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Pairing Wine with Food

Many people enjoy wine with their meals. What some people don't know, however, is that wine can actually complement food, highlighting specific flavors and making the dish seem more complex.

Wine can be paired with any meal, or you can serve it before or after a meal. To find the right wine to serve with a certain dish, all you need is a little background on food and wine pairing.

Wine and Food Pairing Basics

Many people feel a sense of anxiety when matching wine and food. With so many bottles lining the shelves of wine stores, a person can easily become overwhelmed. However, you shouldn't be concerned about choosing the wrong bottle. You will not ruin your dinner by simply choosing a bottle that doesn't pair perfectly with your food. When in doubt, simply go with a wine you personally enjoy.

When you first start pairing food with wine, experiment. Some wines are spicier than others and will complement bold dishes. Others are light and fruity and will work well with fish and poultry. The wine selection at your local grocery or wine store is probably vast. Sample different bottles and find what works best with some of your favorite dishes.

Wine before the Meal

Wine makes an excellent apéritif. Sipping on a glass of wine is a wonderful way to begin an evening and it will whet your appetite for dinner. When starting an evening with wine, you'll want to choose a wine that is light. This will keep your taste buds from becoming dulled to other flavors and will also keep you from feeling too heavy to enjoy your meal.

Here's a list of some wines that make good apértifs:

dry wines, which will whet the appetite
red wines, though they should be served a bit cooler than usual
sparkling wines
sweet wines
white wines, though they should be served a bit warmer than usual.

Pairing Food and Wine Tips

Some foods are harder to pair with wine than others. For example, many people seem to have a hard time pairing French food and wine. However, there are some guidelines that you can turn to when pairing wine and food.

For instance, the oldest rule for pairing food with wine is to have red wine with red meat and white wine with fowl, fish or pork. While this is a good starting point, it isn't a set rule. For example, red wine pairs extremely well with Chicken Parmesan.

Here are some other things to consider when pairing wine and food:

Astringent or bitter foods go well with full-flavored wines, such as a Cabernet Sauvignon.
Crisp wines, such as a Pinot Grigo, go well with salty foods
Fatty cuts of meat work well with bitter wines, as they will tone down the bitterness.
Highly acidic foods pair well with acidic wines.
Serve light-bodied wines with light food and full-bodied wines with heavier foods.
Spicy foods pair well with sweeter wines.
Sweet foods need a dry wine to offset the sweetness.

Pairing Wine and Food Guide

This chart shows which wines work best with certain foods:

Types of Wine	Red	White	Rose	Sparkling
Variations of Wine	1. Cabernet Sauvignon 2. Merlot 3. Pinot Noir 4. Zinfandel	1. Chardonnay 2. Chenin Blanc 3. Gewurztraminer 4. Riesling 5. Sauvignon Blanc 6. Semillon	1. White Grenache 2. White Zinfandel	1. Blanc de Noir 2. Brut 3. Extra Dry Wines 4. Spumante
Appetizer		2, 4, 5	1, 2	1, 2, 3, 4
Mild Cheese		2, 3, 4, 5, 6	1, 2	1, 2, 3, 4
Strong Cheese	1, 2, 3, 4	1		1, 2, 3
Salad		4, 5		3
Shellfish		1, 2, 4, 5, 6		3
Light Seafood (i.e., boiled shrimp)		1, 3, 5	1, 2
Heavy Seafood (i.e., grilled salmon)	2, 3	1, 6
Poultry		1, 2, 4, 5	2
Pork	3, 4	1, 3	1
Ham		3, 4	2
Lamb	1, 2, 3, 4		2
Beef	1, 2, 4
Pasta	1, 2, 4	5
Dessert		3, 4	2	4

Wine after a Meal

Many people like to enjoy a glass of wine with dinner, but some don't want to end the enjoyment with they've taken the last bite of the main course. Luckily, there are dessert wines, which pair well with sweets but also work well on their own.

Here are a few wines that work well after dinner:

Brandy
Cognac
Madeira
Port
Sherry.

Wine and Cheese Pairing

Most dessert wines are sweet wines. While many people will pair these wines with cakes or other desserts, others like to pair them with cheese, as the sweet wine goes well with the saltiness of the cheese.

Wine cheese pairing is a popular after-dinner option. Here's a list of classic wine cheese pairings:

Cheddar: Champagne, Chardonnay
Feta: Beaujolais
Monterey Jack: Riesling
Parmigiano-Reggiano: Chardonnay
Stilton: Port.

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