is a rich, indulgent dessert. It does not need wine to be perfect. But if you want something alongside it, the Morgon Côte du Py 2022 (Beaujolais, €62/bottle) — a Gamay with dark fruit and a slightly earthy quality — is a surprisingly good match. Or simply: end the bottle of red you ordered for the main course. That is the most French thing you can do.

Boerenyoghurtmousse (€7.50). The lightest of our desserts — yoghurt mousse with forest fruit compote — does not need a heavy wine. A last glass of the Château Pétale de Rose rosé (€10.50/glass), if you still have room, is a gentle and refreshing way to end the meal.

Our Taittinger Brut Réserve (€17.50/glass, €99/bottle) is not just for celebrations. In a French brasserie, Champagne is the wine you order when you want to mark the moment — and the moment can be anything. Arriving. The starter. The dessert. Or simply: a Tuesday evening that turned out better than expected. We always have it by the glass. Order it when the evening calls for it.