How to Pair Wine with your Food

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How to Pair Wine

An Easy Guide to Follow

pairing wine with food




My husband and I gained an interest in wine after working on a vineyard in Italy. The Italians love wine. They would open a bottle of sparkling wine at brunch with fresh prosciutto, they would pass around multiple bottles at of house wine at lunch over gnocchi with seared fish, and they would talk about the history of the wine we opened over dinner with risotto.

The wine pairings happened naturally in Italy and that's what we appreciated. It wasn't a science to pairing your wine with a specific meal. The Italians also tended to make wines that are light, easily drinkable and pair well with almost any meal.

Right now, my husband is studying to be a sommelier. We open bottles of wine nearly every other night just so that he can taste through the wine: identifying it's color profile and whether or not it smells like plums or dark cherries. He'll even serve me a bottle of wine like I'm in a fine-dining restaurant. It's fun for me, and I get to learn exactly which wines we should drink with any meal that I decide to cook!

A general rule of thumb is to have white wine with fish and chicken, and red wine with red meats. Although you can almost always count on this, there are some exceptions like having red wine with salmon! A great reference for all things wine, especially wine pairings with food is Wine Folly. This website provides the best and easy-to-understand information https://winefolly.com/wine-pairing/getting-started-with-food-and-wine-pairing/

Quick Tips to Pair Wine with your Food

Pairing sparking rose wine with your cheese, crackers, figs and nuts.

A few important things to remember: 

1. Wine should always be more acidic than your food! For example, if you are having a salad with balsamic vinegar dressing, then you shouldn't choose an acidic wine like Pinot Grigio. Instead, go with a Cava or Champagne! Otherwise, the vinaigrette will overpower the wine and you certainly don't want that!

2. The wine should have a similar flavor as the food. If you're making a big, rare steak then that wine needs to be a big, red wine!

3. It is best to match your wine to the sauce, not the meat (when applicable). I think this wine tip is most interesting! Although we talk about pairing your wine with the type of meat, this is an exception. Think pasta sauce, or a lemony butter sauce over salmon. That sauce is typically going to overpower the meat, so that's what we'll pair it with.

4. A bitter red wine is going to go best with a balanced fat like butter!


Easy Wine Pairings to Remember 

  • Dessert Wines: Muscat, Sherry, Port = chocolate, coffee, caramel, berries
  • Sweet Wines: Moscato, Riesling, Chenin Blanc = hot and spicy foods, nuts and seeds, cured meats
  • Light White: Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigio = herbs, beans and peas, fish
  • Rich White: Chardonnay, Viognier, Roussanne = poultry, lobster, soft cheese, funghi
  • Rose: White Zinfandel, Syrah Rose = root vegetables and squash
  • Light Reds: Pinot Noir, Grenache, Gamay = sauteed or fried foods, poultry, cured meat
  • Medium Red: Merlot, Zinfendel, Cabernet Franc = pork, smoked foods, pungent cheese, exotic and aromatic spices
  • Bold Red: Malbec, Syrah/Shiraz, Petite Sirah = red meat. roasted and grilled foods, black pepper
Read more about wine pairings and easy recipes on my blog! https://fullandsavory.blogspot.com/

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