Wine Pairings
Pairing food and wine has a lot to do with personal preference and tastes, so there are no cut and dry rules. Occasionally you’ll get a pairing that you love, sometimes you'll get a pairing that you don't find quite right, other times you will find a pairing that makes your taste buds not very happy. Most pairings fall somewhere in the middle. Most wines work with most foods, but knowing a few basic rules can enhance your enjoyment.
Cabernet Sauvignon
A structured, dark-fruited wine, which becomes even more elegant with age.
Tasting notes:
Plums, blackberries, and black currant - sometimes violets or rose petals - and often mint, mocha, and eucalyptus or cedar. Strong tannins underneath.
Pair with:
• Well-marbled beef
• Hearty fowl, like duck
• Spice rubs and sauces with lots of black pepper
• Mushrooms
• Marinades with soy sauce
• Long-braised stews
• Pot roast
• Grilled red meat
Chardonnay
With complex fruit flavors and often a rich, creamy texture, Chardonnay is the most popular white wine in the U.S. to date.
Tasting notes:
Green apple, pear, melon, creamy lemon, and sometimes pineapple, rounded out with butterscotch and vanilla.
Pair with:
• Sweet shellfish
• White fish ― halibut, black cod, sturgeon, mahi mahi, tilapia
• Chicken and turkey
• Pork
• Veal
• Legumes
• Winter squash
• Corn
• Nuts
• Risotto and pasta
• Cream and butter sauces
• Mild Caribbean dishes with tropical fruit flavors
Dry Rosé
Crisp, pink wine that combines the rich fruit of red wine with the refreshing, low-tannin nature of white―not to be confused with White Zinfandel.
Tasting Notes:
Strawberries, cherries, citrus, flowers, herbs, and spices.
Pair with:
• Chicken
• Prosciutto
• Light meals—sandwiches
• Meaty fish―salmon, tuna
• Crab Cakes
• Spicy Seafood Stew
• Pasta
Merlot
The most popular red wine in the U.S., Merlot has dark fruit flavors like Cabernet Sauvignon, but is generally a little rounder and softer.
Tasting notes:
Blackberries, blueberries, plums, cassis, and dried cherries combined with chocolate, cedar, and tobacco and sometimes hints of black olive.
Pair with:
• Tender, milder cuts of beef, such as tenderloin
• Lamb
• Meaty fish―salmon, tuna
• Black olives
• Mushrooms
• Fresh herbs
• Grilled foods
• Meats with warm spices
• Meats with fruit sauces―berries, dried cherries
Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio
Pinot Grigio is usually crisp, light, and steely, with great acidity; Pinot Gris (the same grape) is often made into a rounder, more complex wine.
Tasting notes:
Pear, lemon, melon, and sweet spice flavors.
Pair with:
• Richer fish―tuna, salmon
• Shellfish
• Chicken
• Pasta
• Fresh herbs
• Simple but rich sauces
• Mild Asian dishes
• Coconut milk–based curries
• Some cheeses―Grùyére
Pinot Noir
A light-bodied, low-tannin, silky red.
Tasting notes:
Red or dark berries, cherries, plums, violets, warm spices (cloves, cinnamon), herbs.
Pair with:
• Pungent poultry and duck
• Lamb
• Venison
• Hearty fish―salmon, tuna
• Ham, spicy pork
• Mushrooms
• Earthy legumes like lentils
• Warm spices―cinnamon, cloves, cumin, ginger
• Sweet-salty marinades
• Fruit-based sauces―with berries, dried cherries
• Spiced Asian and eastern Mediterranean dishes
• Many cheeses
Riesling
A crisp, aromatic wine that goes with just about everything.
Swirl and taste:
Delicate white peach, green apple, and lime flavors―or riper apricot, nectarine, and mandarin orange.
Pair with:
• Shellfish
• Pork
• Ham
• Salads and vegetables
• Egg dishes
• Sausages, salami, and charcuterie―especially cured pork products
• Barbecue
• Asian dishes―Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese (sushi!), Indian
• Southwestern foods
Sauvignon Blanc
A lean, crisp, white wine that’s extremely flexible with food, and a great alternative to Chardonnay
Tasting notes:
Tart lemon, grapefruit, melon, and tropicals like passionfruit over a pleasant grassiness and herbal quality.
Pair with:
• Cheese (especially goat cheese)
• Green vegetables (asparagus, zucchini, fresh peas, artichokes)
• Oysters
• Delicate fish like sole
• Fresh herbs
• Mild vinaigrettes
• Dishes with tangy dairy ingredients
• Herbal, briny sauces
• Pesto
Sparkling Wine
Made primarily from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, good-quality sparklers are made with the traditional Champagne method, where the bubbles are created in individual bottles.
Tasting notes:
Apple, lemon, lime, pear, strawberry, and cherry flavors with a pleasant yeastiness.
Pair with:
• Caviar
• Smoked salmon
• Cheeses
• Fish and shellfish
• Cream sauces
• Potpies, savory turnovers
• Asian dishes of all kinds
• Sausages―especially poultry, pork, and Polish
• Tangy, fruity condiments
• Salty foods
• Deep-fried foods
• Potato chips
• Popcorn
Syrah
Syrah grown in the cooler parts of the West can be very dark and earthy. In warmer regions, the ripe fruit pops.
Tasting notes:
Dark fruit (blackberries, blueberries, and cherries), black olives, and herbs laced with black pepper.
Pair with:
• Lamb
• Sausages
• Grilled meats of all kinds
• Roast pork
• Barbecue
• Stews
• Game―venison, squab
• Black olives
• Dishes with lots of black pepper
• Dishes with pungent herbs
Viognier
An exotic, full-bodied, rich-textured white wine.
Tasting notes:
Honeyed tangerine, peach, and apricot with honeysuckle and citrus blossom aromas.
Pair with:
• Shellfish―crab, prawns, scallops, lobster
• Rich fish such as black cod and sturgeon―especially with cream sauces
• Spice-rubbed roast chicken and turkey
• Braised or roasted root vegetables―carrots, turnips, squash
• Sauces with warm, aromatic spices
• Moroccan dishes―tagines, charmoula sauce
• Mild curries―Indian, Southeast Asian
• Fruity, spicy condiments like chutney
Zinfandel
The most American wine of all (it’s grown almost nowhere else)―a juicy, spicy red wine.
Swirl and taste:
Intense dark berries, dried cherries, plums, chocolate, and black pepper.
Pair with:
• Barbecue
• Hamburgers
• Sausages
• Pizza
• Grilled foods―leg of lamb, steak, chicken
• Long-braised stews
• Slightly spicy foods
• Southwest and Mexican dishes
• Moroccan spices―coriander, cinnamon, cumin
“Wine is bottled poetry.”