- Pick the category of food first by clicking on a tab
- Next click on the image of what type of food.
- You will be taken to a list of wines that I think would work well with that food.
The more fat on the meat, the more tannic wine you would want. Cabernet, Rioja, Barolo’s would work.
Beef
BBQ
Sausage
Lamb
Typically, you would drink red wines with hard cheeses and white wine with soft cheeses.
Wines with high acidity go great with salty cheeses. Sweet wines work well with cheeses of high acidity.
Wines with high acidity go great with salty cheeses. Sweet wines work well with cheeses of high acidity.
Fresh Cheeses
Feta, Goat, Ricotta, Mozzarella
Blue Cheeses
Hard Cheeses
Creamy & Decadent Cheese
Usually people will match white meat with white wines and red meat with red wines. The more gamey the bird is I like to go with old world reds like Burgundy or light Italian reds.
Chicken
Turkey
Duck
Pheasant
More delicate seafood such as oysters and light fish are excellent with wines of high acidity. Rich fish such as salmon or tuna would work will with full-bodied whites like oaky Chardonnay and also lighter reds like Pinot Noir.
Oysters
Shrimp
Grilled Fish
Sushi
Most important thing is to consider the sauce. Red sauce and red wine. White sauce with white wine. There are two camps with creamy sauces. Some like high acidity to cut through the creaminess, others like richer whites to complement the richness of the sauce. I prefer going for the richer white wines.
Pasta w/ Cream Sauce
Pasta w/ Marinara Sauce
Risotto
Pasta w/ Veggies
General Wine Pairing Rules
- Don’t match strong to delicate: Pairing a big, high alcohol monster with a light and delicate food typically doesn’t work. The wine will overpower and diminish the food. It works the other way too. Try not to have a big, rich dish with a delicate wine.
- Look for acidity: This seems counter-intuitive. Most don’t drink acid much. But with very rich, creamy sauces or deep fried foods, high acidic wines work very well. Look for Sauvignon Blanc, Albarino or Muscadet.
- Tart wines go well with tart foods: Think vinegar dressing on a salad
- Tannins go well with fat: The astringency of tannins will cut through the fat in foods. Each of these balance the other out making for an excellent pairing.
- Consider sauces and seasonings: Often times the actual food can be bland and the seasonings and sauces are what really provide the flavors of the meal. Pastas come to mind.
- Match the regions: Wine and food in every culture have evolved together and are typically made to complement each other. Italian foods go great with Italian wines etc…
- Experiment! These are just guidelines. the fact of the matter is there are few wines that go terribly with foods. Everybody has a different palate and some pairings will surprise you!
