Food and wine pairing may seem like a big mystery to many people.
During the holidays there is often a debate about what goes well with turkey – red or white wine – forget about the type of red or white wine! Many people have the same debate when serving ham.
Food and wine pairing
So I thought we’d look at some great food and wine pairing, and not just by your basic red or white wine but by wine type, because there can be quite a range of tastes in wine types that affect how they interact with the food.
I know that the phrase “interact with food” sounds rather inelegant, but the fact is that there is certain chemistry involved in food and wine pairing. Not that we are going to analyze the chemistry of wine, but suffice it to say there are sweeter wines, acidic wines, dry wines, etc., and they don’t all go well with the same food tastes.
Red Wine Food and Wine Pairing
Red wine connoisseurs enjoy many food and wine pairing options. Take a look at the following suggestions but you might find some delicious pairings of your own that you can easily add to the list. Don’t limit yourself, if you find that you enjoy a certain pairing, go with it!
Red wine Food and wine pairing
Hint: most red wine tastes best when served anywhere from 58 to 67 °F, a range that is neither as warm as room temperature nor as cold as refrigerated temperature. This is a good rule of thumb for food and wine pairing as well as just enjoying a glass of wine all by itself.
Cabernet Sauvignon is a rather dry, medium or full-bodied wine with hearty, complex flavors. It typically pairs well with medium to heavy dishes like those with beef, goose, and lamb. It’s also delicious with cheese, like Cheddar and Brie. And chocolate, Cabernet is excellent with chocolate bars (milk or dark, but particularly dark) or desserts.
Merlot is milder and less tannic than a Cabernet; however, it still delivers complex, rich, even chewy flavors. Merlot is a good choice for the medium or heavy foods like beef or lamb. It also pairs well with pasta dishes served with a hearty red sauce. It’s another great complement to chocolate, any way you want to serve it.
Shiraz is a little different grape than our Merlots and Cabernets because depending upon where it’s grown this wine can render different flavors and aromas; however, a nice Australian Shiraz pairs well with steak, wild game, and stews, as well as spicy food dishes like Mexican and Indian cuisine.
Malbec is a medium-bodied, dry wine that, because of its high acidity, is usually blended with other wines. However, a Malbec bottled in Chile or Argentina will pair well with roasted chicken and turkey. It’s also a delicious complement to spicier dishes like those found in Cajun, Mexican, or Indian cuisine.
Pinot Noir is a light-medium bodied wine that pairs well with grilled foods, such as chicken, salmon, or lamb. Try it with wild game, goose, or a lighter beef dish. It’s also great with Japanese dishes, particularly sushi. Red sauce pasta dishes, perhaps on the less hearty end of the spectrum are also nice options.
Zinfandel is a hearty, spicy, jammy wine (if you follow that) and is known to go very well with food that is typical to America, such as burgers, pizza, and spaghetti (along with other red sauce pastas).
Sangiovese is your typical Chianti wine and is a good choice for pairing with Italian and Mediterranean cuisines, as well as pizza, and vegetarian eggplant parmesan.
White Wine Food and Wine Pairing
White wine and cheese
Let your taste buds be your own guide, but check out the following suggestions for wine and food pairing featuring a variety of white wines.
Hint: Most white wines taste the best when served somewhere between 45 and 50 °F.
Chardonnay is a popular semi-sweet, tangy wine that pair very well with white fish, salmon, tuna, chicken, turkey, and a variety of seafood dishes. It’s also delicious when served with a crisp green salad, quiche and Provolone, Gruyere, and Brie cheeses. Hint: try a food and wine pairing with Chardonnay and “caramelized onion and gruyere cheese quiche” – delish!
Riesling wines can run a broad range of tastes, making it a little difficult to pinpoint a “best pairing” for it. But as a guideline, dryer versions typically go well with pork, chicken, and white fish dishes; a crispier, tarter, Riesling goes nicely with salmon and tuna, any kind of seafood, and a variety of Asian foods, including sushi. It’s also one of the few white wines that pairs well with chocolate.
An interesting note on Riesling is that in Ontario, Canada it’s used to make “ice wines”.
Sauvignon Blanc is another wine that can run in a wide range of tastes from smoky to crisp. This wine does well with seafood, poultry, pork, and salads as well as thick stews and dish made with white or cream-based pasta sauces. Try a food and wine pairing with this wine and Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo!
White Zinfandel is sweet and fruity and pairs nicely with green salads, cream-based pasta dishes, as well as lighter meals of fish, chicken or pork.
Gewürztraminer is a dry, sweet wine that pairs well with Asian food, sausages, and pork dishes.
Pinot Grigio is typically a dry, crisp, light white wine that can take on richer food flavors. Pair it with well-spiced vegetarian dishes (works well with eggplant), cream-based pasta sauce dishes, chicken, white fish, green salads, and eggplant.
Dessert Food and Wine Pairing
Desert food and wine pairing
There are “dessert wines” and then there are wines that pair well with dessert. Dessert wines are typically very sweet with higher alcohol content than other wines – up to 20% in alcohol content. They are made for sipping after a hearty meal. Dessert wines include: port, sherry, madeira and masala. They are typically served in a small aperitif-style glass.
There are many wines that will go well with your dessert, but as a guide, the dark-colored, heavier desserts will pair well with your darker wines and vice versa light-colored desserts will go well with lighter wines. Wines that you might consider pairing with your dessert are Moscato, Gewürztraminer, and champagnes or sparkling wines like Asti Spumanti.
For more information about the individual wine types featured here please see my article on the Top 7 Red and White Wine Types found on this website.
If you’ve had other great food and wine pairing experiences and want to share, I’d love to hear from you!
